AuthorHouse, a self publishing company based in Bloomington, Indiana, is one of the largest Print-On-Demand (POD) publishers in the industry. Like publishing through BookPros, AuthorHouse allows authors to retain control of their publishing and marketing decisions. Authors also retain all the rights to their material. That, however, is where the similarities end.
While BookPros is very selective about the material we accept, AuthorHouse has a reputation for accepting any manuscript as long as the author can afford its fees. At BookPros, our relationships with the media and our distributors depend on the quality of our books and we would not accept any manuscript that could endanger these relationships.
After receiving a manuscript, AuthorHouse offers authors the option of a copy edit but the company does not insist on one. At BookPros, we offer a substantive edit, which reviews more than grammar and spelling, including editing for focus of topic, flow, organization and consistency. At BookPros we require each book to be edited. No matter how great a book's content is, the media and readers will not take it seriously if it is riddled with errors.
In terms of publishing, BookPros and AuthorHouse vary greatly. AuthorHouse only publishes POD books. POD means books are printed one at a time when a reader purchases a book. This method of publishing usually prevents a book from being available on bookstore shelves. BookPros, however, prints books in bulk via offset printing (although we sometimes utilize digital printing for smaller quantities), then manages warehousing for the inventory. This method of printing and distribution is more in line with the method utilized by traditional publishers and gives authors the best chance of seeing their book on bookstore shelves. Compared to POD, offset printing also allows for higher quality, and more printing options (like hardcover, embossing, glossing and foil), and lower costs per book.
An important function of book publishing lies in sales and distribution. Without it your book will sit in your garage rather than being available to potential readers at their local bookstore. Both AuthorHouse and BookPros utilize the Google Book Search program to boost a book's visibility, but BookPros also registers with Amazon Search Inside and R.R. Bower's Books In Print. Both of our imprints are distributed through Ingram Book Company, the leading wholesale distributor of books worldwide. Additional distribution through Baker & Taylor is available for our Synergy Books imprint, which also offers nationwide in-store distribution through Midpoint Trade Books, one of the leading small to mid-size press distributors in the country. AuthorHouse only offers distribution through Ingram.
AuthorHouse emphasizes speed in its production of books. It has a Fast Foreword Program that guarantees a finished book in thirty days.
AuthorHouse also has a four-month timeline for its other books. BookPros' process takes more time but the finished product is worth it. We value quality over speed.
AuthorHouse pays its authors a royalty or a small percentage of the retail price of every book sold meaning it receives money if your book sells.
BookPros does not make money from our authors' sales. We want our authors to keep their profits.
In terms of marketing, AuthorHouse sells its authors various marketing tools including domain names, group ads in the New York Times and the Bloomsbury Review, a marketing guide, and promotional materials such as posters and bookmarks. BookPros provides an in depth marketing program and our print department can commission the printing of bookmarks, posters or direct mail postcards. Most importantly, though, we offer in-house publicity services through our corporate partner, Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists. Publicity has been proven to be one of the most effective methods of promoting books and is traditionally more accepted than advertising.
In terms of publicity, AuthorHouse offers varying levels of service for a fee, but they aren't included in the book package. At BookPros, every manuscript must be approved by our publicity team through our complimentary media analysis. We don't accept manuscripts without media potential, and we provide some form of media for every book we publish. Please visit the Phenix & Phenix press room to see how both Phenix & Phenix and our clients are recognized in the news.
