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Authorhouse

Authorhouse

www.authorhouse.com
What is your customer experience with Authorhouse?

Authorhouse Overview

The aggregated data is based on reviews and questionnaires provided by PissedConsumer.com users.

  • Authorhouse has 1.8 star rating based on 150 customer reviews. Consumers are mostly dissatisfied.

  • Rating Distribution
  • Pros: Very unsatisfied, Cover of my book, Good final product.
    Cons: Aggressive marketing services associates, Fact that they misled me, Fact that they were evasive.

  • Recent recommendations regarding this business are as follows: "If they have no intention to do business in a professional manor publish with another company", "Beware", "Do not get your book published with Authorhouse! They will steal your royalties!", "Do NOT contract with this publisher. They change rules constantly and hang up on you when trying to contact them. Find someone else.", "Avoid at all costs".

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Top Authorhouse Reviews

Critical Review

"Authorhouse is a massive scam. I has them publish my book and they stole thousands of dollars in royalties from me, and they also stole millions from other others."

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They lie, they steal millions in royalties from hundreds of other authors. They are the icon of scammers and need to be shut down for good! User's...

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Jenine W Usy

This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ

Verified Reviewer
| map-marker Malden, Massachusetts

Terrible experience

Do NOT Trust Authors House Publishing!

I wish I had taken the time to read the reviews before I was scammed into believing this company was going to help bring my book to life. I was promised a smooth, professional experience and that they would support my passion for helping people.

Instead, theyve ruined my experience and taken my hard-earned money.

Not only did they fail to deliver my book as intended, but they also refused to give me a refund, despite me explaining multiple times how much the $1,700 I paid meant to me and how it was a huge financial stretch. They assured me they would "take such good care of me" and that the investment would be worth it. It was not worth it at all.

Their communication was abysmal, their customer service non-existent, and I honestly feel like Ive been completely taken advantage of. Its hard enough to pursue a passion like writing, and this company has only made it harder for me.

Please save yourself the stress, the heartache, and the money there are much better options out there for aspiring authors.

Do NOT trust Authors House Publishing. I would give zero stars if I could.

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James O Pok

This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ

Verified Reviewer

Books I've purchased

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I purchased two books in May of 2024 and had them delivered to a man on the east coast. I found out a month ago that he never received them. Author House refused to resend them, nor would they give me a refund.

View full review
Loss:
$42
Pros:
  • Great product
Cons:
  • Bad customer service

Preferred solution: Full refund

User's recommendation: Beware

Anonymous
map-marker Cleveland, Ohio

I have been contacting them for quarterly reviews

I have been reaching out for the quarterly reviews that I was promised letting me know how my books is doing. No one returns calls.

They only teach out to offer more copies. I am afraid that I am going to have to contact the bbb

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User's recommendation: If they have no intention to do business in a professional manor publish with another company

Noneya b Tcr

This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ

Verified Reviewer

Poor customer service

Poor customer service after the sale. It turns out my book of poetry "Convenient Memory" has been selling through places they initially said they couldn't do buisness with unless I paid substantially more money to them but recently found out differently...

although I've received NO royalties whatsoever.

Thanks Authorhouse... for nothing.

View full review
Loss:
$2000
Cons:
  • Expensive with little to no return

Preferred solution: Royalties from all the places my book is being sold

User's recommendation: Do NOT contract with this publisher. They change rules constantly and hang up on you when trying to contact them. Find someone else.

Anonymous
map-marker Yelm, Washington

Authorhouse is a massive scam. I has them publish my book and they stole thousands of dollars in royalties from me, and they also stole millions from other others.

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They lie, they steal millions in royalties from hundreds of other authors. They are the icon of scammers and need to be shut down for good!

View full review

User's recommendation: Do not get your book published with Authorhouse! They will steal your royalties!

Shonte Ujw

This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ

Verified Reviewer
| map-marker Bradford, England

Took my money and gave me nothing in return

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Authorhouse will charge you a fortune and constantly come back for more. When you ask them for anything - copies of your so-called published book, sales figures, income or anything you won't get anything back.

I was constantly chased to give them more money.

Don't go anywhere near these people. They are the worst.

