Writer, have you heard of iUniverse? We at Self-Publishing School like to think we know a thing or two about publishing books, having worked with over 8,000 authors during the last ten years.
If you’re looking for a publisher for your book and are eager to conduct research so you choose the right match for you, it’s time for an iUniverse review (you’re welcome to look at our Tellwell Publishing and Archway Publishing reviews as well).
Choosing the right publisher for your specific book (and book genre!) can greatly impact your sales and marketing.
It’s crucial to identify the best match for you and your book so you can achieve the success you worked so hard for. Let’s get straight into it.
iUniverse review: what you learn:
What is iUniverse?
iUniverse is a self-publishing company founded in 1999 that targets writers in the United States and Canada to edit, market, and publish their books.
They offer a variety of services and focus much of their branding on the efficient turnaround time from onboarding with the company to publishing with worldwide distribution.
In fact, they say your book can be available for worldwide distribution in as little as four months after they receive your manuscript.
How does iUniverse work?
iUniverse works much like other self-publishing companies do by offering prospective clients a free publishing consultation.
This conversation helps you identify your goals so you can determine the best publishing package for you to get your book noticed by readers.
Packages range from just over $1,000 to nearly $16,000:
- Founder: $1,299
- Pioneer: $2,099
- Voyager: $5,299
- Explorer: $10,499
- Navigator: $15,699
Once you choose your package, you begin working with iUniverse to publish your book and put it out into the marketplace.
Should I publish with iUniverse?
Whether or not you choose to partner with iUniverse is entirely dependent on your publishing goals, but below are several pros and cons that can help you as you determine your best path forward.
Remember, writing a novel or a nonfiction book is a very personal process. You want to ensure you choose the best team to help encourage you and guide you to achieve your goals.
After all, the right team can increase your chances of becoming a self-publishing success story and effectively reach your reader!
iUniverse review: pros
Let’s use this iUniverse review to consider some of the pros for self-publishing with this company.
Support
iUniverse helps you take your manuscript from idea to professionally published book via walking with you through the many steps this process entails.
They guarantee one-on-one author support, provide a variety of book format options, help you through your copyright registration, and boast worldwide distribution through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ingram, and others.
While you can effectively upload your book to Amazon KDP, sometimes it’s helpful to have a team of professionals walk you through the process.
Reach
If you’ve ever read the book Wool or seen the TV show, Silo, based on this book, you’ve seen how a self-published book can get picked up and even turned into film.
iUniverse has a list of authors who originally self-published through iUniverse and were then acquired by traditional publishers.
Lisa Genova’s book, Still Alice, is an example. This book was acquired by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. While this acquisition is never a guarantee if you publish with iUniverse, it has happened for some of their authors.
Multiple packages
This iUniverse review wouldn’t be complete without a look at some of their packages. With five different pricing tiers to choose from, and all offering different focuses, regardless of your budget, you are likely to find something that aligns with your needs.
You can invest roughly $1,000 or $16,000, and it’s completely your choice. Do take a close look at what each package offers before choosing one and moving forward.
iUniverse review: cons
Like every company, this iUniverse review wouldn’t be complete with a nod to some of its cons as well. Every company has them. However, cons are often subjective and dependent on each customer’s, or in this case, each author’s, specific needs.
Website
At first glance, the iUniverse website feels a bit clunky and difficult to navigate, which does not directly correlate to an author’s experience with the company, but does give room for pause.
From a user’s perspective, and potential customer, there is no clear journey to take after clicking on the page. They have many free resources and offer quite a bit of background on their company, but there doesn’t appear to be a cohesive flow.
Publishing package
The first tier in their five publishing packages comes in at $1,299. This package helps you:
- Publish in eBook and softcover formats
- Create your book cover and interior design
- Register and distribute your book
- Includes a $200 credit for their marketing services
At first glance, this may seem like a great deal, but a few questions come to mind:
- Why not offer this package for $1,099 and allow authors to use the $200 wherever they see fit?
- Book covers are chosen from a list of templates, so does this mean authors have no artistic control other than choosing their cover from a list?
Their top-tier package includes promotion on their social media. However, their YouTube channel has just over 1,000 subscribers at the time of this writing, their Facebook page has just over 6,000 likes, and their recent posts receive little to no interaction.
Again, this con really depends on your desires as an author, but is worth considering.
iUniverse reviews
iUniverse has a page on their site devoted to author reviews, but there are only four in total. While I looked around for a section of author case studies, I could not find one.
Perhaps they are so focussed on helping authors publish, they have neglected to share success stories, but having such little social proof on the page gives pause.
iUniverse reviews
After looking at some of its pros and cons, let’s take a look at some of the reviews from their authors, as well as from the Internet in general.
The following reviews are from their website:
- “I have never met such a group of professionals before. They were all truly wonderful people who were sincere and committed to helping and supporting me. It is for this reason that I mentioned the iUniverse staff in the acknowledgement section of the book.” —Sigamoney Manicka Naicker
- “iUniverse made it very easy for me to understand the whole publishing and editorial process. As a first time official writer I was skeptical of the whole thing, but they gave me confidence that my story could work out. I was quite impressed with the editors who picked up my slack when it comes to grammar, and essentially sharpened up the flow of the words.” —Frank Catanzano
- “I learned writing my book through iUniverse’s editorial evaluation. It was a challenge that kept me working hard to come up with good results as needed in publishing a book. I love iUniverse’s editorial and design services. iUniverse made my dream of being a publish author realized… iUniverse made it happen.” —Al Cadondon
- “Throughout the whole process, I felt very taken care of by each new individual who ‘held my hand’ during that period. For this I will always be grateful. For every step of the way, I had an invested partner.” —Al CadondonLinda Noble Topf
When I typed in “iUnivers reviews” into the search engine, J.J. Herbert’s review popped up. He is two-time Inc. 5000 CEO of MindStir Media as well as a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and #1 Amazon bestselling author. His iUniverse review says,
“iUniverse’s quality of service is reportedly inconsistent and insufficient, making the high price tags and low payout not worth the hassle (75-90% of royalties per book is put in their pockets).”
TrustPilot has a variety of positive and negative reviews, from customers saying they felt insulted to customers saying phone calls took place right on time.
As you can see, there are a plethora of iUniverse reviews that cover a broad range of author experiences. How do you determine the pros and cons for yourself?
Sometimes, the best choice is to do your research, consider a direct call with the company, and then make an informed decision. Find more iUniverse reviews here.
Regardless of your decision, never underestimate the importance of surrounding yourself with the best writing coaches and team to help you succeed. I have greatly benefited from working with bestselling authors whose training and feedback changed the trajectory of my writing journey.
Whichever publisher you choose to go with, do you best to work with a team who is devoted to your and your vision. If possible, pursue a self-publisher that also has a vibrant author community!
iUniverse review: take your next step today
Now that you know the pros and cons of iUniverse, it’s time to take your next step in your author journey. This short, (free!), two-minute assessment will help you choose the best publishing path for you and your needs.
Take the short assessment, then get busy pursuing your author dreams. It’s time to publish your book!