After doing quite a bit of research on trying to find the best publisher to suit me needs, I kept coming back to Xlibris. The initial contact with the company was very friendly and supportive and my experience with them was very positive.
After selecting my package, I was immediately upgraded and told that I would get a whole lot extra. I did not need most of what they were offering but I did want a copy editor to go over my work to make sure that it was perfect. I was assured that this would happen - it didn't. My first galley I received had me in tears. I was pathetic. I complained and it went on deaf ears, no one acknowledged my complaint or my concerns. So I continued with the process. Again I was disappointed with the outcome.
Picture captions were not placed with pictures but somewhere else in the book, there were so many errors that I had to start from scratch again. Of course because you have to pay in full before you receive any service is perfect for them but as an individual you lose your bargaining power.
I complained in writing twice and both times my letters were not acknowledged. It was as if I hadn't even written them! I was promised that my book would be published by a certain date... They are already a month over this date and I am still waiting!
My book was sent to my selected book review companies before the final galley was even approved - i. E before the book was even ready to be published. When I inquired, I was told that the person who did it no longer worked there.
Since I paid my money and took on this process, I have dealt with 5 different people - neither one knows what the other one is doing, yet they are all working on my book.
They do not reply to emails. They very seldom return your call, in fact when you call them, you will never speak to them directly, you will always get a voice mail to leave a message on. Their agreements, i. E all "extras" that you get are always verbal, they are careful not to put anything in writing. They never follow up a call with a written confirmation so that when you query it later on they have no recollection of the conversation.
There is also never a senior person that one can speak to. If you call them you will always be diverted back to the person you are dealing with. The web site gives you no details of who the founder is, or who you can make a complaint to. I have sent a complaint to their feedback email address, with no response at all.
This has been my first publishing experience and it should have been exciting and fun, yet I have been very disappointed and angry at the end of it and my book is still not published.
I will definitely be publishing more books, but next time I will be more informed and Xlibris will not be on my list for consideration.
Nesski
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