ASI

Writer’s Digest Dumps Author Solutions

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This post by David Gaughran originally appeared on his Let’s Get Visible site on 6/23/14.

I have some huge news: Writer’s Digest has terminated its partnership with Author Solutions.

Abbott Press – the imprint launched by Writer’s Digest, parent company F+W Media, and white-label vanity press provider Author Solutions – is still operational, but all ties to Writer’s Digest have been cut.

It appears that Abbott Press will now be run directly as yet another Author Solutions brand but Writer’s Digest and F+W Media will have no further connection with it. (If you are unfamiliar with Author Solutions and its awful history, this will bring you up to speed.)

Writer’s Digest and F+W Media refuse to comment, despite being given several opportunities, but I’ve had this news confirmed by multiple sources. As Author Solutions only tends to allow early termination of partnership agreements if the partner signs a series of non-disclosure agreements, a formal announcement or comment is unlikely.

 

Click here to read the full post on Let’s Get Visible.

 

Penguin's Author Solutions Still A Poor Self-Publishing Choice

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This post by Orna Ross originally appeared on the ALLi blog on 5/9/14.

Yes, it’s that time of  year again, when the Watchdog desk here at ALLi Towers (otherwise known as Jim Giammatteo and Mick Rooney) scan the self-publishing scene and analyse the good, the bad and the definitely-to-be-avoided.

Authors still have to make their self-publishing choices in an unregulated environment where the same service can cost $500 against $15,000, for pretty much the same thing, depending on where you shop; where services that are absolutely useless are sold at inflated prices; and where one large operation with many imprints dominates the information stream, including Google Ads/search.

Prior to launching our guide to services at Book Expo America at the end of May, we wanted to alert you to that company, the world’s largest self-publishing service, Author Solutions (ASI), acquired by Penguin-Random House in 2012, and trading under a number of brand names including Trafford, XLibris and iUniverse.

The Watchdog Warning issued last year about this company is still in place.

Our hope that Penguin would clean up ASI’s practices, notorious in self-publishing circles for over-promising and under-delivering has not, as yet, materialised — and ASI imprints score a very poor rating in our guide again this year.

 

Click here to read the full post on the ALLi blog.