Author Solutions, LLC

Dear Revdex.com, Thank you for giving us the opportunity to respond to Mr. [redacted]’s refund claim. We can find no mention of a promised refund in Mr. [redacted]’s account.  Mr. [redacted]’s filing doesn’t name the person who promised the refund.  The only “man” Mr. [redacted] spoke with in the timeframe he...

says (two months ago) is Michael G[redacted].  We have confirmed with Mr. G[redacted] that he did not speak with Mr. [redacted] about a refund.  If Mr. [redacted] could provide the name of the person, we can follow up with that person.  Also, Mr. [redacted]’s filing does not mention for which project the refund is meant.  And what were the “services not used?”  If Mr. [redacted] will provide us more specific information with regards to the refund, we will investigate further.  In closing, Mr. [redacted]’s claim of a promised refund cannot be substantiated.  There are no notes in his account from any staff member about a refund.  If Mr. [redacted] will elaborate on whom promised the refund and for which project and for what services the refund was intended, we will investigate more in depth.  Sincerely, Eugene H[redacted] Global Director-Author Satisfaction

Dear Revdex.com, Thank you for the opportunity to address Mr. [redacted]’s request for the return of his manuscript. Manuscripts are required to be submitted in a digital format. Those that are sent in as a hard copy are either scanned or data entered into a digital format in order to proceed with their preparation for publication. Hard copy materials are typically held for a few months before space considerations demand that they be eliminated. As stated in the Author Services Agreement (attached to our original response) that Mr. [redacted] signed in Section 5. Publishing Obligations; Subsections 5.2.1 and 5.2.2, we are not obligated to preserve the submission materials:  “5.2.1. Submission Mechanisms. You shall retain a copy before submitting the Manuscript by mail or other mechanism.  The Manuscript shall be submitted in an acceptable format (as listed on Our Site at the time of submission). ……..We are not responsible in any manner for the loss of or damage to the Manuscript while in transit or in Our possession. If the Manuscript is not submitted in an acceptable format and You request Us to properly format the text, We may do so, but this will constitute Additional Services, and You may incur additional charges as a result. ….” “5.2.2. Possession of Submitted Materials. We may retain in Our possession the Manuscript submitted by You. We are not obligated to return to You any submitted materials or production files at any time or for any reason, nor are We obliged to preserve such submitted materials.” To accommodate Mr. [redacted] further, we conducted a search for the hard copy materials he sent in without success.  However, we have sent him a CD of the scanned materials via UPS Overnight- tracking number [redacted]. Sincerely, Elaine [redacted] Manager of Author Satisfaction

Dear Revdex.com, Thank you for giving us the opportunity to respond to Ms. [redacted]’s request for a refund for her publishing package. On June 16, 2017, Ms. [redacted] purchased the Full Color Premium Publishing Package from Xlibris for $2,099. She also purchased the 100% Royalty Service for $1,279.20...

and received the Graphics Toolkit – Full Color service free of charge. She elected to pay in monthly installments which added a non-refundable payment plan fee of $30 for a grand total of $3,408.20. At the time of the order, she made an initial payment of $1,719.10. On June 17, 2017 she signed the Services and Distribution Agreement and the Installment Payment Plan Agreement (copies attached). We attempted to collect the next payment of $844.55 per the payment plan on July 16 and also on August 16, 2017, but the payments were declined. Per section 6 of the Installment Payment Plan agreement, each declined payment incurs a $30 declined payment fee. Ms. [redacted] submitted her manuscript to us via an InDesign file. Unfortunately, the version of InDesign that she had was not the same version that we use and so we encountered several issues using the file she sent. This included issues with fonts and formatting. In addition to these issues, the file she provided had a trim size of 8x10 inches which is not a trim size that we provide. In order to make the file usable for us to print from, we needed to change the trim size to 8.5x11 inches. Because we could not use the file she sent, we attempted to recreate it as closely as we could which caused the conversion errors Ms. [redacted] mentions in her filing. Per section 4 of the Services and Distribution Agreement, because Ms. [redacted]’s book was in the design phase but she had not yet provided final approval; with its cancellation she would be eligible for a refund of 25% of the purchase price of the publishing package. After reviewing the conversion errors that occurred with Ms. [redacted]’s files, we agreed that the circumstances warrant a full refund of what she has paid (less the $30 payment plan fee). In addition the (2) two $30 decline fees have been waived. On August 25, 2017, we spoke with her by phone and confirmed by email that she would be refunded $1,689.10 and to please allow 2-3 business days processing time for the refund to be paid. She replied acknowledging receipt of our e-mail the same day. On the next business day, August 28, 2017, the refund of $1,689.10, the full amount paid less the $30 payment plan fee, was returned to her credit card, transaction ID [redacted]. Also on August 28, 2017 we received notification of this complaint filing. In closing, we apologize for the frustration Ms. [redacted] encountered due to the circumstances surrounding the design of her book. It was always our intent to provide her with the book she desired; we regret that we were unable to do so. Per the Services and Distribution Agreement, she is due a refund of 25% of the package price; however, after evaluating the work completed on her book, we have executed a full refund less the payment plan fee. Sincerely, Elaine H[redacted] Manager of Author Satisfaction

Dear Revdex.com, Thank you for the opportunity to explain the print on demand nature of LifeRich publishing and how that relates to royalties. Print On Demand Publishing LifeRich is a print on demand self publisher.  Print on demand publishing is a method of book printing that uses digital...

technology to make it easy and cost-effective to produce books as they are ordered.  Instead of a more traditional mode of printing, which only prints a large number at one time, print on demand is an “as needed” printing system so there are no wasted books and no need to store them.  More about LifeRich can be found in the FAQ on the LifeRich website at http://www.liferichpublishing.com/FAQ/General_Information.aspx.    It is important to us that our representatives and support staff provide accurate and timely information to our clients and potential clients. In his filing, Mr. [redacted] relates information he received from various sources.  We will address them, quoting the statement followed by our response. Book Printings Mr. [redacted] writes “they first told me they printed 20,000,000 books to begin with then they told me it had sold 2,000,000 at least in three weeks, of the first quarter,…”   Mr. [redacted] alleges these statements were made to him by a LifeRich employee, however, no name or other identifying information was included to direct us to either the individual or departmental source of these statements. We searched the notes in Mr. [redacted]’s account and were unable to find evidence to substantiate his claim. Please note that these statements are not in keeping with the print-on-demand method of distribution used by LifeRich as described above.  Amazon statements “Amazon told us they were printing and selling this book through author solutions and balboa press and selling it way to cheep and cutting us out of the deal.”   Mr. [redacted] committed to publish his book thru LifeRich, a division of Reader’s Digest in partnership with Author Solutions LLC.  Although Balboa press is a division of Hay House in partnership with Author Solutions LLC, his book is not sold or distributed under the Balboa imprint. More information about Author Solutions, their other imprints and partnerships can be found at http://www.authorsolutions.com/Our-Services/US-Partner-Imprints/ Amazon offers his book thru the LifeRich imprint only. Once published his title became part of the printer and distribution network of LifeRich for fulfilling orders. When a consumer places an order at Amazon, Amazon has the ability to print copies of his book through their printer, CreateSpace (a LifeRich network printer), or to order the book through our primary distributor, Ingram, where it will be printed by our primary print partner, Lightning Source.  Amazon has the ability to change the book price as they see fit for market conditions. On September 2, 2016, he agreed to and signed off on the list price of $11.99 for his book. According to Section 8 Royalties of his self-Publishing Services Agreement, copy attached, his royalty structure is set up for him to receive 10% of the list price for retail sales.  Therefore, what the retailers sell the book for is irrelevant because Mr. [redacted] will always receive 10% of $11.99.  This is what Mr. [redacted] was paid as shown in the Royalties section below. “we also found out Ingram Distributing is not getting anything out of this bad deal also and they have the contract to print and distrait it , and only them, in their contract with life rich publishing or authors solutions” Ingram is our primary distributor and is where most retailers obtain their information and place orders.  The agreement set up between Ingram and LifeRich is proprietary information and would be unknown to an Amazon employee.  Royalties Section 8, of the Self-Publishing Services Agreement also details the royalty quarters and payout dates. Below is the quarterly schedule for royalty payment: First Quarter:January 1 to March 31 (checks are mailed in late May) Second Quarter:April 1 to June 30 (checks mailed in late August) Third Quarter:July 1 to September 30 (checks mailed in late November) Fourth Quarter:October 1 to December 31 (checks mailed in late February) Sales are reported to us quarterly by retailers or our primary print partners who include Lightning Source and Baker & Taylor.  That information is compiled and audited for accuracy prior to the payments being issued and the statements posting to the author center.  “Amazon customer service had just told me I sold 200,000 books the first three weeks , that is what their records show but he did not give me his name , he said he did not what to lose his job,”  Mr. [redacted]’s book was made available for purchase on September 7, 2016.  This is near the end of the third quarter.  For that time period, Amazon reported to LifeRich three sales, as evidenced on the attached royalty report.  Any sales that occurred from October through December are part of the fourth quarter and will be paid in late February according to the payment schedule related above.  If Amazon sold 200,000 copies of Mr. [redacted]’s book as the representative told him, those were not reported to LifeRich by Amazon.  If that Amazon representative would provide proof of the 200,000 sales, we will investigate further.  However, the fact that the representative would not provide his name causes concern for the legitimacy of the claim. Mr. [redacted] has been compensated correctly for the three Amazon sales reported in the third quarter.  He was paid $3.60 on November 30, 2016 via direct deposit to his [redacted] bank account ending in [redacted]. Desired resolution Mr. [redacted] is requesting a refund.  As stated above, Mr. [redacted]’s book was made available for purchase in September, completing the publishing process.  All services included in Mr. [redacted]’s publishing package have been fulfilled and ineligible for refund.    Mr. [redacted] also purchased the Booksellers Return Program.  That has been fulfilled, as his book is showing as returnable through our distributor, Ingram.  Attached is a screen shot from Ingram showing as much.  Because all of the purchased services have been fulfilled, we respectfully decline Mr. [redacted]’s request for a refund.  Once his title was released to print it became available for purchase through the Life Rich distribution network which includes distribution through Ingram and printing by Lightning Source among others.   In closing, there are no notes in Mr. [redacted]’s account to substantiate that he was told about millions of books being printed initially.  Because LifeRich is print on demand, books are printed only when ordered.  Amazon reported three sales during the third quarter 2016, not hundreds of thousands as claimed by an Amazon employee.  Amazon will need to provide proof for those hundreds of thousands sales before they can be reported by LifeRich.  Mr. [redacted] has been compensated properly for those three sales.   LifeRich is the publisher of Mr. [redacted]’s book; once hit title was released to print it became available for purchase through the Life Rich’s distribution network which includes Ingram.   LifeRich respectfully declines Mr. [redacted]’s refund request, as all services have been fulfilled. Sincerely,   Elaine H[redacted] Manager of Author Satisfaction

