AuthorHouse

AuthorHouse, formerly known as 1st Books, is a multimedia publisher headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana. AuthorHouse concentrates on the production and self-publication of trade paperbacks, hardcovers, and e-books and specializes in the use of print on demand technology.

AuthorHouse was founded as 1st Books in January 1997 by an aspiring author who had received more than 100 rejection letters from publishers and sought a better way for authors to connect with readers directly. By reducing dependence on literary agents to represent authors before traditional publishers, 1st Books had within four years printed and sold 350,000 books. Utilizing print on demand (POD) technology and promoting its Bookseller Return Program that allowed bookstores to return excess inventory to 1st Books, 1st Books mushroomed by February 2004 to over 2 million books printed from 18,500 authors.

In March 2004 1st books changed its name to AuthorHouse to reaffirm itself through its website as the prime destination for authors. May of that year saw AuthorHouse open its first international office in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.

Unlike vanity presses, AuthorHouse does not require a minimum order by the author to activate his or her work(s) in their system. While the author's work is in production (which can take from three to six months to be released), he or she is assigned an individual submission specialist and account manager to answer any questions about the process. Authors can choose to purchase the copyright to their work as well as a variety of advertising and promotional materials. Once activated by AuthorHouse, the author's work is soon available through the INGRAM Distribution system to online retailers and wherever books are sold.

Prominent individuals who are not well-known as authors have availed themselves of AuthorHouse's advantages over traditional publishers, among them Senator Richard Lugar and comedienne Rita Rudner.

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• AuthorHouse