Learn more about the differences between BookBaby and Author Solutions
When comparing BookBaby vs. Author Solutions, an excellent starting point is customer service. It’s no secret—a quick Google search for Author Solutions’ customer reviews reveals a few of the lawsuits filed against the company. In contrast, BookBaby provides an honest, straightforward approach to becoming a published author.
Dozens of blog articles have been devoted to disappointed customers complaining about Author Solutions’ marketing and sales tactics. BookBaby provides efficient book solutions through our people-powered publishing approach. That’s why we’re one of the only self-publishing companies in the industry with dedicated publishing specialists who are available to take your call and help you out.
You may have submitted a complaint about a publishing experience in the past, although we certainly hope not. No author deserves to have his or her dreams hindered by a publisher, and our satisfaction guarantee supports this mission.
The most important element of any relationship is trust. And while these articles illustrate the major differences between BookBaby and Author Solutions, we encourage you to do your own homework and discover the truth yourself.
Service under one name
AuthorHouse. iUniverse. Xlibris. Wordclay. Trafford. Any of these sound familiar?
They’re five of the many “imprints” operated by Author Solutions. At a glance it looks like a variety of publishing brands for authors to choose from. But marketing a platoon of names—all with similar business models and service packages for extremely varied prices—is confusing, especially when you’re trying to decide if that company fits your self-publishing needs. They even run a website called “findyourpublisher.com” that makes authors think they are able to compare and contrast competing services. This website doesn’t provide any helpful information for self-published authors who wish to learn more about the process. Instead, the sole purpose of this website is to collect your information. In contrast, BookBaby is constantly searching for ways to educate the authors in our community. For example, our free guides provide a wide range of useful tips.
BookBaby is, simply, BookBaby. We do our best to support, inform, and encourage our independent authors to achieve their self-publishing goals—from getting your manuscript to print, to making your book available to readers around the world.
Over-promising and under-delivering
From Xlibris to iUniverse, all of the Author Solutions’ brands sell marketing packages that appeal to the lavish dreams of fame and fortune—but seldom deliver. Take for instance the “Hollywood Treatment”, a $3,749 service where they promise to pitch books to movie producers. In its own recent published results, Author Solutions admitted that out of 300 authors who bought this service, only two were ever seriously considered for a movie.
Additionally, if you look up the Trustpilot reviews for BookBaby, you’ll see that we outrank Xlibris publishing reviews and iUniverse publishing reviews.
The “possibility of being picked up for acquisition” isn’t going to put money in your pocket. Neither is missing royalties from well-earned book sales. BookBaby ONLY sells products and services that it can back up with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
We’ve negotiated the best eBook royalty rates—up to 85%— for authors selling through websites like Amazon, where the bulk of self-published author income comes from. When you sell your printed books with Print On Demand on Bookshop™, you earn 50% of your selling price. But most importantly, you’re paid what you earned, on time, every time.