Have any of you ever heard of Author House Publishing? Do you know if they are reputable?

Question

I'm prepareing to publish my first book and I wanted to go through Author House but as I do more research I fail to see many other authors using them. Any suggestions on better routes to take? Author House is a self publishing company. Do you think that submitting my manuscript would be more lucrative? Any suggestions would be helpful.. thanks

Answer 1

I am an author of three published novels, so I'm going to be blunt and honest. Before submitting to a self-publishing company, how many times have you submitted it to the big guys? I'm talking Bantam, Berkley, HarperCollins, Avon, Warner, Tor...etc, etc. And what about the mid-presses (check your local Yellow Pages).

If you haven't done that much, then stop! Don't start at the bottom. If you want to be a published author you should always try to do things the right way first. Until you have earned at least a binder full of rejection letters, you shouldn't even think of self-publishing. Unless you don't really think your book is all that good.

Also, make sure you know your craft. I have spoken to groups of writers on this topic alone and it boggles my mind how many "writers" have no idea what tags, beats, POV, or passive dialogue are. Learn your craft first. There is no point in rushing to put out a book if you don't know how to write. Natural talent still needs training to perfect it.

So, let's assume you've taken some courses, have at least ten books on writing and manuscript formatting near your computer and have a box full of rejection letters in the basement. (This was me a few years ago, times 3)

If you decide that self-publishing is the way to go, investigate the companies as if you were going to work for them. Contact authors who have dealt with them. Learn about their policies--in particular, their return policies. This will dramatically affect your sales.

I've written a few articles on publishing and self-publishing, and have had some of them published in reputable writing magazines. From my own research, there are three that warrant a closer look: Trafford Publishing in Canada (with offices in US and 4 other countries), Infinity Publishing and iUniverse in the US. And don't be fooled by the book that iUniverse has published on how to get published--everything you need to know is either on their site or on the internet.

If you do choose a POD publisher, make sure you hire at least 1 professional editor. Too many self-published authors skip this step and churn out books that are good only for lining a bird cage. I recently read one that had numerous errors on almost every page. I don't know why that person bothered.

Treat this as a business, a profession, and learn the ropes, pay your dues just like the rest of us and do your homework. :) It will pay off in the end.

I am happy to say that in April 2007 I will be releasing my new novel Whale Song with a huge and exciting book launch in Edmonton, sponsored in part by Book Television. See? Hard work and persistence pays off!

All the best,
Cheryl Kaye Tardif
http://www.cherylktardif.com
http://www.whalesongbook.com

For book promotion: http://www.bookadz.com

Answer 2

As long as they don't charge a fee they would be ok.

Your first sale would be for like $500 advance or some free books from a general publisher without an agent. Even with an agent you won't get much of an advance.

Answer 3

put a few chapters in to them and see if they are what you want also try to get a person to represent you they will help you out better