Dear Revdex.com, Thank you for the opportunity to update Mr. [redacted] regarding his refund. On June 9, 2016, Mr. [redacted]’ refund of $449.50 was returned to the Visa credit card ending in [redacted] that was used to make the purchase.  Our finance team verified that this transaction has not been returned to us and therefore was accepted by the credit card company/bank. As the funds have not been returned his request for advancing a duplication of the monies thru Direct Deposit to his bank is declined. We suggest that he inquire of his Visa card company again regarding the transaction number we provided in our original response. Sincerely, Elaine H[redacted] Manager of Author Satisfaction

Dear Revdex.com,   Thank you for the opportunity to review and proceed with Mr. [redacted]’s refund request.   Mr. [redacted] signed up to publish his book with Xlibris on July 29, 2016. He purchased a Full Color Basic publishing package taking advantage of a promotional rate of $560.00...

from the regular $749.00. In addition, he purchased the Hardback Availability service at a discounted rate of $225. He opted to use an auto-installment payment plan for both, adding a $30 non-refundable surcharge, for a total cost of $815. He made the first payment of $291.60 that day with the remaining two payments each set up for auto-charge on the same day of the two following months.    Mr. [redacted]’s last and final installment was scheduled for auto-charging on September 29, 2016. After confirming that we are unable to accommodate his request of a dust jacket version of his hardback format due to printer limitations, Mr. [redacted] decided to cancel the service on September 26, 2016. Per our refund policy, the review process may take up to 35 days to complete depending upon the complexity of the request. The installment scheduled on September 29, 2016 was automatically captured by the system from the card enrolled in the account.   We would like to apologize to Mr. [redacted] for any inconvenience the delay in the refund process has caused. Upon receipt of this complaint, a refund of $815 was processed back to Mr. [redacted]’s card on October 24, 2016. Please refer to the payment breakdown and transaction codes of the refund below.   $261.67 to Discover ending 2863, transaction ID [redacted]   $261.67 to Discover ending 2863, transaction ID [redacted]   $291.66 to Discover ending 2863, transaction ID [redacted]     We hope the information provided with this letter illustrates the steps we have taken to address Mr. [redacted]’s concerns.   Sincerely,   Elaine H[redacted] Manager of Author Satisfaction

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Dear Revdex.com,Thank you for the opportunity to address Ms. [redacted]’s concerns regarding the publication of her books, the Hollywood Treatment service she purchased and the payment of royalties.Ms. [redacted] has published three (3) books with Westbow Press: [redacted] released on 11/19/14;...