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User's recommendation: Avoid at all costs

Cachai S

This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ

Verified Reviewer

Corrupt Publishing Company

AuthorHouse has stolen all proceeds from a book my wife self-published years ago. When she contacted AuthorHouse to ask why she has not received a check since 2012 for the sales of her book, AuthorHouse replied with personal threats and continuous harassment. We are filing a lawsuit against AuthorHouse.

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Cons:
  • Illegal activities

Preferred solution: Just informing consumers about Authorhouse corruption

User's recommendation: Stay away from Authorhouse

RAW D

This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ

Verified Reviewer

I got scammed

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Do not use this company! This company uses its name to pose as another famous book publisher - Penguin Random House.

This company does not have experience in selling books.

I have just been scammed by them. I stupidly read the bad reviews after I paid them. I thought I recognized the name. I immediately asked for a refund before they started any work.

This was 2 weeks ago and I still have no money in my account. They promise they have refunded me and are sending me fake refund transaction screenshots.

To try and get me to believe they published best sellers online, they sent me a listing of great books published by the real - Penguin Authors House.

They tried to tell me that they were under the same umbrella as them when I caught them out. They are most definitely not.

Don't be fooled like me.

View full review
Loss:
$2200

Preferred solution: Full refund

Laurie B Nds

This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ

Verified Reviewer

Unhappy customer

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So, I give it a two. The people are respectful, but I dont trust them.

They tried deceptive business with me. I dont understand why I had to pay a little over $1,000 for my work. The company said that I sold eighteen books. Is it going to be eighteen books forever?

I think that I wasted my money on Author House. I remember reading a company worker writing to an author, Why did you wait until you were on your death bed? Thats nasty. Truly, I would never use them again.

I used a free publishing company for the second one. I dont trust nasty and rude people as being honest. I hope that when I get my book back that I loaned to someone, I get honest answers.

I would not be surprised if they get 100% royalties for many books that I wrote. Its just that what I read about Author House makes me think they will lie to me.

View full review
Loss:
$1
Pros:
  • You get around thirteen free books
Cons:
  • Try deceptive business

Preferred solution: Honest answers with pure proof.

User's recommendation: Try a different publishing company. There are free ones

Anonymous
map-marker New York, New York

Lousy customer service

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I was talked into self-publishing a book for several thousand dollars with AuthorHouse by a fast-talking salesgirl. She lied on the phone that AuthorHouse had published books similar to mine before.

Although I had already finished writing my manuscript, AuthorHouse proved incapable of converting the manuscript into a normal-sized book.

Instead, one of their bureaucrats insisted on publishing it as a "full-size" 8 x 11 inch book, which I thought made for a very awkward look and feel. It was a thoroughly lousy experience.

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User's recommendation: Don't deal with them.

Diania Nky

This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ

Verified Reviewer

I Am An Author With Them And This Business Needs An Auditor

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My book was recently placed as one of the best in its class by Book Authority and yet my royalties are 12 cents per book sold and my last royalty check was for 24 cents! I am down 90% of the money paid to Authorhouse, sold only about 200 books in over a decade and yet my book is so highly rated online and ranked highly on two major sites.

How can this be possible? I found a way to get back so that was fine, but I warn anyone considering self-publishing with Authorhouse to not do so. I thought this was a legitimate company but it is not. Penguin Random House bought Author Solutions (parent company) and then booted them out (check online for this story).

I had planned to do a big marketing campaign with them but will not do so. Maybe that's their strategy, withhold legitimate royalties and contact you to say if only you marketed it with them you could be the greatest author?

LOL but not LOR (royalties). Avoid.

View full review
Loss:
$1800
Pros:
  • Book layout
  • Named recognition
Cons:
  • Marketing is insufficient
  • Makes mistakes publishing books and needs redoing
  • Questionable ethics

User's recommendation: Read All About Parent Company Author Solutions Online Before Committing To Authorhouse

Anonymous
map-marker Toronto, Ontario

Scammers

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I have used Authorhouse for my book publishing and marketing. This is one of the deepest regrets of my life. Once you sign up, they will continuously tell you your book is the best book they every read and you will make millions .and will push you to buy more expensive package from them.

I spend around $15000 for marketing and They sold around 65 books.

