Tag Archives: author solutions

The Author Exploitation Business

Posted on May 4, 2013 by davidgaughran

Writing is a glamorous occupation – at least from the outside. Popular depictions of our profession tend to leave out all the other stuff that comes with the territory: carpal tunnel syndrome, liver failure, penury, and madness. Okay, okay, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abbot press, archway publishing, author solutions, authorhouse, findyourpublisher.com, iuniverse, penguin, trafford, west bow press, xlibris | 212 Comments

A List of Things Scott Turow Doesn’t Care About

Posted on April 10, 2013 by davidgaughran

Scott Turow woke up from his slumber recently to bark nonsense about Amazon’s acquisition of Goodreads on the Authors Guild blog, before being thoroughly eviscerated in the comments. Undeterred, Turow sought out the considerably larger platform of the New York … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged archway, author solutions, authors guild, backinprint.com, iunverse, paul aiken, penguin, random house, scott turow, simon & schuster | 84 Comments

Publishers Behaving Badly, Part… I’ve Lost Count

Posted on March 13, 2013 by davidgaughran

There seems to be a view in certain self-congratulatory circles that publishers have finally got to grips with the digital revolution, that they have weathered the fiercest part of the storm, and that they are well-placed now not just to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged author solutions, digital imprints, dymocks, hydra, penguin, publishamerica, publishers behaving badly, random house, scalzi, simon & schuster | 97 Comments

Penguin’s Solution for Authors: One Racket To Rule Them All

Posted on February 19, 2013 by davidgaughran

Regular readers of this blog will know all about Penguin’s purchase last July of the universally reviled Author Solutions – a company infamous for overcharging writers, doing a terrible job of publishing their books, and forcing ineffective and expensive marketing … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged archway, author solutions, authorhouse, emily suess, partridge, penguin, scam, simon & schuster, trafford, xlibris | 113 Comments

Simon & Schuster Joins Forces With Author Solutions To Rip Off Writers

Posted on November 28, 2012 by davidgaughran

Simon & Schuster has launched a self-publishing operation, Archway Publishing, contracting one of the most disreputable players in the business to run the show: Author Solutions. We’ll get to that distasteful link-up in a second, but first let’s have a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged author solutions, authorhouse, big six, iuniverse, penguin, rip off, scam, simon & schuster, trafford, xlibris | 276 Comments

Penguin’s New Business Model: Exploiting Writers

Posted on July 20, 2012 by davidgaughran

I don’t normally post here just to inform you of articles I have written elsewhere, but I think this one is important. Most of you will have heard the news that Penguin’s parent Pearson has purchased the infamous self-publishing services … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged author house, author solutions, exploiting writers, iuniverse, overcharging, pearson, penguin, rip off, trafford, xlibris | 43 Comments

The Authors Guild Doesn’t Serve Writers

Posted on July 2, 2012 by davidgaughran

It’s official: the Authors Guild has lost the plot. In their (seemingly endless) quest to smear Amazon, they don’t care who they wheel out as an injured party. Spoiler alert: it’s PublishAmerica. Yep, you read that right. But before we get … Continue reading →