Author Reputation Press

Vanity house, stock photos of models who are not staff, no prices posted on "services", meaningless "Seal of Excellence" they gave to themselves, I recognize a number of covers from a self publishing cover website.

Random author check #1 on Amazon: Book's been out since June, no reviews, 7+million in sales ranking
#2 : No books listed
#3 : Book's been out since May, no reviews, no sales ranking at all

You can smell the desperation a mile off. A legit place doesn't cold call writers.

Not one of their titles will ever be in a bookstore. Run away.

They have a "fan fiction" category that, as far as I can tell, is an extra niche for them to shove in something in the fantasy category (only one title). I don't even know which fandom they're talking about, which is probably a good thing so they don't get their keisters sued off.

And be warned: that annoying chat pop-up opens every time you move to a new page, no matter how many times you've closed it.

zmethos said:

Received a somewhat garbled phone message from a woman named Cathy, couldn't tell exactly what she wanted (except for me to call her back, which I don't think I will). She mentioned one of my self-published works and said she has a "very important message" for me.

https://authorreputationpress.com/

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Any time a stranger calls, and says "I have a very important message for you", it's a pretty safe bet that you can just snarl something nasty and hang up. (It's important to say something, lest they think that you just got disconnected, and try again.)

Honestly, unless it's a sales pitch/scam, why wouldn't they just say the 'important message'?
"Somebody died"
"You've won money" are simple words to speak. You are then free to ask for details.
If the police want to deliver the message 'You're in trouble', they generally come in person. And if you're in arrears, whoever you owe money will either also come in person, or send a letter.

No good follows "Stand by for this important message."

Gillhoughly said:

Vanity house, stock photos of models who are not staff, no prices posted on "services".

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The fake staff are all young, with the sharklike look of salespersons and hucksters.
While they were doing their (noticeably poor) job of Photoshopping (check out the feet), couldn't they at least have gone for a more 'experienced' looking staff? Although, props for faking 'diversity', I suppose.
Among their many categories of books carried, in addition to poetry, they list 'textbooks' which is kind of a very limited specialty, isn't it?
And, 'Free shipping for all orders over $500"? Who, except a desperate author is going to order that quantity of book? Actual bookstores may have this sort of thing written into agreements, perhaps, but not specified on the fronts of publishers websites? It's not like their other terms for bookstores are on their front page.

But they pay 100% royalties and have a 24/7 hotline! Great name, too.

They sell a variety of publishing packages, with costs of up to $6799.

I selected a book and checked out the excerpt on Amazon. This is what I read shortly after the start :

Anna had added a thin twenty-four-carat gold thread to
accent

the dress. The gold not only accented the dress, but the gold
accented Anna's porcelain white skin and her golden hair.
Anna looked like a

golden goddess.

v

N i n a K. Joh n s o n

She missed them terribly, today more than ever. She stepped
back

and started remembering.

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I have no idea what's with the formatting and the name showing up in the middle.

Marian Perera said:

They sell a variety of publishing packages, with costs of up to $6799.

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Holy moly.

Besides being an obvious vanity press, that NAME. They couldn't even bother to come up with a creative name for their business? Shows how much they care about branding.

Why all the hate in this forum? Let's face it guys: the sad fact about writing books is that not all traditional publishers are at liberty, let alone willing, to accept all manuscripts submitted by would-be and neophyte writers. Talk of rejection letters. That's because, oftentimes, some elitist publishers are so wired to choose only those writers in whom they see profit over the long term. Unless you guys have been living in a cave, you may be aware of some Nobel Laureates in Literature who were rejected at first by major publishers and waited for many years before their works got published and eventually drew the attention of some award-giving bodies. Authors shouldn't wait that long to get published.

It is for this reason that hybrid publishers like Author Reputation Press or AuthorHouse exist -- to provide these authors a place where their works can find an audience. I'm not sure where Victoria's hatred for these publishers is coming from. And that applies to all other authors here who have said something against hybrid publishers. But my guess is that you are just envious because nobody's reading your books anyway and don't stand a chance at that. If you think you are popular because of your hatred-filled campaign, you are wrong. Spreading hate doesn't make people read your books.

The only sure way to find out would be to call them back and see if they request any kind of payment from you. When I was doing music years ago, a company claimed it wanted to record a demo I wrote, and it was fishy when they asked me to put down $400, which they claimed I would get back. I didn't believe it and didn't go for it.

Hold my beer.

myth.buster0817 said:

Why all the hate in this forum? Let's face it guys: the sad fact about writing books is that not all traditional publishers are at liberty, let alone willing, to accept all manuscripts submitted by would-be and neophyte writers. Talk of rejection letters. That's because, oftentimes, some elitist publishers are so wired to choose only those writers in whom they see profit over the long term. Unless you guys have been living in a cave, you may be aware of some Nobel Laureates in Literature who were rejected at first by major publishers and waited for many years before their works got published and eventually drew the attention of some award-giving bodies. Authors shouldn't wait that long to get published.

