iUniverse, founded in October 1999, is an Americanself-publishing company based inBloomington, Indiana.[1] It has been owned byAuthor Solutions since 2008 (which has been owned by Najafi Companies since 2015).
 | |
| Parent company | Author Solutions |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | Bloomington,Indiana |
| Publication types | Books |
| Imprints | Writers Club Press |
| Official website | iuniverse |
History
editiUniverse focuses onprint-on-demand self-publishing and a service the company refers to as "assisted self-publishing" which critics say is indicative ofvanity press[2][3] since authors are asked to pay fromUS$400[4] to $15,000 for additional services.[5] Soon after they were founded,Barnes & Noble purchased a 49% stake in the company. As part of the agreement, Barnes & Noble offered select iUniverse titles both in their online bookstore and at their physical stores.[6]
In 2004,Amy Fisher's memoir,If I Knew Then, about serving seven years in prison on first-degree aggravated assault charges for shootingMary Jo Buttafuoco, became the best-selling book in iUniverse's history, selling more than 32,000 copies up to 2004.[7] According to a 2005Publishers Weekly article, out of the more than 18,000 titles published by iUniverse until 2004, only 83 had sold at least 500 copies and only 14 titles had been sold through physical Barnes & Noble stores.[7]
In September 2007, iUniverse was purchased byAuthor Solutions, the parent company ofhedge fund-owned rivalAuthorHouse.[8] In 2008, iUniverse operations moved fromLincoln, Nebraska toBloomington, Indiana where Author Solution's headquarters are located.[1]
See also
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References
edit- ^abKevin Abourezk,"iUniverse to move to Indiana"Lincoln Journal Star, January 22, 2008
- ^Shey, Brittanie (October 12, 2011),Oprah of the Piney Woods, retrievedNovember 30, 2016
- ^Coker, Mark (January 7, 2015),"2014 Book Publishing Industry Predictions — Increased Competition Between Traditional Publishers and Indie Authors",Huffington Post, retrievedNovember 30, 2016
- ^Sarkar, Samita (2016),"On Vanity Presses, True Self-Publishing, and One Author's Tenacity",Huffington Post, retrievedNovember 30, 2016
- ^Tugend, Alina (July 29, 2011),"Proliferate, Easing the Bar to Entry",The New York Times, retrievedNovember 30, 2016
- ^Clampet, Elizabeth (November 2, 1999)."Barnes & Noble Takes Stake in iUniverse".internetnews.com. RetrievedFebruary 22, 2010.
- ^ab"iUniverse by the Numbers".Publishers Weekly. May 16, 2005. Archived fromthe original on April 12, 2009.
- ^Milliot, Jim (September 9, 2007),"AuthorHouse acquires iUniverse",Publishers Weekly, archived fromthe original on May 4, 2009