A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject.(July 2013) |
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Status | Active |
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Founded | 2007 |
Country of origin | United States |
Headquarters location | Bloomington, Indiana |
Key people | Jahm Najafi - Owner of Najafi Companies, Daniel Shum - Najafi Companies Partner, Bill Elliott - President [1] |
Publication types | Books, eBooks |
Imprints | AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Trafford Publishing, Xlibris, Palibrio, Booktango |
Owner(s) | Najafi Companies |
Official website | authorsolutions |
Author Solutions is the parent company of the self publishing companies/imprints AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Trafford Publishing, Xlibris, Palibrio, and Booktango. [2] Author Solutions also maintains partnerships with traditional book publishers Simon & Schuster (Archway Publishing), [3] Thomas Nelson (WestBow Press), [4] Hay House (Balboa Press), [5] and Guideposts (Inspiring Voices); [6] as well as with Writer's Digest (Abbott Press). [7]
Author Solutions is headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, and has been owned by Najafi Companies since 2015.
Founded in 2007, Author Solutions reports publishing 190,000 titles written by 150,000 authors. [8] In 2012, Pearson acquired Author Solutions from Bertram Capital Management for $116 million. [9] It also offers a suite of "book-to-screen" services intended to provide authors with Hollywood access.
Self-publishing has experienced rapid growth since 2006, with annual title output increasing 287 percent according to R.R. Bowker, the agency that issues ISBNs in the United States. [10] In April 2008, Author Solutions Marketing Director Keith Ogorek said that 1 out of every 17 books published in the United States is from AuthorHouse. [11] In 2009, Author Solutions, acquired two other top competitors – Xlibris in January [12] and Canadian self-publisher Trafford Publishing in April. [13] Later that year the company partnered with leading Christian publisher Thomas Nelson to launch a first-of-its-kind self-publishing partnership, WestBow Press. [14] Expansion to other segments of authors continued in June 2010 when Author Solutions launched its first Spanish-language imprint – Palibrio. [15] [ non-primary source needed ] Palibrio was initially offered only to the U.S. Spanish-speaking market, but later was made available to authors in Spain.
On May 3, 2013, Penguin announced that on July 1 Andrew Phillips would be assuming the position of Author Solutions CEO, replacing longtime CEO Kevin Weiss who was leaving to take another position.
On July 1, 2013, Author Solutions' parent company Penguin Group completed a merger with Random House to form Penguin Random House. [16]
In 2013 Forbes magazine and Publishers Weekly reported that Author Solutions and its associated companies were being sued as part of a potential class action suit alleging deceptive practices. Damages of 5 million dollars were sought. [17] [18] Publishers Weekly reports that the suit has been filed in the Southern District of New York. [19] In July, 2015, the court denied class action certification to the suit, [20] and in August 2015 the lawsuit was "discontinued without prejudice" after a settlement was reached between the parties. [21] A second case was dismissed in September. [22]
On December 31, 2015 Author Solutions, LLC was sold to Najafi Companies after talks. [23]
Author Solutions is frequently criticized by author advocacy groups for predatory marketing practices, excessive fees, high-pressure sales, and poor customer service. These criticisms led to Author Solutions' inclusion in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America's Thumbs Down Publisher List, [24] multiple Watchdog Advisories from the Alliance of Independent Authors, [25] and alerts from Writer Beware. [26]
Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. It has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by the Germany-based media conglomerate Bertelsmann.
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is an Anglo-American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster. HarperCollins is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Corp.
Doubleday is an American publishing company. It was founded as the Doubleday & McClure Company in 1897. By 1947, it was the largest book publisher in the United States. It published the work of mostly U.S. authors under a number of imprints and distributed them through its own stores.
Berkley Books is an imprint of the Penguin Group.
Simon & Schuster LLC is an American publishing company owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins and Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster is considered one of the 'Big Five' English language publishers. As of 2017 Simon & Schuster was the third largest publisher in the United States, publishing 2,000 titles annually under 35 different imprints.