[redacted] released on 12/23/14; and [redacted] released on 6/29/15.Hollywood TreatmentMs. [redacted] purchased the Hollywood Treatment service for her book, [redacted]. With this service a thoroughly developed guide outlining how a screenwriter would adapt the book into a screenplay is created.  The treatment is the first step in drafting a screenplay, providing structure and verifying that the author and screenwriter are on the same page regarding the story’s direction. Treatments are from five to ten pages in length, prepared by a professional screenwriter and shared with the author. The treatment is then sent for consideration for TV or movie adaptation by Hollywood management and production company, Thruline Entertainment.Thruline Entertainment will review the treatment and if interested, they will contact the author directly and explain their plan of action to gauge interest.  If Thruline chooses not to engage with the concept, the treatment is entered into the Hollywood Database where movie and television writers, agents, directors and producers have access to the information. The Hollywood Database consists of 123 individuals and companies.   A more detailed description of the service can be found on the Westbow Press website at:  http://www.westbowpress.com/Servicestore/ServiceDetail.aspx?ServiceId=BS-3523.  Ms. [redacted] returned the Hollywood Treatment questionnaire on February 3, 2015 and it was sent to a screenwriter to compose the treatment.  On March 25, 2015, Denise J[redacted], Ms. [redacted]’s marketing services representative, emailed the treatment to her.  A copy of the treatment is attached.  As evidenced, the treatment is seven (7) pages, not one (1) page as Ms. [redacted] wrote in her filing. We are perplexed by Ms. [redacted]’s unhappiness with the treatment because the day after receiving the treatment, March 26, 2015, she responded to Ms. [redacted] email stating:From: Westbow Press Marketing Services Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2015 8:18 AM To: Denise [redacted]
Subject: FW: WestBow Project ID 649742 - Hollywood Treatment Post Fulfillment Report From: [redacted] [mailto:[redacted]@yahoo.com] Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2015 3:10 AM To: Westbow Press Marketing Services Subject: Re: WestBow Project ID [redacted] - Hollywood Treatment Post Fulfillment Report Greetings,  I LOVE "The Hollywood Treatment!". This is above and beyond what I expected.  I am very impressed with the pitch, as well as the story! I am very happy and pleased with excitement. The  Hollywood Treatment confirms the fact: Westbowpress is incomparable, everyone is nothing less than excellent,  professional and exceptional, from start to finish, I am very proud to say that "Westbowpress is Superior to all the rest!" Expect nothing but the Best when you publish with Westbowpress." Thank-God for all of the AWESOME, CARING and COMPASSIONATE  PEOPLE : Elsa [redacted], you are so inspirational,  you believe in the writer's work, assuring one to have "Faith & Confidence" in our work, you are a GIFT from "God". [redacted]: You are so PROFESIONAL, ensuring one that self-publishing with Westbowpress is the best choice for author's and you will provide the proof, from start to finish!  And the Man behind the prestigious title: A division of Thomas Nelson ", Thank-you for making the "little guy feel like a giant!" You truly are a man with a compassionate heart for all to succeed!  Thank-you for representing me!  Thanks to Adam for all of your hardwork and dedication. Thanks you Denise Jeffries for your honesty and insurance in regard to my project!! I know that my three book's are in THE BEST OF HANDS! I THANK GOD for ALL OF YOU!!                                       Your Friend in GOD,                                       [redacted]  It is important to remember that Hollywood moves very slowly and immediate results are rare with this marketing service.  Interest in a work is solely at the discretion of the producers, agents, executives, and other production decision makers. Royalty Schedule Sales data is collected from each print partner, collated by ISBN and validated for royalty earnings resulting in a quarterly royalty payment.  Statements showing the sales and royalty data for each author’s account are posted quarterly after the reconciliation process is complete.  Partial sales data may still appear on the author’s online account at any time within the quarter; however, the final and official sales data is calculated at the end of each quarter. The royalty payment schedule is as follows:    1st quarter—January thru March--royalties paid late May/early June2nd quarter—April thru June--royalties paid late August/early September3rd quarter—July thru September--royalties paid late November/early December4th quarter—October thru December--royalties paid late February/early MarchRoyalties are paid quarterly following a $75 threshold requirement. Royalty for the first, second and third quarters must exceed $75 to be qualified for its quarter’s payout. Royalty earnings that fall below the threshold are forwarded to the next quarter until the amount qualifies for payout. If the accumulated royalty earnings fail to reach the threshold throughout the three quarters, royalty is paid out on the fourth quarter regardless of the amount. Royalties are not paid on copies provided free of charge or sold to the author.  Royalties are subject to federal withholding tax.  Unless a completed W-9 form is on file, we are required by the IRS to withhold 28% federal tax. Please reference the attached signed Westbow Press Publishing Agreement, Schedule A, Section 1. Royalties, Paragraphs (a) thru (d).  This information is also provided on the Pricing and Royalty FAQ section on the Westbow Press.  The W-9 form may be accessed and completed thru the “Update Tax Information” option on the MyAccount page of her her AuthorCenter on the Westbow Press website.Royalty EarningsMs. [redacted] may view both preliminary and final sales data along with finalized quarterly statements on her password protected MyAccount on the Westbow Press website.  Her first two (2) books were made available for purchase in the fourth quarter of 2014. Per the royalty threshold and payment schedule, any sales made during that quarter would be eligible for payout at the end of February. A check for $15.78 was issued to her in late February for fourth quarter royalties, representing royalty earnings of $21.91 less $6.13 federal tax.  In the first quarter of 2015, Ms. [redacted] purchased copies of both of her books in quantity through her book consultant.  These purchases are ineligible for royalty.   The combined royalty on all other sales of her books for the quarter are less than the $75 threshold.  Therefore, per the royalty schedule, her royalties will continue to accumulate until the quarter they reach $75 or the fourth quarter of 2015.  Her third book was made available for sale in late second quarter of 2015. Although the second quarter ended on June 30, 2015, per the payment schedule, the finalization of sales and royalty data for the quarter will be posted the end of August for all three (3) of her titles.If Ms. [redacted] would like to be paid quarterly regardless of amount, she may do so by enrolling in direct deposit by logging onto her AuthorCenter on the Westbow website and entering the required information on the “Update Electronic Payment Information” option on the MyAccount page. Hidden feesMs. [redacted] writes that there were hidden fees but failed to elaborate.  We assume she is referring to production related fees.  Prior to any material being submitted, Ms. [redacted] was made aware of those production fees that might be incurred should she need us to perform services that are not included in her publishing packages.  On June 23, 2014, Ms. [redacted] was sent an email by her check-in coordinator, Jenn [redacted] that included an attachment titled “Manuscript Prep Guide,” copy attached. This email was sent for all three of Ms. [redacted]’s projects.  The Manuscript Prep Guide lists all production fees that could be incurred during the production phases on the last page.  In addition, the page lists miscellaneous fees which refer to the book after it has completed production and has been endorsed to print. Errors in live booksIn order for books to be made available for purchase, the author must sign three (3) documents: the Westbow Press cover approval form, interior approval form, and pricing approval form.  Ms. [redacted] did this for all three of her books.  Her interior and cover approval forms are attached.  Her approvals are the final okay that the books are just as she wants them.  As evidenced on the form, under “Author Approval & Consent” it states “By signing this form, I confirm that my interior is approved and ready for publication, printing, and distribution.  I acknowledge that any subsequent changes, modifications, alterations, or corrections to this interior file will incur additional correction fees, in addition to resubmission fees.”Ms. [redacted] states “There is grammar mistakes in two of my books that are not my mistakes.”  There are no notes to indicate that Ms. [redacted] has broached this topic with any staff member to date nor were specifics included in her filing. If she would elaborate on which books she found the grammatical errors, the page numbers and line on the page, we will be happy to review.Because Ms. [redacted] approved the galleys, she will incur fees to make any changes.Cover imageMs. [redacted] writes that the cover image for her book “[redacted]” is on the cover of another Westbow Press author’s book.  This is the case because in order to create the cover, the cover designers use stock images from a website called Thinkstock.  On the Cover Idea Aid Ms. [redacted] received in the June 23, 2014 email from Ms. [redacted], it states “Our cover designers are Graphic Artists that work with stock photography. They utilize a photography website called Thinkstock.  If you wish, you may visit the site and choose up to two images yourself without charge (more than two incurs a fee).” Ms. [redacted] was aware that the cover designers used stock images before production began and from that stock image site chose the image that is on the front cover.  By definition a stock photography image is a professional photograph of common places, landmarks, nature, events or people that are bought and sold on a royalty-free basis and can be used and reused for commercial design purposes.Westbow Press employees many cover designers so the likelihood of the cover designer creating Ms. [redacted]’s cover knowing that the cover image she chose is the same cover image that another Westbow Press author chose is slim.  Back coverMs. [redacted] states she is unhappy with the back cover text of her book “[redacted],” saying it is hard to read.  The back cover text color was chosen by Ms. [redacted].  On her cover modification form received on June 2, 2015, Ms. [redacted] wrote “KEEP THE ORIGINAL COVER OF THE HOLY BIBLE AND DOVE, PLEASE CHANGE COLOR AND ALL TEXT INCLUDING TITLE WITH BRIGHT, DARK PURPLE, NOT RED.”  Therefore, the cover designer made both the front and back cover text a purple color.  Ms. [redacted] then approved the cover for printing on June 29, 2015.  In closing, the Hollywood Treatment was fulfilled as the service description states.  After receiving the treatment, Ms. [redacted] expressed her happiness with it. The Hollywood Treatment is not a service that produces immediate results.Royalties are calculated quarterly and paid per a prescribed schedule, threshold and timeline. Ms. [redacted] has been paid royalties in accordance with the schedule and threshold requirements. Thru her AuthorCenter on the Westbow website, she may complete a W-9 form to eliminate the withholding of federal tax from her payments and also enroll in the direct deposit option to override the threshold requirement for payment.Ms. [redacted] was made aware of the production fees prior to any material being submitted.  We will be happy to review the grammatical errors she references in her filing; however without specifics on which book, page number and what the errors are we are unable to do so. Ms. [redacted] selected and approved the bright purple cover text color on her third book. Because she approved the galleys, revisions are subject to fees. Ms. [redacted] was aware that she was choosing a stock image for her cover. Stock images by definition are royalty-free and used and reused commercially.All three publishing packages have been fulfilled and released with her approval making them ineligible refund.  The Hollywood Treatment service was completed as described making it ineligible for refund. We trust this information illustrates the steps we have taken to investigate Ms. [redacted]’s concerns. Sincerely,Elaine [redacted]Manager of Author Satisfaction

