Ever since Author Solutions (AS)—the leading provider of self-publishing services—was acquired in 2012 by one of the largest trade publishers in the world, industry observers wondered if its new owners would do anything to improve the poor reputation of the company or change its operations. The short answer: not really. Since 2013, AS has been battling class action lawsuits over claims of fraudulent business practices, which were finally dismissed late last year.
Last week, Penguin Random House (PRH) announced it had sold AS to a private equity firm. Michael Cader of PublishersLunch (subscription required) described PRH’s move as “unloading the albatross.” Two-thirds of AS’s revenues come from selling services to authors (not from book sales), and its marketing service packages have been harshly criticized in the author community. Indie author and blogger David Gaughran has been an outspoken critic of AS, and for years has tried to make AS’s business practices as transparent as possible, partly in an effort to shame AS’s partners and force them to break off any business agreements. Their list of marketing and business partners remains lengthy and includes Barnes & Noble, Publishers Weekly, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, and many more.
Bottom line: Author Solutions has worked with more than 200,000 authors to date and still has partnerships and operations that will help them continue working with thousands more. We expect business as usual at AS under the new ownership, but their business has likely slowed down as word spreads about their poor reputation, and also as authors lean toward free and low-cost ebook publishing services.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