It is for this reason that hybrid publishers like Author Reputation Press or AuthorHouse exist -- to provide these authors a place where their works can find an audience. I'm not sure where Victoria's hatred for these publishers are coming from. And that applies to all other authors here who have said something against hybrid publishers. But my guess is that you are just envious because nobody's reading your books anyway and don't stand a chance at that. If you think you are popular because of your hatred-filled campaign, you are wrong. Spreading hate doesn't make people read your books.

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Wow, if there were any more strawmen in this response, we could have a heck of a Halloween festival.

No hate here. The object is to point out desirable (aka paying) publishers and, shall we say, less desirable (aka vanity) publishers to authors who may be inexperienced and not realize what they're getting into.

ALL publishers should be wired to choose only the writers they see making profits from. That's how publishers stay in business - by making sales to readers and then they reinvest that money into printing more books that readers want. Even self-publishers should only be releasing books that they can make a profit from. Going through a Vanity (or a so-called hybrid/subsidy/partner/etc.) publisher only means the AUTHOR is out of their money. A vanity press like Author Reputation Press or AuthorHouse have NO skin in the game because the author is footing the bill and then skimming money off of every book the author manages to sell for doing nothing more than the author could have done for themselves. ARP can't get these books into a brick and mortar store. They can't get major reviews. They can't do anything FOR the author, but they're definitely doing something TO the author.

And please, don't trot out the old "so and so had to wait to get published". One - unsourced statements are unverifiable and therefore unprovable. Two - this only shows you don't understand how publishing works - many books take time to get out because there are edits, and re-edits, and then the PUBLISHER working with a DISTRIBUTOR markets the books to booksellers, libraries, etc. well ahead of the release date and ensures reviews come out BEFORE the book's release to generate interest. Simply publishing a book on Amazon only means such a book gets lost in the signal-to-noise ratio. Even self-publishers should be sending out review copies well before their book releases to generate interest.

Also, you just indicted yourself and ARP and AuthorHouse in your own statement because you implied that a) ARP will take ANY author, not those whose books are ready for release and b) you don't anticipate making a profit on them - hence you MUST be making your profit from your authors. That's the only way you could possibly stay in business.

And please, don't run out the ol' bromide of us being jealous. Many of the posters on this forum are multi-published authors, editors, agents, and some actually work for or run publishing companies. You only make yourself look even less knowledgeable about the industry by spouting that nonsense.

Victoria's calm and frank discussions of Author House and its clones are quite well-documented at the Writer Beware blog. But, I do thank you for allowing me to draw attention to anyone who's not following along with that discussion (to include a lot of anonymous one-shot sockpuppets stopping by).

And, with that, I'll let people review your comments and my rebuttal and let them draw their own conclusions.

myth.buster0817 has an IP address in the Philippines.

myth.buster0817 also needs to stop posting immediately and read The Newbie Guide to Absolute Write which explains that we require members to be courteous, no matter who they work for.

Knock off the gratuitous insults.

zmethos said:

Sorry if there is a thread on this elsewhere; I couldn't find one.

Received a somewhat garbled phone message from a woman named Cathy, couldn't tell exactly what she wanted (except for me to call her back, which I don't think I will). She mentioned one of my self-published works and said she has a "very important message" for me. I had to Google the phone number to even figure out who had called.

https://authorreputationpress.com/

Looks to me like a way to part me with my money, and none of the authors on their site are anyone I've ever heard of, so if ARP wants to sell me on their marketing, their track record leaves me skeptical. Anyone know anything about them?

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I've also never heard of a book titled "Faebourne" until, of course, I stumbled upon this comment. Which leads me to its Amazon listing, where it ranks #1,961,660. Poor marketing there. And oh, one thing, your Regency romance novel isn't necessarily a Regency romance book just because the setting is the Regency period. Poor character development. The plot is boring. No wonder it doesn't get much attention from the reading public.

AW Admin said:

myth.buster0817 has an IP address in the Philippines.

myth.buster0817 also needs to stop posting immediately and read The Newbie Guide to Absolute Write which explains that we require members to be courteous, no matter who they work for.

Knock off the gratuitous insults.

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So we're talking about courteousness now. Hi admin, hope you have a good day today.

Seriously? We're trying to make ourselves look good by attempting to shame another author's work or works? I think someone failed to read the Newbie Guide as the AW Admin suggested.

This almost reminds me of the ol' PA sockpuppet brigade.

Richard White said:

Wow, if there were any more strawmen in this response, we could have a heck of a Halloween festival.

