Company revamps book publishing

Want to get a book published? Unless your last name is Rowling or Grisham, good luck.

For many authors, the process of traditional publishing can be a daunting task. Local novelist Jennifer Bohrnstedt said it’s almost impossible for newcomers to get their foot in the door.

“(The publishers) are publishing less and less,” she said. “Most publishers are overwhelmed with the idea that every book can meet the Harry Potter standards. Smaller books are often overlooked.”

Bohrnstedt said the process is very time consuming, sometimes taking months to finally hear a decision from publishers. Even if the author is approved, she said, there is no guarantee the book will be distributed in a timely fashion.

Luckily, there is an alternative to the traditional route, and Bloomington residents don’t have to go too far to find it.

For almost 14 years, Author Solutions, a Bloomington-based company, has offered book publishing and distribution to authors on an individual basis through companies such as Amazon, Borders and Barnes & Noble.

According to public relations manager and IU graduate Kevin Gray, books are printed as they are ordered, which saves space and trees.

“Printed-on-demand eliminates the waste of having thousands and thousands of books in a warehouse somewhere,” he said, “and it’s more environmentally friendly.”

Gray said 91 percent of all authors in America sell less than 1,000 copies of their books, so printing large quantities all at once is an inefficient practice.

Author Solutions pays royalty rates of 20 percent, as opposed to the 5 percent given by traditional publishers, Gray said. Author Solutions also allows authors to keep ownership of their book, which paid off handsomely for former client Amanda Brown, writer of “Legally Blonde.”

“We published the book ‘Legally Blonde’ around the beginning of the decade, and that author owned all the rights to the book and was able to sell the film rights,” Gray said. “For that author, it paid off big.”

Many other authors have received attention from traditional publishers through Author Solutions and have landed pretty extensive contracts.

Former client Lisa Genova made a deal with Simon & Schuster for her book “Still Alice” that debuted at number four on the New York Times Best Seller list.

Author Solutions has seen steady increases in the amount of titles it has published over the years. It jumped from nearly 14,000 titles in 2007 to more than 24,000 in 2009. It now has authors from more than 100 different countries.

Gray said he thinks their way of publishing will continue to become more popular.

“Since the downturn in the economy, traditional publishers have struggled,” he said, adding that Author Solutions has published more than 120,000 different book titles.