AuthorHouse was 1st Books Library

Manuscript Selection No Kind of Contract Non-exclusive 2+2=5 There is a problem with their royalty payment system which is based on a "Book Pricing Agreement" that is not part of the service agreement. As far as loopholes go this is a huge one, especially considering that the contract states that it represents the whole of the contract includes the following: "This agreement contains the entire agreement of the parties and supercedes all prior agreements or communications between the parties concerning the subjects contained herein". The contract should represent the whole agreement between the parts and one that leaves out such critical element can easily turn out to be a recipe for disaster (for more info on dangerous clauses check out Beware Treacherous Clauses Ahead). Distribution Through their site and through major on-line retailers mostly. Price Range Paperback $698.00 plus add-ons (lots of them). Hardcover $1,048.00 plus add-ons (lots of them). It is not clear whether this fee refers to a hardcover or a combo. Paperback/hardcover combo Color publishing $999.00 plus add-ons (lots of them) Royalties They pay royalties according to a "Book Pricing Agreement" that is separate from the contract itself. While the contract doesn't even hint at what those royalties could be there is some information available in their FAQ section however it should be considered as a very loose guideline. In a nutshell, you choose a price and a royalty. The higher the royalty you choose, the more expensive the book. Royalties range between 5-15% on external sales and between 10-50% on direct sales. Author's Discount Author's discount equals royalties on direct sales however if you are buying less than 25 copies you must pay the full price and then you will be credited with the corresponding royalties. Bulk discounts may be available when it comes to orders of more than 100 copies. Breakeven point Fairly expensive.Between 400 and 500 copies (approximation based on external sales of an average length book using a 10% royalty). Basic retail price Competitive (unless you choose a 15% royalty which would result in an expensive book). Price for a 250 pages book ranges from $13.50 to $17.50 through external chanels depending on your choice of royalty (10% royalty would result in a $14.95 retail price). Interior Layout They will prepare the manuscript for you. They retain final discretion on the style and format of the work and the rights over such format should the author terminate the agreement in order to publish elsewhere. Cover Options They will design one for you, using one of their templates. They retain final discretion on the style and format of the cover and the rights over such cover should the author terminate the agreement in order to publish elsewhere. Choice of Trim Size Yes Pros* Good distribution. They offer a wide range of formats. Cons* Fairly expensive to expensive setup fee (depending on what you choose as your royalties). You have virtually no control over your book's layout and design. There is a serious problem with their contract. Their contract is one of the most convoluted to be found within the context of POD. There are tons of extras that are likely to drive your publishing costs up significantly. Additional Comments* This company used to go by the name 1st Books Library, the reason behind the new name is unclear (click here for an explanation of why this could be a red flag). Take Me To Author House's homepage Take me to the Author House's Forum

* These represent my personal views on the matter.

This page was last updated: January 8, 2005