1 “We will distribute your print book to the largest bookstores.”
Sorry, this does not mean your book will appear on bookstore shelves. All it means is bookstores may order copies from distributor’s catalogs. That’s it.
Realistically, retailers are unlikely to carry your book. You’ll be competing with big publishers with powerful sales teams who pay money to have their books featured in window and table displays.
You can get the same “distribution” at no or low cost from print-on-demand providers such as CreateSpace or IngramSpark. You can even pitch your book to Barnes & Noble yourself. You do not need to pay a self-publishing service company for this “service.”
2 “We are your foot-in-the-door to traditional publishing.”
Since it was acquired, Author Solution has been calling itself a Penguin/Random House Company implying an inside-track to traditional acquisitions editors.
Great promise but virtually no results. The Authors Solutions’ site boasts of a “complete” list of authors who have made the leap – all 35 titles. Author Solutions claims to have helped authors publish 225,000 books, so that’s a 0.015% success rate. A writer has better odds querying agents and publishers directly.
Independently published books are occasionally picked up by traditional publishers if the books sell well. The credit for such success should go to the author’s writing skills, marketing efforts, and luck, not the “industry contacts” of a self-publishing company.
3 “Don’t take our word for it; check the internet.”
Here’s a quote from ChooseYourPublisher.com:
Choose Your Publisher was conceived to make sure that writers and aspiring and newbie authors like you do not fall prey to the Fagins and Artful Dodgers that have spawned in the wake of self-publishing’s success…Rest assured, we direct you to top-quality indie publishing companies in the market…
Read the fine print at the bottom of the web page. Chooseyourpublisher.com is owned by Author Solutions, as is e-bookspublishing.com and poetry-publishers.com. If you fill out their forms, which companies do you think they will recommend?
Judith Briles is a book publishing expert and coach. She empowers authors and is the Founder of Author U, a membership organization created for the serious author who wants to be seriously successful. She’s been writing 
about and conducting workshops on publishing since the 80s. Judith is the author of 35 books including Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms (ForeWord IndieFab Book of the Year), Snappy Sassy Salty: Wise Words for Authors and Writers and a speaker at publishing conferences. Book #35 was published this summer: The How to Avoid 101 Book Publishing Blunders, Bloopers & Boo-Boos. Get your copy now.
Each summer, she holds Judith Briles Book Publishing Unplugged, a three day intensive limited to a small group of authors who want to be seriously successful. In 2017, the dates are June 22-24th. Her audio and workbook series, Creating Your Book and Author Platform is now available. Join Judith live on Thursdays at 6 p.m. EST for “AuthorU – Your Guide to Book Publishing” on the Toginet Network at bit.ly/PublishingShow .
Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorU and Judith Briles – TheBookShepherd on Facebook. If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact Judith at Judith@Briles.com.
Author U is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the author who wants to be seriously successful. Monthly education programs delivered face-to-face and online, The Author Resource ezine, BookCamps and the annual Author U Extravaganza are tools designed for authors pre, during and post publishing of their books. Join AuthorU.org today.
If you are looking for FREE author and book coaching … call in to Judith’s Author Monday Mornings at NOON Eastern each Monday. The number is 218-632-9854; Access Code 1239874444 … have your questions ready–there’s a full hour to ask and listen
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