Founded in 1997 by H. David Hilliard and Timothy Jacobs, an aspiring children’s author, AuthorHouse is based in Bloomington, Ind. (www.authorhouse.com; 888-519-5121) The self-publishing company has flourished since its inception and is considered a pioneer in the industry. As of March 2004, AuthorHouse released over 20,000 titles written by 18,500 authors and sold 2 million books. By title count it is the biggest publisher in the world. Now an independent company owned by Indiana-based investors, AuthorHouse employs nearly 200 people, making it one of the largest employers in Bloomington.

The recent name change from 1stBooks to AuthorHouse reflects the philosophy that the company puts the author at the center of everything they do. Robert “Mack” McCormack, president of AuthorHouse, explains, “Our brand is being the author’s advocate. As soon as you come in the door you have a person you talk to that knows you by name, learns about your goals, your ambitions, not only as an author but in many cases as a person.”

While the company’s initial focus was on struggling authors who had difficulty placing their books with traditional publishers, AuthorHouse quickly became a destination for all kinds of authors, including previously published ones. McCormack adds, “What we’re finding now is that more and more agents and editors are starting to come to us and say, ‘Give me books that you think might be commercially successful or might make good screenplays.’”

Aspiring authors using the company’s services can expect to have a dedicated team of employees shepherd them through the publication process, beginning with an author services representative. Once the completed manuscript is submitted, the resulting book can be published in as little as four months.

AuthorHouse’s services don’t stop there; they can assist with a range of marketing strategies for their authors’ books and make them available at over 25,000 retail stores worldwide, including the major online distributors. This is key because, according to McCormack, promoting the book is the most difficult part of the process. “You’re competing against 100,000 other books out there. Many of which are competing directly with you for readers and shelf space unless you are writing on a very specialized topic. We try to the extent possible to really give authors a toolset to help them market and sell their book.”

Aside from a keen sense of customer focus and a wide range of services available, there are other reasons to consider AuthorHouse when evaluating publishing options. Authors retain all rights to their books, which frees them to publish elsewhere or make their book into a movie, as was the case with Amanda Brown, who wrote Legally Blonde, which later became a film. Another AuthorHouse book optioned for film is Tom Hargrove’s Long March to Freedom from which the screenplay for Proof of Life was adapted.

AuthorHouse offers a flexible royalty plan. McCormack explains, “The average royalty can run anywhere between 5 and 15 percent of retail for an author of a traditional house, for us they can run anywhere between 5 and 50 percent of retail. The author gets to set the retail price and the royalty level that is appropriate for them, whereas with a traditional publisher there’s not a whole lot of negotiation that happens.”

Additionally, the company offers a referral program, which pays the author $100 for any new client referred.

The price for publishing a book with AuthorHouse starts at $698 for paperback publishing and includes one copy of the book. With marketing specials, they offer discounts on this price and/or offer up to 20 free books. This price includes a cover design, interior design, an ISBN and registration for distributors. The book is available for print on demand, a cost-effective technology in which one book or 1,000 books can be ordered. The process eliminates the need for a large investment in inventory, distribution and warehousing.

Brian Koning of Carmel wrote Become a Personal Chef: An Introduction to the Industry, which was released by AuthorHouse in April. He views the costs involved as “extremely reasonable.” Koning has 17 years marketing and advertising experience through his former career, and has successfully been promoting his book. Still, he takes comfort in the fact that AuthorHouse can provide marketing services. “I know they’re there if I get burdened.”

Koning recognized the rigors of traditional publishing and saw self-publishing as a way to quickly get his book out. It took Koning eight months to finish his book and approximately four months for AuthorHouse to get a copy of it in his hands.

On his experience in working with AuthorHouse, Koning says, “People there were willing to bend over backwards.” He plans to use AuthorHouse again. While his first book is an overview of becoming a personal chef, his second book will focus on the sales and marketing aspects of the business.

His advice for writers is to “write the best book you can write. Don’t worry about the business details of the book. Work with AuthorHouse. Let them hold your hand and walk you through the process.”

Koning’s book has already sold in several countries and he even received an e-mail from the personal chef to the king of Jordan. Regardless of a book’s success, the key is to write it. “Even if it’s just your friends, family and neighbors that read it, at least you’ve accomplished your goal,” Koning says.