No hate here. The object is to point out desirable (aka paying) publishers and, shall we say, less desirable (aka vanity) publishers to authors who may be inexperienced and not realize what they're getting into.

ALL publishers should be wired to choose only the writers they see making profits from. That's how publishers stay in business - by making sales to readers and then they reinvest that money into printing more books that readers want. Even self-publishers should only be releasing books that they can make a profit from. Going through a Vanity (or a so-called hybrid/subsidy/partner/etc.) publisher only means the AUTHOR is out of their money. A vanity press like Author Reputation Press or AuthorHouse have NO skin in the game because the author is footing the bill and then skimming money off of every book the author manages to sell for doing nothing more than the author could have done for themselves. ARP can't get these books into a brick and mortar store. They can't get major reviews. They can't do anything FOR the author, but they're definitely doing something TO the author.

And please, don't trot out the old "so and so had to wait to get published". One - unsourced statements are unverifiable and therefore unprovable. Two - this only shows you don't understand how publishing works - many books take time to get out because there are edits, and re-edits, and then the PUBLISHER working with a DISTRIBUTOR markets the books to booksellers, libraries, etc. well ahead of the release date and ensures reviews come out BEFORE the book's release to generate interest. Simply publishing a book on Amazon only means such a book gets lost in the signal-to-noise ratio. Even self-publishers should be sending out review copies well before their book releases to generate interest.

Also, you just indicted yourself and ARP and AuthorHouse in your own statement because you implied that a) ARP will take ANY author, not those whose books are ready for release and b) you don't anticipate making a profit on them - hence you MUST be making your profit from your authors. That's the only way you could possibly stay in business.

And please, don't run out the ol' bromide of us being jealous. Many of the posters on this forum are multi-published authors, editors, agents, and some actually work for or run publishing companies. You only make yourself look even less knowledgeable about the industry by spouting that nonsense.

Victoria's calm and frank discussions of Author House and its clones are quite well-documented at the Writer Beware blog. But, I do thank you for allowing me to draw attention to anyone who's not following along with that discussion (to include a lot of anonymous one-shot sockpuppets stopping by).

And, with that, I'll let people review your comments and my rebuttal and let them draw their own conclusions.

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"...can't get these books into a brick and mortar store. They can't get major reviews. They can't do anything FOR the author, but they're definitely doing something TO the author." Shows how limited your awareness is when it comes to books published by hybrid publishers and reviewed by major publications. Come on, spare me of this "take time to get out because there are edits..." and so on. Editing doesn't take years, my dear.

Also, your claim about multi-published authors, editors,... doesn't reveal much in the way of evidence. Anyone can make that claim. Yet, you seem to be so enamored by Victoria's "well-documented" blog, which contains nothing more than links to blog posts focusing on isolated cases that likewise put hybrid publishers in a negative light in general. It shows how narrow-minded you are.

myth.buster0817 said:

"...can't get these books into a brick and mortar store. They can't get major reviews. They can't do anything FOR the author, but they're definitely doing something TO the author." Shows how limited your awareness is when it comes to books published by hybrid publishers and reviewed by major publications. Come on, spare me of this "take time to get out because there are edits..." and so on. Editing doesn't take years, my dear.

Also, your claim about multi-published authors, editors,... doesn't reveal much in the way of evidence. Anyone can make that claim. Yet, you seem to be so enamored by Victoria's "well-documented" blog, which contains nothing more than links to blog posts focusing on isolated cases that likewise put hybrid publishers in a negative light in general. It shows how narrow-minded you are.

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Ah, God, this reminds me of the good ol' Paradon/Wild Cherry/Libros International discussions . . .

Again, setting up strawmen for you to knock down. I didn't say "editing" takes years. I said the process can be time-consuming (editing, marketing, getting reviews lined up, etc.) It's rare for a book to be rushed out (usually when there's a timed-deadline like an anniversary of an event or something).

And I'll concede your point that I didn't bother actually listing the people on this board who're actually industry professionals . . . if they want to jump in on this topic and self-identify, that's on them. But, you're the one who brought up the "Nobel Laureates in Literature who were rejected at first by major publishers and waited for many years before their works got published and eventually drew the attention of some award-giving bodies." I'd love to see this list. Plus, you know why it takes many people years and years to get published? Probably because their first few books were not up to standards. It's an incredibly rare duck who's first writing attempt is publishable. It's by doing and redoing things that we learn our craft.

Can anyone write? Sure. Can anyone write something that someone else wants to read? Maybe . . . but it's not as common as places like AuthorHouse would have you believe. And honestly, AuthorHouse and its clones (to include ARP) don't care. All they care about is "can the author fill out the check properly?"

Also, I'll let Victoria's blog stand on its own merits. As a fellow Writer Beware member, I certainly would take her experience in the industry and in identifying "less than desirable publishers and agents" over a nameless drive-by poster on a bulletin board.

And, there IS NO SUCH THING AS A HYBRID PUBLISHER. You can be a hybrid author - that means you are trade and self-published. A "hybrid publisher" is a fancy name for a vanity press. Period. End of Quote.

Marian Perera said:

They sell a variety of publishing packages, with costs of up to $6799.

I selected a book and checked out the excerpt on Amazon. This is what I read shortly after the start :



I have no idea what's with the formatting and the name showing up in the middle.

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Hahaha! This excerpt made me laugh! Thank you

myth.buster0817 said:

Also, your claim about multi-published authors, editors,... doesn't reveal much in the way of evidence. Anyone can make that claim. Yet, you seem to be so enamored by Victoria's "well-documented" blog, which contains nothing more than links to blog posts focusing on isolated cases that likewise put hybrid publishers in a negative light in general. It shows how narrow-minded you are.

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"Hybrid publisher" isn't a thing. Any publisher that charges you for services is a vanity publisher, and they can't do a damn thing for you that you can't do for yourself.

And yeah, I call BS on the list of fab authors who couldn't find publishers and turned to vanity publishing before finding legit trade publishers.

Yog's Law, always. Better to take no deal than a bad one.

Ah, the owner showed up. Welcome!

myth.buster0817 said:

I've also never heard of a book titled "Faebourne" until, of course, I stumbled upon this comment. Which leads me to its Amazon listing, where it ranks #1,961,660. Poor marketing there. And oh, one thing, your Regency romance novel isn't necessarily a Regency romance book just because the setting is the Regency period. Poor character development. The plot is boring. No wonder it doesn't get much attention from the reading public.

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Okay, I usually don't respond to this kind of mess but I will say this and I'm done with this thread so don't even bother responding to me unless you want to talk to yourself. I have no desire to get into some back and forth with some stranger on the Internet. Just wanted to say while you are trying to shame someone, her book came out A YEAR AGO. What the hell you expect the ranking to be? Unless she is out there promoting that book everyday (which most authors don't promote old books that often), her ranking is not gonna be super high. Second, you have NO idea how well her book sold when it was new so pointing out her ranking and trying to shame her makes no sense. Everyone knows Amazon rankings depends on a lot of things and when a book is a year old you have no idea how well it sold. Books don't stay on top unless you're Stephen King or somebody. Most authors trade, self-published, whatever aren't gonna have books high on the charts after a year. That's normal.

Third, if her book is so horrible, why would you guys call her, Cathy? Because we know this is you.

I suggest you get off here because you have done enough damage to your company and yourself. You are not fooling anyone with this lame attempt of sock puppetry. Do you realize how many PEOPLE (of all positions and the industry and levels) read these threads at AW? MANY people including many unpublished writers who now know to never submit a thing to you. I've been around here since probably 2003 or longer. And before you say anything about me, I've done pretty good in my career. Was published by Simon and Schuster, some small presses and now I self-publish and am in control of my own career. Been around and seen a lot. I was also taken by a vanity press when I started. I was ignorant and young and had no idea you didn't pay for a publisher. I learned the hard way and would never wish that on anyone else. Anyway, I've seen TONS of small presses and vanity publishers crash and burn right here on this very forum but keep talking if that's what you want. It starts out the same. The owner (either alone or with sock puppet minions) jump on AW ranting and raving and threatening etc, authors start talking about how crazy the owner acted, they disappear from AW or get banned (oh, how I wish) a few months or so (if that) the company disappears.

You must not understand how easy it is for your reputation and business to crumble when you act a fool on an online forum. It's not just the thousands of people who visit this site daily who will see this. Stuff like this carries because the writing world is a small one and most writers look out for one another and don't think people who see this thread aren't out there warning others about this company.

If you care at all about your business, Cathy, you should bow out gracefully though it's obvious the damage is already done. Oh, and while you are shaming authors and saying their books are poorly written, maybe you should've pointed out the mistakes in the books from the writers whose money you're taking? Judging by that sample that was posted of a book you "published" it is utterly disgusting that you could look at something that poorly written and TAKE advantage of a writer who obviously doesn't know better and TAKE their money anyway. So while you want to defend vanity presses, it's people like you that give them a bad name.

It is sick and disgusting to be out there preying on writers and even more disgusting that you can defend it but maybe that's good because now writers know to stay away.

Also, you do realize this board is full of authors of all levels? Some are authors who have won big time awards and appeared on the NYT and USA Today lists? Some making 6 figures and up. Yes, authors whose names you know hang out at these boards. Not just unpublished writers who you think are jealous. I would laugh if it wasn't so sad. Trust me. No one is jealous of anyone in your stable and no one has an ax to grind with a company no one has heard of until now.

With that, I am out. I have more important things to do like clipping toenails.