View full review

User's recommendation: Even if you try to sell yourself still it’s better than Author house

Alex F Dng

Harassment

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I enquired into AuthorHouse in 2018. I never signed any contracts after realising it was a scam.

Its the end of 2023 and theyre still calling me, 5 years later(!!) to try and get me to publish with them. Ive blocked multiple numbers theyve used, and emailed saying Im no longer interested.

They still continue to harass me. AVOID AT ALL COSTS

View full review
Cons:
  • Greed
  • Harassment

Preferred solution: Apology

User's recommendation: AVOID

Emeka N Oio

This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ

Verified Reviewer
| map-marker Guarulhos, Sao Paulo

Update author contact information

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I want to update my contact information and want to know of any outstanding royalty checks for me as I have not been bothered to make inquiries up until now that a friend of mine check up for the novel online and asked that I prove am the author if the novel as per the different names I used to published the novel from my actual name. I was given the logging but that was about 8 years ago while in Amsterdam and a lot have changed in my life I have lost lots of useful information that I didn't save. I want to update my information now and it will never change again save natural disasters like death do us path, my address could change and phone numbers because I move around different countries but my email will never change as it's been verified with google ezvozlishtraa@***.com

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Dror R And

This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ

Verified Reviewer
| map-marker Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv

My calls are being ignored

Hello

My name is Dror Rofe.

In November 2021, I contacted Ms. Kelly Allison for book writing.

Ms.

Allison sold me on the premium package. At that time, I

paid in full $7500.

I believe the order number is 90805****.

I had some trouble coming up with a manuscript due to personal problems.

I recently sent several emails to Ms. Allison to inform her that I am ready with my manuscript. I was hoping she would direct me to whom I should be working.

Unfortunately, Ms. Allison did not reply to my emails. In addition, I called and left a message with the operator several times yesterday and on her answering machine.

Ms.

Allison ignores all my attempts to reach her.

I feel misled and wish to be refunded my money to go somewhere else and publish my book.

Please respect my wish and process my refund as soon as possible.

Thank you, D. Rofe

View full review
Loss:
$7500

Preferred solution: Full refund

User's recommendation: None at this time

Humara M

This review is from a real person who provided valid contact information and hasn't been caught misusing, spamming or abusing our website. Check our FAQ

Verified Reviewer

I have been let down by this AuthorHouse. I am a writer

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They were very quick to get the money off me.

My book was published, and I am happy with this.

I paid £1500 to market the book and they have done nothing at all.

I told them to market in US Amazon, but they sponsored the book in USA Amazon.

They have not paid me any royalties - they just say 'check your account'.

I haven't made any money on the book but have spent £4000 .

I am very disappointed with this publishing shark scam company.

I have many other books to publish - so they have been very short-sighted .

If they were trustworthy and followed their promises , I would have given them my 5 books and also my son is a writer, and they would have published his book as well.

View full review
Loss:
$2000
Pros:
  • Publishing
Cons:
  • Royalties
  • Finanace
  • Marketing

Preferred solution: Let the company propose a solution

User's recommendation: Avoid like the the plague

1 comment
Marnell Aoh

They are just pure scam alledgedly run by the Mafia to pull scam after scam and they use Authorhouse, Xlibris, Iuniverse etc... to launder money from other criminal activity. If you can get your bank to cancel the payments do so.

About

Related Companies

Najafi Companies, Xlibris, Iuniverse, Author Solutions, Trafford Publishing

Summary

AuthorHouse (originally 1stBooks) is a leading company launched in January 1997 in Bloomington, Indiana, USA for self-publishers around the world. AuthorHouse offers a great selection of tools and services for authors like editorial services, design services, marketing services, bookselling and much more. The company has released more than 60,000 titles so far. AuthorHouse also provides different types of print formats such as paperback publishing and hardcover publishing. Authors can also choose electronic formats. The company offers services that help to prepare manuscript for publishing. AuthorHouse provides each author of the publication with a personal adviser. Each author can make his own choice of all the publishing process.

Authorhouse reviews and complaints

Authorhouse is ranked 327 out of 5733 in Periodicals & Publishing category

Area Served

Worldwide, USA, UK, Other

Payment Methods

VISA

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