Overall
Overall, excellent service, and some items for publishing are a little pricey. And with COVID another dept. unable to run correctly with not enough communication.
I am a first time writer
I am a first time writer. Many things I did not know about the entire process. IUNIVERSE helped me through every step of the way without making me feel guilty for asking too many questions or getting impatient with me for getting “the next step” accomplished. They were very thorough and I felt it was MY project.
I published my first book with…
I published my first book with IUniverse and everyone I worked with was professional and helpful through each step of the process. The quality of the product was A+. Both hardcover and soft cover editions looked fantastic! I would recommend this publishing company to anyone who wants to make their story into an actual book!
ZERO
I would give you a MINUS if that was possible. From the get go, I have experienced THE MOST unprofessional incompetence that I have ever known! Your design "team" is pathetic, communication with ANYONE there is nearly impossible, and nobody seems to READ anything I wrote them about. June 6th (3 wks before you sent the files to the printer) I TOLD and WROTE you had the wrong text on the back cover. Nobody paid attention and ran the damn WRONG back cover! It took me THREE WEEKS of calling, writing to your CEO, calling anyone who would listen to me that it was out there WRONG. It took THREE weeks and people were buying this book off Amazon with the text missing from the back cover. No ads have gone out, though I paid for them, and now I just want my ad money REFUNDED. You didn't provide the service so give me my money back! You have been REALLY GOOD selling me, upselling me I should say. But get anyone to help me? Not so easy. I followed what YOUR EDITOR told me to do with the manuscript, which then disqualified me from Quality Review and Proofreading - which I paid extra for! In lieu of a refund that money was put toward my marketing package. Since the marketing has NOT been done, you owe me some money! Yes, I am angry, I am disappointed, I will NEVER use or recommend iUniverse. Sorry I missed the opportunity to tell you this in the survey but I was too mad to even answer it. YOU OWE ME MONEY for the marketing you didn't do. And I certainly hope to receive the refund as promptly as I paid YOU. No wonder you are red-lined on ALLI - too bad I didn't know that FIRST before I contacted you! It appears you are deserving of the red - which in case you don't know means AVOID-DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. Message received - unfortunately for me thousands of dollars too late!
Able to take an amateur mass of garbage…
Able to take an amateur mass of garbage and turn it into something professional looking. When I look at the finished product, I can't believe I did that. Or did I? It doesn't matter as I'm very proud of the job iUniverse helped me do. If I could sell a couple of books, I'd be so happy I'd do it again. I especially appreciate the editor evaluation and the final copy.
Third time, still great
The project went smoothly and the product is excellent. Third time I produced a book with them and all have been highly satisfactory - despite significant price increase over the years.
C+ for Author Services
I-Universe puts out a good product in the case of printing and binding. The rest is entirely up to the author. Marketing costs are excessive. It is also far less expensive for the author to find an indie editor. In my case the editor was very open to phone conferences. This is an editing experience I-Universe cannot replicate due to their business model. It is also best for the author to compose their own marketing copy as those employed by the publisher couldn't hold a job at a decent ad agency as copywriters. On the plus side, the publisher will create a great author's webpage.
Highly recommend!
I enjoyed my time working with iUniverse. They were patient on their end and helped out at any given moment they could. Everyone I was in contact with acted professional and gave the best insights on my novel. I would recommend to others in hopes of publishing!
Quick turnaround
My experience with iUniverse was generally positive despite a few hiccups. They are very attentive and unlike some book publishers, they have a quick turnaround time for pulling the book together and getting it on the market. The book itself for the most part looked good -- the interior was very well laid out, and although I had some issues with the design of the cover and spine, the problems were ultimately resolved to my satisfaction.
There is a proverb that says "Being…
There is a proverb that says "Being patient is very difficult, but its fruits are sweeter than you can ever imagine " My book "El Viaje De Una Vida " should be out earlier than the time that it was out, but my baby is born and I love everything about the job, the efforts that Iuniverse has put in it to make it one of their best products out there. Thank you for a job well done and thank you for helping me on telling my story to the world in a third language. Because of you now my novel is available everywhere on the planet in three languages, French, English and Spanish. To the public, this is my love life story and for every story they should be a happy ending... Please go read my story and help make it to the best seller list. Iuniverse keep up the good work and continues to keep your customers happy.