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
 I notified Xlibris in writing on January 5th 2018 that to withdraw my agreement, cancel my contract as required in their publishing agreement that I could cancel within 0 - 90 days for any reason.  This was seven days after they have my signed agreement.  I refused to do my book under a pen name and I refused to remove content that was neither liable or slanderous.  They are lying,.  I removed a personal name from the book which wasn't personal it was a general name.  As noted in my complaint and my numerous e-mails to Mary F[redacted] she advised if I had any problems I should contact her directly.  She never responded.  I called my credit card company and reported the fraud 7 days after the agreement well within the time to withdraw from this agreement and demanded my money back.  This was after I took the book from I Universe and and paid Xlibris to do the same thing.  I was not aware that they were the same company,  Mary F[redacted] failure to respond convinced me that this was fraud and the practice of trying to keep my money was unethical.  I read the agreement and in section or point 4 of the agreement  "Termination and Refunds it states.... For the publishing packing that I have which would have cost $730 had I allowed them to proceed...."  Prior to submission of your manuscript 0 - 90 calendar days after the purchase  100% of purchase price, less $150.00 or 10% of the purchase price whichever is greater..."The purchase price was $750.00 plus a $30.00 processing fee.  Immediately after confirming that Xlibris and I Universe were operating out of the same kit I spoke with Mary F[redacted] who tired to convince me that they were different and would speak to the m about the same manuscript which I have now paid two different sources that are sister companies to print.   Lee H[redacted] sent me and e-mail and I spoke with him wherein he described the same changes to a poetry book that IUniverse demanded.  He suggested that I use a pen name and not my real name on my poetry book.  He advised that I needed to removed personal photographs that I owned, pictures taken on my web cam and my cell phone.  I declined.  I refused to have Xlibris take the liberty of re-writing my book since this company is a print on demand company not a publisher.  All of the material content in my books belong to me.  I have not printed several books with these companies as they stated in their response.  I did one with Xlibris many years ago and two with IUniverse with two pending and full paid for contracts.  I have never experience this situation where the company is dictating what I can and can not write.  There is no slander, no liable and no references to any personal individuals.  Finally after contacting all of these parties on January 5th, 2018 all documented in by dated e-mails through the cyberspace/internet process I called my attorney and my credit card company.  No one from Xlibris would call me back after that.  My credit card company tried to contact them and they have yet to respond.  They are lying about their contact and they are lying in their response about the amount of money they should receive.  I called my credit card company to stop them from taking another payment after I canceled the contract.  The $480.00 they the are now trying to collect is more than have the cost of the total package which would have been $750 had I proceeded. That is pretty dishonest.  They did nothing but seen the manuscript to the same unit entity that was previously paid.   However in 7 days on January 5th, 2018 I sent an e-mail to Author Solutions, Mary F[redacted], Lee H[redacted], the payment department JIvans and my attorney to terminate this agreement immediately.  My other concern is this is a Print on Demand company not a publisher per say and I paid them to print a book that I wrote.  The are pretend to be something that they are not and I really believe that there is some ethnic discrimination involved.  The poetry in my book is culturally correct and coincides with the kind of diversity in an ethic community.  It's entertainment.    On January 26, 2018 I received an e-mail from Mary F[redacted] advising that she was the supervisor at Xlibris asking for referrals and offering $100.00 for any referrals and offering a 50% discount if I send them another publication.  I have also saved a copy of that e-mail  I contacted my credit card company again and advised them that I had repeatedly tried to contact Xlibris, Mary F[redacted] and any concerned parties to Terminate this agreement and no one responded.    As I have maintained copies of over a dozen written request to terminate this agreement and why I wanted to terminated this agreement I owe them nothing and I am still demanding a full refund since they never started on this project and advised that "they could not do the project unless I changed the names of fictional people (Williams, Jones, Smith) those are common names or unless I used a pen name to not identify myself as the writer.  Why write a book if you are not credited with writing it.    Since I notified Mary F[redacted] - the supervisor by several voice mails and numerous e-mails  prior to them processing my book that I was terminating the agreement and  she failed even refused to respond I stand on my initial complaint.  This agreement was terminated in writing  on January 5th, 2018.  I contacted the credit card company on January 5th, 2018 which is also documented in writing and can be confirmed.   I made timely notification to all parties to terminate this relationship and terminate this agreement refunding my money.  I am not willing to relinquish any portion of my money to Xlibris however I could consider the $150.00 or 10% of the purchase price of $750.00 which is noted in paragraph or point #4 of the agreement.  However and I must reiterate I gave them timely notice.  They did not respond.  I notified my credit card company and my credit card company attempted to notify them on January 5th, 2018.  A lot of things happened on January 5th which was clearly 7 or 8 days after the signing of this agreement.  Xlibris has nothing honest in this agreement and is not entitled to any of my money.  As a final note had Mary F[redacted] told  me  IUniverse was a sister company when I contacted her about the book that I was taking from IUniverse I never would have agreed to proceed.  This agreement was not done with any integrity on the part of Xlibris and it is insulting that she would contact me on January 26th, to ask for referrals and offer me a discount for my other manuscripts which are pending.  I WOULD NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH XLIBRIS !!! Please advise if you need the copies of the e-mails or communication with my credit card company to confirm the time of contact and the attempts to terminate this agreement pursuant to their timeline.    Regards,
[redacted]

Dear Revdex.com, Thank you for giving us the opportunity to explain the royalties for Mr. [redacted] publishing projects. Mr. [redacted] decision to enter into an agreement with iUniverse to provide publishing services for his manuscript is subject to the terms and conditions of the publishing...

services agreement. Under Section 8 of the Agreement the following is stated: PUBLISHER will make four royalty payments per year, if earned, to the AUTHOR within sixty (60) days of the end of each calendar quarter and shall post related royalty statements on PUBLISHER’S Web site. If the royalty payment due in a single calendar quarter is less than twenty-five U.S. Dollars ($25) the balance will be applied to the next calendar quarter until the royalty payment due equals or exceeds twenty-five U.S. Dollars ($25), at which time the PUBLISHER shall make the appropriate royalty payment to the AUTHOR. On 9/28/2014 Mr. [redacted] contacted the iUniverse Royalty Helpdesk to notify us that he did not receive the check for royalties earned in 2013 ($10.28), which had been mailed to him in February of 2014. The representative offered to have the 2013 check voided and repaid, which was addressed by our Finance department within 2 days of the issue being logged. Since the $10.28 amount is under the $25.00 threshold as detailed in the Author Agreement referenced above, per our policy it was therefore allocated as an open balance to be repaid with the 4th Quarter checks in February 2015. Since we have been notified of Mr. [redacted] inquiries we will be sending a replacement check to him within the next two weeks. Mr. [redacted] contacted our Royalty Helpdesk again on 11/26/2014 and requested that he receive 4 quarterly royalty checks per year, regardless of the amount of royalties earned in a specific quarter. The Helpdesk representative explained iUniverse’s $25.00 royalty threshold policy as outlined in the above Author Agreement. Regarding the specific sales reports requested by Mr. [redacted], the data reported from all retailers does match the royalty statement provided to the author. This data also matches the payment amounts issued to Mr. [redacted]. This letter includes royalty statements from quarters in 2013 and 2014 in which there were royalties earned, along with a detailed informer report showing 2013 and 2014 sales for Mr. [redacted] 2 books which corroborates the statements. In summary, Mr. [redacted] is being paid royalties according to structure outlined in the Author Agreement that was in effect when he purchased his publishing packages. His royalty payments accurately reflect the sales data reported to us by retailers. If Mr. [redacted] can provide receipts or order information for any sales he suspects are missing from our reports we will be happy to research those further. 
[redacted] Global Director-author satisfaction

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Regards,
[redacted] Their response at first mentions the date May 27 that I called to start my 3 year contract, the date was actually Feb 28, the start of the 3 month free period. The response at the end states that I was charged $9.99 for the month, no refund, yet my subscription this month was cancelled. "Terms of the subscription" was not signed by me. Now, I have been charged for something I am not allowed not use.  I did receive email 11:02AM, June 6:  "Your subscription for monthly is expired". A strange credit to my credit card was received 6 June in the amount of $9.99 categorized as "other loss".The c/c company has no identifying information to connect it or not to my dispute. If it is the refund, fine, but the Offices in the ALC are not communicating.There was no email from ALC on the possible refund. I have had no other disputes with Xlibris over the past 2 years of service. This lack of cooperation is disturbing and stressful.

