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| Xlibris | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Manuscript screening: | No | ||
| Kind of contract: | Non-Exclusive | ||
| 2+2=5 | While they do describe their contract as non-exclusive, it is not available online (it is worth noting that other subsidiaries of Author Solutions claim the right to change the term of the agreement with a 30 written notice). | ||
| Distribution: | Through their site and online retailers mostly | ||
| Basic fees: | Paperback publishing | Basic paperback fee is $499.00. | |
| Hardcover publishing | Not available | ||
| Combo publishing | Basic combo fee is $1,249.00. | ||
| Color publishing | Basic color publishing fee is $499.00. | ||
| eBook publishing | eBook publishing is bundled into their packages except their least expensive one (this is probably not a good thing). Royalties are unclear though they may be 50% of net receipts. |
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| Royalties: | According to their FAQ royalties are 10% of retail price on external sales, 25% of retail price on direct sales. This is not necessarily consistent with their calculator tool if you purchase the 'suggest your own retail price' option. | ||
| Author's discount: | Unknown (used to be 40% on paperbacks and 35% on hardcovers). | ||
| Break-even point: | Between 200 and 300 copies (approximation based on external sales of an average length book through external channels using their least expensive package). | ||
| Basic retail price: | Their suggested retail price comes across as very expensive ($19.99 for a 200 page book). You can also set your own retail price (though this will incur in an additional $249.00 fee), though oddly enough the end result of that particular exercise is even worse, as the same 200 page book with a similar royalty would have a retail price of $23.99. | ||
| Layout: | Your choice of a number of templates. | ||
| Graphics: | Avaliable only as an extra for a paperback, up to 25 graphics for a combo (more can be purchased as an extra) | ||
| Cover options: | Your choice of a number of templates. | ||
| Trim size: | They have a single trim size available. | ||
| Additional options: | There are a number of additional packages with set-up fees as high as $15,249.00. They also offer a series of add-ons such as layout services, custom cover, footnotes and so on. |
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| Pros*: | *Good distribution. | ||
| Cons*: | *With the exception of their basic, and very bare-bones, 'Advantage' package, their setup fees range from slightly expensive to very expensive depending on package choice. *Very high retail prices that will probably have a significant impact on book sales. *Their site is not particularly informative. *eBook publishing is bundled into their print packages. *There are too many unanswered questions in their website. |
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| Comments*: | This is one of several large publishers that were bought by Author Solutions (the others being AuthorHouse, iUniverse and Trafford). | ||
| The Bottom Line*: | Even though their set-up fee seems to be a reasonable one, their basic package is too bare-bones to be truly viable. In addition to that a ridiculously expensive retail price combined with low royalties, undisclosed terms and a bundled eBook publishing package make this a company you may want to avoid. |
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| Visit the publisher's site | |||
| Last updated: 04-26-2012 | |||
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