• Guest please check The Index before starting a thread.

Agio Publishing House

eqb

I write novels
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
4,680
Reaction score
2,055
Location
In the resistance
Website
www.claireodell.com
Their info page clearly states they expect authors to subside their own books. It's vanity publishing, plain and simple.
 

Monkey

Is me.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 12, 2007
Messages
9,119
Reaction score
1,881
Location
Texas, usually
Yes, it's definitely, 100% a pay-for-play site.

I'm upset because they're about to take a close family friend for everything he owns unless I can convince him to walk away--and I've probably got about a week, tops.

So far, I've found this:

How's this vanity pub, that's only been publishing since 2007, have a "For Dummies" title?

And there's this:

I'd seen this elsewhere, and was pretty sure it was published by someone else...

ETA: OMG. I just found it. Why didn't I see this sooner?

agio website said:
We have an online store for you to purchase eBooks (the eBook format is a PDF Adobe Acrobat file):

The Agio Publishing eBook Store.

You can also use the following direct links:

Bruce Batchelor's Book Marketing DeMystified, ISBN 978-1897435-02-1 eBook edition at www.[B]lulu.com[/B]/content/1342573

Val Pattee's The Onion Files, ISBN 978-1897435-07-6 eBook edition at www.[B]lulu.com[/B]/content/1414340

Rowland Marshall's Luck Was My Companion: Adventures of an Old Sea Dog, ISBN 978-1897435-10-6 eBook edition at www.[B]lulu.com[/B]/content/2019967
The list goes on. They're charging thousands for publishing your book THROUGH LULU!
 
Last edited:

Polenth

Mushroom
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 27, 2007
Messages
5,017
Reaction score
735
Location
England
Website
www.polenthblake.com
It does look like they're using Lulu. Not a surprise, as the founder appears to have published a book about promoting your self-published book.

Agio is upfront about their fees, but you could pay for someone to format your work for Lulu and make a professional-looking cover for less than $4000.
 

CaoPaux

Mostly Harmless
Staff member
Super Moderator
Moderator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
13,952
Reaction score
1,746
Location
Coastal Desert
I'm just wondering if that podcasting book is on their page in error. I HOPE it's on their page in error.
It's an Amazon store, which they can add any book to. Probably to inflate their SEO and/or recommend marketing books to their authors.
 

benbradley

It's a doggy dog world
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 5, 2006
Messages
20,322
Reaction score
3,513
Location
Transcending Canines
Yes, it's definitely, 100% a pay-for-play site.

I'm upset because they're about to take a close family friend for everything he owns unless I can convince him to walk away--and I've probably got about a week, tops.
Tell them they'll be a lot less disappointed if they just burn the money.

Or tell them to google Yog's law. Maybe spend a few bucks on a t-shirt or mug ...
So far, I've found this:

How's this vanity pub, that's only been publishing since 2007, have a "For Dummies" title?
If you click the "...new and used" link then the "back to product information" link, you get to the regular Amazon page with the publisher being the expected "For Dummies."

This looks (other than this business being a "publisher") like any other website, they don't actually publish that book, they have a page for it and a link that goes through Amazon and they get some small percentage, just like anyone can be an "Amazon affiliate" and have an Amazon link on their webpage and get something if the Amazon sale goes through that page, such as the top of this and other pages on AW - I currently see "AutumnQuest (The Dragonspawn Cycle)."

But it does look quite misleading that the "dummies" book is on this vanity publisher's page on Amazon. I wonder if Amazon knows about this particular case or would object to it.
 

Monkey

Is me.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 12, 2007
Messages
9,119
Reaction score
1,881
Location
Texas, usually
Success!

After pointing out that he can get everything offered from Agio Publishing virtually free through Lulu--which is who Agio goes through--and after considerable back-and-forth, my friend has walked away from his deal with Agio.

benbradley said:
But it does look quite misleading that the "dummies" book is on this vanity publisher's page on Amazon. I wonder if Amazon knows about this particular case or would object to it.

It is misleading. Most of the books in their store are books that they claim to have published...I double checked their bookstore against the titles they claim on their website, and all but the last three (the "For Dummies" title, "Plug Your Book", and "Aiming at Amazon") were there.
 
Last edited: