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| iUniverse Star Ratings |
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Self publishing can be an arduous process indeed. Especially when trying to sort out the legitimate companies from the ones that are not. Of course there’s also the pricing factor to consider. Most writers can't afford to throw money away. How do you know which self-publishing website to trust? Which one will give you the most for less? That's what we set out to uncover when writing our self publishing website reviews. iUniverse.com is one of the sites we put to the test. Here's how they measured up...
What's New with iUniverse Self Publishing?- Book doctoring and copyright services.
- Free publishing guide.
- Community section.
Our Favorite iUniverse Feature:
Our favorite feature of iUniverse.com was definitely the free publishing guide. While most companies attempt to ‘lure’ you in by offering a free product just so they can get your email address and phone number, iUniverse seems to be pure in their intentions. The guide offers information on various services the company offers, as well as tips for authors-to-be on how to publish their work for the best results.
The iUniverse Experience:
iUniverse.com is a site that truly offers the best of the best in self publishing. Integrated publishing packages ensure that you receive everything you need, and that necessary steps are inadvertently left out. The company has an approach that shows they truly care about the success of their authors, which they demonstrate very well throughout their business web site in a number of ways.
We really enjoyed the ‘Tips for Authors’ section of the site. This includes various suggestions on how to approach different aspects of the publishing process, such as book distribution, editing, etc. There are even suggestions include how to get a book reviewed, how to submit to online web giants such as Amazon.com, and how to create a compelling press release. And this information is free to everyone – you don't have to register for "membership" or give out any details to get it.
iUniverse’s web site really leaves nothing to be desired. The site is easy to navigate and we had absolutely no trouble finding what we were looking for. The myUniverse section of the site offers members the ability to track royalties, sales, and other aspects of managing their book. Additionally, authors are also able to track past book sales, title submission, and other various tools.
We really feel that iUniverse caters to their customers both before, during and after a book has been published through the site.
iUniverse Features:
- myUniverse sales and history tracking.
- Free tips and tricks.
- Free publishing information.
- Community interaction section.
- iUniversity integrated eLearning.
iUniverse’s Pricing:- Select package is $599 online and $699 by mail.
- Premier package is $899 online and $999 by mail.
- Express package is $1,199 and is available via online purchase only.
- Premier Pro package is $1,299 online and $1,399 by mail.
iUniverse’s Customer Service:
Exceptional, to say the least. iUniverse’s team of customer service specialists more than exceeded our expectations when we checked out their toll free 1-800-AUTHORS number. With minimal hold time, and knowledgeable and friendly representatives, we’ve really nothing else to ask of them except for an online live chat section. And while the company does not offer live chat, they do offer an e-mail form. If you don't mind waiting a day for your answer, this is a helpful customer service alternative.
Upside:
Great website, wide variety of packages, helpful author tools and resources.
Downside:
Cheapest starting price is just shy of $600.
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