Dear Revdex.com,Thank you for the opportunity to explain the printed marketing materials for Ms. [redacted] project.On July 6, 2015, Ms. [redacted] electronic proofs for her printed marketing materials for her book “[redacted],” including posters, bookmarks, and business cards, were emailed to her by...

her Marketing Services Representative, Jose [redacted].  Mr. [redacted] followed up with a voicemail on July 7, 2015, and again on July 14, 2015.  Ms. [redacted] was escalated to Dana [redacted], Operation Manager, on July 24, 2015, when Ms. [redacted] stated that she didn’t want to work with different representatives from different departments.  She also refused to wait the normal timeline for the printing of the bookstubs and wanted Palibrio to go out of normal timeline when printing and shipping.  Ms. [redacted] agreed to have the printing and shipping of the bookstubs expedited, shipping out that very day.Ms. [redacted] approved the proofs of the marketing materials and those files were sent to the printers.  On August 7, 2015, Mr. [redacted]’s supervisor, James [redacted] agreed to expedite the shipping of those materials once they finished printing.  The bookmarks and business cards were sent UPS Next Day Air and were delivered to Ms. [redacted] on August 12, 2015.  The posters were shipped on August 6th, tracking number [redacted]. The UPS tracking detail indicates that due to confusion with the address on the shipping document, delivery was delayed and resulted in the return of the shipment to the sender (printer).  The printer accepted the return on August 20, 2015; however the printer failed to notify us that the order had been returned to them.On August 31, 2015, Ms. [redacted] spoke with Mr. [redacted] and let him know that she had not received the posters.  She also indicated that there was a color issue with the printed marketing materials that she had received previously on August 12th.  Mr. [redacted] asked Ms. [redacted] to send pictures of the materials with color issues so that he could work with the printer to fix them.On September 11, 2015, Ms. [redacted] called and spoke with Mr. [redacted], again stating that the color of the materials was not what she approved.  Mr. [redacted] again asked her to send pictures of them.  She refused, stating that she was too busy to do so.  She also wanted to know the status of the posters.  Mr. [redacted] said they were waiting to hear back from the printer.  Mr. [redacted] also spoke with Ms. [redacted] the same day.  He asked Ms. [redacted] to send pictures of the color issue; this time she agreed.  Mr. [redacted] also advised that we had been seeking a status report from our printer since her inquiry of August 31st regarding her posters. However, due to their lack of response, he had requested an expedited re-order of her posters with UPS Next Day shipping.On September 14, 2015, the posters were shipped, tracking number [redacted] . They were delivered and signed for by Ms. [redacted] on September 15, 2015. She confirmed receipt the following day.  Also on September 16, 2015, Mr. [redacted] sent Ms. [redacted] an email acknowledging receipt of a copy of the visual scanned proof.  With this information, we were able to review her concerns and move forward with a resolution to the color issue.   In closing, because color is a visual medium in order to resolve the color issue with Ms. [redacted] printed materials, a visual assessment of the materials she indicated were unacceptable was needed.   Although she initially refused to provide a visual example of her concern, she later agreed making it possible for us to move forward with steps to resolve her concern. A second set of posters were printed, shipped and received.  We trust this information illustrates the steps we have taken to address Ms. [redacted] concerns.Sincerely, Elaine [redacted]Manager of Author Satisfaction

Dear Revdex.com,   Thank you for the opportunity to explain the requirements for cancellation of an Xlibris title.   [redacted] published two (2) books entitled “[redacted]” and “[redacted]” with Xlibris on April 9, 2001 and June 19, 2001,...

respectively.   In his filing he states that he has requested the cancellation of his book entitled “[redacted],” with no success.  Termination, removal from distribution, and other cancellation related requests of Xlibris titles require a signed letter of intent from the contract owner. As explained on our website, the Xlibris publishing agreement is open ended and non-exclusive which means that there is no set term for the contract, and that it can be canceled at any time at the author’s discretion provided that the required document is submitted.   A review of his account confirms that while he had expressed his cancellation request by phone and email in 2011, he was notified at that time in writing by Post Production staff that a signed letter of intent to cancel his book is required in order to proceed. He was provided a physical address and a fax number for sending it along plus a phone number and an email address for any questions.  As of this writing, that requirement has not been met; no signed letter of intent has been received from him requesting the cancellation of his title. Our investigation also found that the cancellation requirements were sent to him on two separate occasions in 2014 and again in 2015. In each communication, our physical address, a fax, and phone number were provided.    As an accommodation and goodwill offering, Xlibris has agreed to make an exemption of the cancellation requirement and has processed his request absent a signed cancellation letter.   The book entitled “[redacted]” with ISBN [redacted] has been cancelled across all our print vendors. Also, the book has been disabled in the Xlibris database and is longer available through the Xlibris online store.   When a title is listed as cancelled, our printer network is prohibited from producing any more copies of the book for distribution. However, we would like to inform him that due to our relationship with various printers and book distributors, physical copies of his book may or may not currently exist within the book vending channels. It is possible that his book will still be listed as active with other online retailers until those copies have sold out. Also, as part of Amazon and Barnes & Noble’s sales programs, titles that are considered “out of print” are listed on their sites to allow customers the ability to track hard-to-find books.   In his filing he also states that he desires no further contact from Xlibris.  Because he has two (2) titles with Xlibris and has cancelled one, the other title remains active and orderable.  To ensure that, as he requested, he will not be contacted by our staff, we have assigned a do-not–contact status to his account.   In summary, as a goodwill offering we have accommodated his request for cancellation of “[redacted]” absent the requisite document and it has been removed from print.  At his request, a do-not-contact status has been given to his account. His other title remains active.   Sincerely,   Elaine H[redacted] Manager of Author Satisfaction

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and have determined that the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.Regards,[redacted] Trafford has not disclosed facts regarding the complaint. The company has provided a pretextual response to the Revdex.com. It has also submitted PDF formatting to the Revdex.com which is not of the actual formatted manuscript submitted to them. The file it has sent has removed all original formatting from my manuscript. And, Trafford also has not explained the fact that they urged me with, "please" resubmit the manuscript; although a long amount of time was taken to complete it. They are giving the appearance that I am in someway harassing them. What it looks like is that Trafford wanted that I resubmit my work that its copyrighted material might be stolen unto themselves.Their design team has repeatedly sent emails toying with me, pretending that they cannot print to book to any page size they have available. originally the formatted manuscript I submitted was 1102 pages on a 6.5 X 10.75 page size. Trafford's design team is said to have attempted to fit it to a 6 X 9 size for hardcover instead. When this failed I asked the book be completed in 8.5 X 11 in an paperback version. The design team wrote an email informing the file still would not fit. They cannot explain why they could print the original 1167 page manuscript on 7 X 10, but cannot print 1102 pages on a 8.5 X 11.     As for being told of them to seek refund from the BC Trafford, that location as they know does not exist.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Regards,
[redacted] MY attachment fully outlines the reason for my rejection of this company's resolution. I want a full refund because so far the company has failed to furnish or provide me with a response regarding how their marketing representative presented the Pres Release sales pitch. I have made this request over three times. In addition as is explained in my attachment certain radio stations as well as current newspaper media in my hometown of Montreal was omitted.  The irony is that Montreal is a French speaking province that was overlooked, yet their alleged Vocus sent press releases to a shopping centre, defunct media outlets, Urdu. Polish. Greek outlets.I  am demanding a full refund plus damages for their ongoing deceptive practices. Incidentally all the representatives for XLibris are stationed in the Philippines, so that the respondent to this letter should first familiarize himself with what is beinbg said by the foreigner.

Dear Revdex.com, Thank you for giving us the opportunity to respond to Mr. [redacted]’s concerns regarding the refund of his publishing package. On January 4, 2016, Mr. [redacted] purchased the Premier Pro Publishing Package from iUniverse for $1074.50. He elected to pay in installments adding a non refundable...

payment plan fee of $30.00. On January 11, 2016 we received two items from Mr. [redacted]—a three page letter with questions and text designated as the Preface to Index and Index to Book; and a DVD. The DVD was said to contain all of the materials for his book; however, the only files that appeared on the DVD were the preface and a JPEG file that we were unable to open. We are unsure if the JPEG file is the manuscript or if it’s just an image to be included because that file is corrupted and cannot be opened. Mr. [redacted] was notified about this on February 5, 2016 when his Check –In Coordinator called him to let him know. Over the following week, the Check-In Coordinator spoke to Mr. [redacted] several times after having the DVD rechecked with the same result. Per Mr. [redacted]’s request, his DVD was sent back to him on February 18, 2016. We did not alter or delete anything from the DVD. In lieu of sending in a new file of his manuscript, Mr. [redacted] chose to cancel his publishing package. He made an initial payment of $388.16 on January 4, 2016 leaving an open balance on his account of $716.34. His second payment, attempted on February 4, 2016, declined. Per Section 6 of the Installment Payment Plan Agreement (copy attached) that Mr. [redacted] signed on January 5, 2016, there will be a non refundable decline fee of $30.00. There will also be a non refundable setup fee of $150.00 per Section 8.2 of the Self-Publishing Services Agreement (copy attached) that Mr. [redacted] signed on November 16, 2015. After the fees were deducted, Mr. [redacted] was due a refund of $894.50. $716.34 was applied to the open balance on his account, and $178.16 was refunded to the original credit card used for the initial payment via transaction ID [redacted], on Marcy 7, 2016. In closing, in accordance with the cancellation and refund policy in the Self-Publishing Services agreement and the Payment Plan Agreement, a refund has been issued to the credit card used for his initial payment.  Should Mr. [redacted] decide he would like to continue with his book project, he is welcome to do so, but he would need to submit a new manuscript file that is usable and reinstate his publishing package. Sincerely, Elaine [redacted] Manager of Author Satisfaction

Dear Revdex.com,
 
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention and for the opportunity to present our side of the case.
 
