Complaint / Review
IUniverse Self Publishing Company
IUniverse, Inc., a Delaware corporation Cancelled my contract after publishing, removed my book from internet, kept my money, never paid royalties, misrepresented their abilities, scam

I published my book, Better Not Bitter, with iUniverse. They were incompetent from the start and clearly a scam. They're there to take your money and deliver nothing.

You can never reach your PSA, no one answers the phone, the services promised are embarrassingly poor. I bought the Premier Pro package which promises "one on one author support." After numerous time-wasting edits of their own mistakes which were delaying publication and their inability for weeks to photoshop a simple photograph for my cover, my partner—a home repair and remodeler! — bought a software package that creates book covers. He had a completed cover by end of day! IUniverse should be embarrassed by the first two covers they offered as finished work. A 10th-grade graphics student could've done better.

I know several people ordered my book online yet I have never received my royalties or an accounting. Not even since they, iUniverse, cancelled my contract without my permission.

On August 10, Eugene Hopkins (Client Services) informed me that someone who identified himself as my ex-husband wanted the book pulled because he said it was "libelous." On that day I was promised an accounting of the purported "libelous" statements so that I could rebut them. They have never been produced. Curiously, the Premier Pro package offered editorial evaluation yet iUniverse didn't find my book libelous after two evaluations by their "professional" editors. No libel lawsuit has been filed against my book by anyone.

IUniverse immediately removed my book from publication and availability. All it took was someone calling up and saying they wanted a book removed and iUniverse did so! IUniverse sent me a letter saying that "per [my] written request" they've cancelled my contract. An attorney requested a corrected letter from iUniverse stating that I did not cancel the contract. Eugene Hopkins promised one would be issued. It's been 4 weeks and no letter. They refuse to refund my money for publishing yet they've taken my book offline.in effect they took my money, published a few books, removed my book and kept all my money.

Breach of contract, misrepresentation, incompetence, fraud, lies, runaround, bullying tactics - that's what you get with iUniverse.