Before I give you my two cents on which self-publishing company is the best, I have to admit that I have been working with AuthorHouse for over three years as an independent consultant so my opinion is a bit tainted to say the least. They do not pay me to post on this blog for them, TomBritt.com is all mine. But I figured it was time that I speak up and tell people why AuthorHouse is such a great self-publisher for so many authors.

I’ve read several blogs and websites posting their reviews of self-publishing companies, some of which I’ll try to link to here: Top 10 Reviews (AuthorHouse is ranked #2), How to Publish a Book (AuthorHouse is recommended), and Write and Publish Your Book (Top 5).

Obviously, I recommend AuthorHouse for a couple reasons:

• Experience: AuthorHouse was the second self-publishing business over 8 years ago (behind XLibris) and will most likely be around tomorrow as well. With over 87,000 self-publishing companies around, you want to work with someone that will most likely be there for you down the road.
• Most title counts: AuthorHouse has over 40,000 live titles in Ingrams right now, more than any self-publishing company. While they have not landed all self-publishing clients, they have landed the most.
• Personal attention: The new process adopted by AuthorHouse in 2004 really does put the author in the middle of the process. Authors have a really high approval rating 30 days after they publish with AuthorHouse (above 90%)
• Marketing services: AuthorHouse offers several marketing services for authors post-publishing. While most authors know how to write, they are not so competent in marketing themselves.
• Self-selected royalties: The ability to select your own royalty schedule is a big plus. Some self-publishing companies fix your royalties at 10-15% and that’s it. With AuthorHouse, you can charge what you want for your books above the wholesale cost you pay for each book.
• Still your book: You maintain the rights to your books, leaving the options open down the road to be acquired by a traditional publisher, have your work adapted to film, or sign a licensing deal for merchandise/audio/film/etc.
• Bookseller return program: If you want to be able to go to bookstores and have them order your books, AuthorHouse has the only program of it’s kind that allows them to return your print on demand books. Sure, other self-publishers have come up with programs, but they manage the inventory themselves or force the bookseller to purchase/ship back to them.

Remember, I’m biased because I know the folks at AuthorHouse well and have come to appreciate what they do for an aspiring author for only $698. However, I think that if you gave AuthorHouse a chance you’d find that you would be an AuthorHouse evangelist, too. Referrals are still their largest source of new customers.