Mr. [redacted] purchased a Black and White Premium publishing package with Xlibris on March 22, 2011, taking advantage of a promotional rate of $2229 with an...

installment payment plan option for an additional $30, for a total of $2259. 
 
Our records show that Mr. [redacted] made two (2) payments totaling $1230 as identified below:
 
3/22/2011
Payment
$1,000.00
[redacted]
[redacted]
2/23/2011
Payment
$230.00
[redacted]
[redacted]
 
In May, Finance reached out to Mr. [redacted] by email and phone regarding his payments and outstanding balance.  He indicated that he desired to continue with his project and would make arrangements for payment.  Attempts to reach him by phone and email continued and in August his account was placed on HOLD.  On September 25, 2011 he responded that he would be starting his new job that week.  Reminders regarding resumption of payment followed with a response on January 6, 2012 expressing thanks for the reminder and his intent to proceed with the publication.  Reminders by phone and email continued through 2012 with the “mailbox is full” notices beginning in August.
 
Cancellation Request History
In October 2013 Mr. [redacted] communicated his intent to cancel the services he purchased from Xlibris. He spoke with one of the managers from our Sales Department and was endorsed to the Refund Department on October 14, 2013. After several unsuccessful attempts to reach Mr. [redacted] through phone, one of our refund representatives sent an email to Mr. [redacted] to discuss the cancellation process on October 16, 2013. No response to the said email was received from Mr. [redacted]. We have attached a copy of the email for your reference.
 
Mr. [redacted] contacted Xlibris again on June 2015 to make a follow up on the request he made in 2013. He was informed by one of our Sales Managers that under the Term and Exclusivity portion of the publishing service agreement, failure to submit materials for publishing before one year has elapsed from the date of the service order forfeits any right to claim a refund for monies paid for the services. Any variance from these terms requires the approval of upper management. To assist Mr. [redacted], an appeal was submitted on his behalf to upper management for their review. We have attached a copy of the communication sent to Mr. [redacted] on June 23, 2015 on this subject for your reference.
 
In light of Mr. [redacted]’s circumstances, the appeal was granted resulting in a check refund for the amount paid toward the publishing package, $1230, to be issued and sent to the address of record.  
 
In summary, in 2011 Mr. [redacted] defaulted on his payment plan and after attempts to reach him regarding payment, his account was placed on HOLD. In 2013 he contacted us to cancel the publishing package, yet attempts to reach him to verify the request and discuss refund eligibility were unsuccessful. In 2015 he contacted us to “follow-up” on his refund request. As refund eligibility expired in 2011, his request was denied and an appeal submitted for Executive Review. The appeal was approved and a check refund issued to be sent to the address of record.
 
 
We hope the information provided with this letter illustrates the steps we have taken to address Mr. [redacted]’s concerns. Please let us know if additional steps need to be taken for an amicable close to this case.
 