AuthorHouse, formerly known as 1stBooks, is a self-publishing company based in the United States. AuthorHouse uses print-on-demand business model and technology.
Rodale, Inc., was an American publisher of health and wellness magazines, books, and digital properties headquartered in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, with a satellite office in New York City. The company was founded in 1930. In 2017, it was acquired by New York City-based Hearst Communications, a media conglomerate.
Hay House is a publisher founded in 1984 by author Louise Hay, who is known for her books on New Thought. Hay House has its headquarters in Carlsbad, California, and is run by Reid Tracy. Hay House describes itself as a "mind-body-spirit and transformational enterprise". Their target audience is readers interested in self-help, personal growth, and alternative medicine.
Otto Penzler is an American editor of mystery fiction, and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City.
Xlibris is a self-publishing and on-demand printing services provider, founded in 1997 and based in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. In 2000, The New York Times stated it to be the foremost on-demand publisher. The current president is Bill Elliot.
Trafford Publishing is a book publishing company for self-publishing authors. Formerly based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, Trafford Publishing is now based in Bloomington, Indiana, US.
Hachette Book Group (HBG) is a publishing company owned by Hachette Livre, the largest publishing company in France, and the third largest trade and educational publisher in the world. Hachette Livre is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lagardère Group. HBG was formed when Hachette Livre purchased the Time Warner Book Group from Time Warner on March 31, 2006. Its headquarters are located at 1290 Avenue of the Americas, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Hachette is considered one of the "big five" publishing companies, along with Holtzbrinck/Macmillan, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster. In one year, HBG publishes approximately 1400+ adult books, 300 books for young readers, and 450 audiobook titles. In 2017, the company had 167 books on the New York Times bestseller list, 34 of which reached No. 1.
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. is an American independent book publishing company founded in 2006 and headquartered in New York City, with a satellite office in Brattleboro, Vermont.
iUniverse, founded in October 1999, is an American self-publishing company based in Bloomington, Indiana. It has been owned by Author Solutions since 2008.
BiblioBazaar is, with Nabu Press, an imprint of the historical reprints publisher BiblioLife, which is based in Charleston, South Carolina and owned by BiblioLabs LLC.
Sourcebooks LLC is an American independent book publisher located in Naperville, Illinois. The company publishes books, eBooks, and digital products.
Penguin Random House LLC is an American multinational conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, with the merger of Penguin Group and Random House. Penguin Books was originally founded in 1935 and Random House was founded in 1927. It has more than 300 publishing imprints. Along with Simon & Schuster, Hachette, HarperCollins and Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Random House is considered one of the 'Big Five' English language publishers.
Open Road Integrated Media or ORIM is a digital media company in New York City that was created by Jane Friedman and Jeffrey Sharp in 2009 with a focus on publishing ebook editions of older works of literature and nonfiction. In addition to its ebook publishing business, Open Road Integrated Media is the parent company of book publisher Open Road Media and content brands Early Bird Books, The Lineup, The Archive, Murder & Mayhem, A Love So True, and The Portalist.
Atria Publishing Group is a general interest publisher and a division of Simon & Schuster. The publishing group launched as Atria Books in 2002. The Atria Publishing Group was later created internally at Simon & Schuster to house a number of imprints including Atria Books, Atria Trade Paperbacks, Atria Books Espanol, Atria Unbound, Washington Square Press, Emily Bestler Books, Atria/Beyond Words, Cash Money Content, Howard Books, Marble Arch Press, Strebor Books, 37 Ink, Keywords Press and Enliven Books. Atria is also known for creating innovative imprints and co-publishing deals with African-American writers as well as known for experimenting with digital or non-traditional print formats and authors.
Jamshid Jahm Najafi is an Iranian-American billionaire businessman. He manages The Najafi Companies, a private equity firm, is vice chairman of the NBA's Phoenix Suns and McLaren Racing.
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