Sincerely,
 
Elaine [redacted]
Manager of Author Satisfaction

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.Thanks for you assistance in handling my complaint with Authorhouse. It appears Ms. [redacted] has now been assigned to address this complaint since Mr. [redacted] gave this matter nothing but smoke and mirrors. On the matter of 1099 reporting we will continue to disagree. At least Ms. [redacted] used a relevant IRS link to support her position unlike Mr. [redacted]. Again, as I said before, her answer is just the same as Mr. [redacted] and for your readers only. If Authorhouse would have sent me a “courtesy” 1099 when I called I would not have even complained about this! Saying they will send one if only I had asked in two separate responses does not make it so and is disingenuous at best.Again, asking to submit a W-9 for a second time is nothing new as well and I will not be doing so for the reasons I stated previously. Again, nothing new here. Since it seems Authorhouse will not admit their customer service refused to send a 1099 in the first place and continue to claim no wrong doing, we should simply agree to disagree and put this behind us until the next time it arises.On the matter of e-book royalties, Ms. [redacted] is correct in that I never agreed to “channel” sales of the e-book when my book pricing agreement was approved in 2009. Yet, somehow Ms. [redacted] must have missed reading the attached e-mail I sent in the last response. She seems to ignore the e-mail from Brent [redacted] on December 6, 2012 that states I phoned and will not authorize ANY e-book sales unless I get $3.04 royalty for each sale. NOW I WANT TO MAKE THIS PERFECTLY CLEAR, I WILL NOT WASTE ONE MORE MINUTE BICKERING BACK AND FORTH. I AM QUITE SURE A LAWYER WILL FIND THIS E-MAIL VERY CLEAR AND SO WILL A JURY IF NEED BE THAT I MADE MY EXPECTATION QUITE CLEAR TO AUTHORHOUSE! Furthermore, Authorhouse representatives need not waste anymore of their time writing long winded answers; just attach ANY document where I agreed to accept how they claim e-book sales are to be paid as I was required to do for all the other types of sales. I suggest Authorhouse find that document fast because they are going to need it if you don’t resolve this matter by their next response! Authorhouse’s general statement on their website about how e-book sales are to be paid is not a legal binding document and clearly one I never agreed to.Ms. [redacted] states, “To reiterate, the e-Book royalty is 50% of the net received, not 50% of the e-Book price. The Book Pricing Agreement that Mr. [redacted] attached does not apply to e-Books sold through retailers.” To reiterate, an e-book royalty is what is negotiated and agreed to on a book pricing agreement between a publisher and an author and NOT some general policy by the publisher on a website!!!  “In the e-mail chain between Mr. [redacted] and Mr. [redacted] that was attached by Mr. [redacted], Mr. [redacted] makes no mention of the eBook royalties being paid incorrectly.  The “restitution paid” to Mr. [redacted] was a paperback copy of his book because as Mr. [redacted] says “It turns out that during the time of the request to delist the e-Book format a system issue occurred.”  So Mr. [redacted] was sent a complimentary copy of his book because his e-book was not completely pulled from distribution, not because his royalties were paid incorrectly.”If this is Mr. [redacted]’s opinion, I can assure you it was not mine and all the correspondences between us will back up my claim in a court of law. Furthermore, if restitution was paid because I requested it to be delisted and it was not, why in the world would I ok for it to be relisted so sales could be made at a royalty I never agreed with? I explained to Mr. [redacted] in the e-mail he could relist the e-book for any price, any format, and any seller AS LONG AS I RECEIVE A ROYALTY of $3.04. My position on this matter has never changed and was summed up quite nicely in Brent Lionel’s e-mail which Ms. [redacted] seems to ignore. As such, I have included in its entirety for all to see who is telling the truth here.“Hi Team,Author called telling us, that resellers are selling his e-book on a lower price. E-book price in AuthorHouse is $6.60. Educated author that we don’t have control reseller’s price and rest assured he will get the same royalty. Author said his e-book royalty is $3.04 with AuthorHouse and Google is selling the e-book for $3.03, I already explained to the author that it’s $3.04 with us due to the web bonus. But author said if resellers could not give him $3.04 royalty then it’s better that they don’t sell the e-book. He wants the e-book to be available only at AuthorHouse since resellers are not following his agreed price with us which is $6.60.Kind Regards,Brent [redacted]”Furthermore, what Ms. [redacted] quotes as coming from Mr. [redacted] in the e-mail chain is taken out of context. Here is a quote from what I wrote to Mr. [redacted] in that same chain e-mail dated May 20, 2014:“I would like my e-book offered again on your website at the originally negotiated prices if that is possible and thank you for asking. And you may even offer the newest formats of the e-book on your site at the same prices and royalties agreed upon as well if you wish and it is easier, but no version of my e-book can be offered anywhere else without negotiating the royalties for such sales! I hope this is clear. Unfortunately, I would have agreed to sales of my e-book by third party sellers if only the royalty would have been the same as I receive on your website... something your company is unwilling to do it appears.”Is this not clear? Either the wrong royalty rate has been paid or Authorhouse sold unauthorized e-books again. It is one or the other. It seems to me paying the correct royalty is the cheaper way to go. Regardless, and for the public and judicial record, I Robert [redacted] from this day forward do not authorize any future e-book sales by Authorhouse in any format or any sales outlet unless I receive a royalty of $3.04. If Authorhouse makes such sales they will be illegal, unauthorized sales and an infringement on my copyright! Is this clear enough! “Inaccurate and missing sales information: “More mumble jumble for the readers of the Revdex.com and more untruths! It seems it is ok to attach personal information to these responses. I would hope the Revdex.com does not include it for the public to see. I will not waste the time to answer all the long winded comments. Nevertheless, everything I said in my initial complaint and my previous response remains the same. I know not what reports Ms. [redacted] used, but a can tell you the spreadsheet she attached as proof there is nothing wrong with the sales reporting appears to factual. Unfortunately, it is not the same sales reporting system on the website for authors to use!Today, I went on to Authorhouse’s website again, just as I did when I first told customer service there was a problem and they indicated they were not going to do anything about it. Two responses later from my Revdex.com complaint confirms Authorhouse was true to its word. I ran the sales report for Jan 2014 to the present and have attached the document. This is all I ever asked Authorhouse to do to find the problem themselves? As any three-year old can see, there are NO sales for the month of September 2014 reported!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Was there a sale in September 2014? Yes, according to the sales report Ms. [redacted] sent me via an attachment to this response and according to the royalty report. Is there a September 2014 sale on the report I attached that I got off the website? NO!!!!!  The sales system on the website is not factual just as I have said repeatedly. Everything I wrote has been true and everything Authorhouse has written by both Mr. [redacted], and Me. [redacted] has been untrue!“As with the first audit, we found no missing sales and all the reports appear to be accurate.  If Mr. [redacted] can provide more information regarding the missing sale (such as--from which retailer it was ordered, what format, when it was shipped), we can return to the retailer and see why the order was not reported to us.” Who comes up with these responses? I have attached the report as proof that “all the reports appear to be accurate” are not! As for me telling Authorhouse where the missing sale is from when it is Authorhouse’s position that they do not even know where all the sales come from so they don’t have to code sales accurately is so illogical I don’t even know how to respond to such a comment. Is this not Authorhouse’s responsibility to know where sales are made. This has been my point all along. Just more gibberish to make it look like they are being helpful and responsive to my complaints and nothing more.  “Coding of book orders: Books are ordered either directly from AuthorHouse or a retailer.  Once an order is placed the retailer will place the order with their distributor who orders the requisite number of copies from an authorized printer for AuthorHouse titles. Orders placed directly through AuthorHouse are sent immediately to the authorized printer.”So what Ms. [redacted] is saying is, when my book is ordered on Barnes & Noble’s website since nowhere can my book be bought in a physical store, Barnes & Noble calls their distributor and the distributor orders the book directly from Lightingsource without Authorhouse’s knowledge? After the book is shipped from Lightingsource to the consumer or to Barnes & Noble, then Authorhouse is notified of the retail sale? Is this true for all retailers Authorhouse deals with? Now based on Ms. [redacted] response to my complaint, it appears the answers are yes to these questions I just asked. However, this cannot be true since Authorhouse does code retails sales from both Barnes & Noble and Amazon, but as for any other sales they claim not to know who they were from, but only that they are retail sales? Again I ask, how is it that Authorhouse knows a distributor ordered a book from Lightingsource to be printed for Barnes & Noble, but not a sale by a distributor to Lightingsource from “Google Books” for instance?Ms. [redacted] writes further,“Marketing Calls and Do not call list: The marketing consultant that was assigned to Mr. [redacted], Mark [redacted], was removed from Mr. [redacted]’s account months before Mr. [redacted]’s complaint was received.  The reassigning had nothing to do with Mr. [redacted]’s complaint, nor was it implied in the original response that it was.“Is Ms. [redacted] kidding? I guess you can write anything and in doing so it makes a lie now true. Here is what Mr. [redacted] wrote from the original response and I quote,“The four calls Mr. [redacted] received were from his previous marketing consultant.  However, that representative is no longer assigned to Mr. [redacted]’s project.  Mr. [redacted] has placed on the Do Not Call/Email list so no additional calls should be received.”If this reassignment has nothing to do with my complaint, then why did Mr. Hopkin’s bring it up in the first place? Any person who reads what Mr. Hopkin’s wrote as a response to the hang-up calls I received from Authorhouse need not read anything into it other than what was actually written. You are right, nothing was implied, it was written straight forward. “Mr. [redacted] is now Mr. [redacted]’s previous marketing consultant because he was reassigned since he made four hang-up calls to Mr. [redacted].” Is this not logically what most people would conclude from Mr. [redacted] words?Furthermore, If Mr. [redacted] was removed from my account months before, then why did he continue to call and hang-up months after he was no longer my marketing consultant? Especially when the only calls he ever made to me were after each time I contacted customer service and asked for someone to call me back to resolve the royalty problem. Is this simply harassment? And for the official record, no one ever did call and they still haven’t call as confirmed by the call list attachment! And no mention as to why the call list says I called and talked to a Mr. [redacted] when in fact I talked to a woman!!!! Where is my answer to that Ms. [redacted]?Lastly, I know not why Ms. [redacted] attached a spreadsheet of call reports? Is it to show someone who was not suppose to call me in the first place kept calling my house and hanging up on me every time I called and complained to customer service? I already knew this. Still, I can’t but wonder how a person who is suppose to not be calling me from the Philippines is able to make the calls look like they come from the Indiana Office. Should I call my phone company and have them send me a call report that shows I am telling the truth and attach that to the next, long winded, no resolution and admission to doing anything wrong, answer?“Mr. [redacted] is currently on the Do Not Call list for marketing and publishing opportunities. If Mr. [redacted] would like to be taken off the do not call list, we request that he respond clarifying that  he is amenable to receiving phone calls from sales staff, providing him information regarding publishing and marketing services. We will not remove him from the list until he makes clear he is aware of what that entails.”Thank you. If the “Do Not Call” list is only for marketing and publishing sales calls, then keep me on the list. I have no intention of ever buying one more service from Authorhouse based on their business practices, lies, and mistreatment of authors. However, if being on the Do Not Call list means no one will ever call, even when I ask for someone to call me to resolve issues pertaining to sales, royalties, and everything else that are not a sales call for marketing and publishing opportunities, then I do not wish to be on the list!In summary, Ms. [redacted] wrote exactly what Mr. [redacted] wrote stating Authorhouse did nothing wrong, there is nothing wrong, and they plan on doing nothing no matter how many ways they say it. And as such, they have resolved nothing, yet they think they have. It is strange to think that a person would go through all the effort to complaint to the Revdex.com on various issues when nothing is wrong. Then a company, by simply writing words and doing nothing, would expect that same individual to accept that the problems are in someway fixed. They must be truly magical words. Amazing.Form 1099-Misc: Authorhouse will not send out 1099-Misc under $10 even when taxes are withheld. I get it! But claiming they will if I just ask them too is a lie and we only need to listen to the recorded customer service call to prove it! Attach the audio to your next response to prove I did not ask and I am the one not telling the truth. You clearly have the call records. I am sure you have the recordings as well! By the way, attach the audio call from Mr. [redacted] because my memory must be really bad to think I spent 2523 seconds on the phone talking to a woman.E-book sales: I still expect to get paid either for the incorrect royalties or the unauthorized e-book sales. I suggest that the next person who writes a response to my complaints not be from the “Global Director Author Satisfaction” nor the “Manager of Author Satisfaction”, but from the legal department!Coding of third party Sales: If Authorhouse is able to code Amazon and Barnes & Noble sales who use distributors that contact Lightingsource, then Authorhouse is able to code other retailers as well since Authorhouse says they use the same system. At the least Authorhouse can code the “distributor” who ordered the book from Lightingsource. Since Authorhouse does not do this, it must be intentional for some reason. One can only imagine why they record sales this way considering the type of company they are. Do not Contact: Consider what I have written in my first reply and again in the body of this reply my written response on this matter. Don’t call me to sell me anything and do call me to resolve problems. You can be sure Ms. [redacted] that the information you sent was no more and no less informative than that of Mr. [redacted] and does in no way satisfy the main points of this complaint. I hope this response is much clearer than my previous response in the same way you hoped yours was.Regards,[redacted]

Dear Revdex.com, Thank you for the opportunity to investigate the status of Ms. [redacted] titles published thru Xlibris and then cancelled.  Ms. [redacted] published five (5) titles with Xlibris. Below is a breakdown of her Book titles by Project IDs, purchase and publication dates...

and ISBNs for each format for your reference. [redacted] Project ID [redacted],  Purchased 12/20/2007, Publication Date 8/8/2008ISBN: [redacted] (softcover), [redacted] (hardcover), [redacted] (eBook)[redacted],Project ID [redacted], Purchased 3/22/2010, Publication Date 6/10/2010ISBN: [redacted] (softcover), [redacted] (hardcover), [redacted] (e-Book)[redacted] Project ID [redacted], Purchase Date 3/22/2010, Publication Date 6/16/2010ISBN: [redacted] (softcover), [redacted] (hardcover), [redacted] (e-Book)[redacted] Project ID [redacted], Purchase Date 8/12/2011, Publication Date 10/17/2011ISBN:  [redacted] softcover;  [redacted] e-Book[redacted], Project ID [redacted], Purchased Date 11/9/2011, Publication Date 2/29/2012 ISBN: [redacted] (softcover), [redacted] (hardcover), [redacted] (e-Book)  On February 12, 2013, following the receipt of a request to disable the availability of her books through online channels, the delisting of all five (5) of her titles was requested from our print and eBook vendors.   In April 2013, Ms. [redacted] contacted Xlibris informing us of the availability of her titles through Amazon and Barnes and Noble’s sales programs. We explained to her that titles which are considered “out of print” such as hers, may remain in these systems to allow customers to track hard-to-find books. We further explained that no new copies would be printed even if there is a demand for her titles as the print network lists her title as no longer available for print. In addition, consumers and/or retailers may sell used copies of books thru numerous on-line and storefront vehicles such as Amazon Marketplace, eBay, Craig’s List, garage and estate sales, stores that accept donations, newspaper ads, etc. In these environments, the book was sold once and is being sold again. Xlibris has no role in the reselling of previously sold copies or in the business practices of the individuals and resellers who do.   December 2015 inquiry regarding title availability  Upon receipt of this complaint, we opened a new inquiry into the availability status of all her titles. In addition to discovering that she had re-published the same titles using two (2) other publishers, we were surprised to find that royalties had been earned and paid on sales of [redacted] for both the softcover and eBook formats despite their cancellation in 2013. Royalties were paid for eBooks sold thru Amazon Kindle and Google Edition, and an order of fifty (50) softcover books purchased thru our Retail Channel Sales Department along with several other titles not associated with Ms. [redacted].   eBooks: The eBook cancellation notifications had been made in February 2013 (see attached listing of vendors and dates notified).  It is incumbent on each vendor to remove the listing from their site thus eliminating availability for purchase. We immediately re-notified both vendors who sold the eBook of the cancellation.  At Amazon.com a current search for the title in question shows the eBook is unavailable for purchase.  The search results state “Your search “[redacted]” did not match any products.”http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=[redacted] The Google Editions site directs searchers to a listing of on-line retailer resources for the ISBN they are seeking.  Here Google lists Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, Books-a-Million.com and Indiebound.org as resources. Below are the links to the search for the eBooks’ ISBN at Google and the resources it lists. The results found no opportunities for purchase.  https://www.google.com[redacted]http://www.amazon.com/gp/search[redacted]http:...⇄ book: Our research found that [redacted], ISBN [redacted], had been cancelled.  However, a coding glitch failed to fully deactivate the title at our Channel Sales Department.  The Channel Sales Department processes orders only from retailers and libraries with approved accounts. The coding issue has been remediated and the title fully deactivated from our print system.  In summary, we extend our deepest apology for this situation and any frustration or inconvenience it may have caused Ms. [redacted].  We wish to thank her for giving us the opportunity to discover and remedy a coding glitch in our Channel Sales Department’s ordering system. Although some vendors appear to have failed to act upon the 2013 notification of cancellation of the eBook format of her books, the vendors have been re-notified. Confirmation the eBook sold has been delisted at the vendors who generated its sale is provided.  Royalties have been paid on the sales made. We trust this information illustrates the steps taken to address Ms. [redacted] concern. Sincerely, Elaine [redacted]Manager of Author Satisfaction

Dear Revdex.com, Thank you for giving us the opportunity to review the steps taken to assist Ms. [redacted] with the submission of her manuscript and her request for refund. On August 14, 2014 Ms. [redacted] purchased an Essential Access publishing package for the amount of $999.00. On September 4, 2014 we...

received her signed author agreement (copy attached).  On September 5, 2014 her Check-In Coordinator, Jennifer M[redacted], sent her a welcome e-mail with detailed instructions on how to submit her manuscript and materials. Ms. [redacted] states that although she has tried various avenues to provide her manuscript and materials to us for publication, she has been unsuccessful.  It is unfortunate that Ms. [redacted] had difficulty with the procedures we have in place regarding the formatting and submission of her manuscript.  These procedures are in place to ensure that the books we produce are professional and comparable to those published by traditional publishers. A review of the project communications between Ms. [redacted] and her Check-In Coordinator is attached for your reference.  The review confirms that it has been a year since we received her signed services agreement; however, it also shows that no materials were received by us from Ms. [redacted] until March 23, 2015, six (6) months later.  A week later she inquired about adding a poem and was advised that it was not too late.  To do so she just needed to add the poem to the full manuscript and send the amended version of the manuscript to us.   From that time forward, the communications review suggests that confusion and frustration arose. The review indicates that the Check-In Coordinator spent considerable time on the phone and via e-mail working with Ms. [redacted] to provide her with technical support and to answer her questions.  It also shows that we acknowledged receiving her manuscript file on the several occasions she sent it to us.  However, discerning which transmittal contained the correct file at times became unclear and we sought assistance from Ms. [redacted].  In mid August, to ensure that the recent manuscript file received via WeTransfer was indeed the correct file, we asked Ms [redacted] for confirmation.  This request appears to have led to the involvement of both her daughter and the WestBow Press Production manager, Adalee C[redacted] along with her request for cancellation and a refund.Ms. C[redacted] has spoken with Ms. [redacted] and awaits a response for her regarding the submission resolution she proposed on August 28th.  REFUNDIn their conversation of August 18th, Ms. C[redacted] advised Ms. [redacted]’s daughter of the refund policy according to the publishing agreement and offered to work with Ms. [redacted] to complete the publication of her book. The WestBow Press Publishing Agreement (copy attached), Schedule A, Section 5. Refunds, states: If AUTHOR terminates this agreement for any reason other than a breach of contract by PUBLISHER, AUTHOR agrees to pay PUBLISHER any amounts due on services purchased.  PUBLISHER will refund amounts paid by AUTHOR as follows:Prior to submission of manuscript                            100% less a $150 setup feeAfter submission, but prior to interior design                      50%After interior design, but prior to final sign-off                   25%After six months from contract date                                       0% As Ms. [redacted]’s agreement was signed on September 4, 2014, it falls into the after six months from contract date status and is ineligible for refund. In closing, in accordance with the terms of the Publishing Agreement approved and signed by Ms. [redacted], she is ineligible for a refund.   Should she choose to cancel her project no refund will be issued. Should she desire to continue with the project we have expressed our willingness to allocate the necessary resources to complete the publication of her book including the assignment of a different Check-In Coordinator for her project.  Sincerely, Elaine H[redacted]Manager of Author Satisfaction