Iuniverse
Reviews and Complaints
Terrible Experience
I had a terrible experience with iuniverse after the book was published.Money,Money and more Money was needed to advertise...I spent thousands of dollars and where's the Royalties??
DO NOT publish with iuniverse
First and foremost I am 99.99% convinced that they do not pay their authors the royalties they are due. I know for a fact that I have sold to friends and family than what they have paid me in royalties.
Not to mention the books that were and are being ordered from Amazon. Furthermore I was told (was also in the contract) that there would be transparency and I could go on their website in order to track all sales. This has never happened! I published my book in 2012 and the site has NEVER been up!
I like other authors that made the mistake of working with these crooks do not have the time or the financial resources to go after them legally but please heed our advice and DO NOT publish with these people! Good Luck and God Speed!
- Misleading and fraudulent practice
Preferred solution: Full refund
Disappointed and drained
Preferred solution: Full refund
AVOID I UNIVERSE - INVEST IN INTEGRITY
I am still very disappointed and displeased with I Universe, A smart aleck comment that I should spell check my complaint is exactly that. A smart aleck, unprofessional and undoubtedly very unprofessional. That's a clear indication of the type of service you will get...
I reiterate I Universe is a total scam. I took the manuscript to a different POD company. This is not about the grammar in syntax i'm a printing agreement, this was about an agreement to print a copyright manuscript. It's unfortunate that I've spent so much money with IUniverse to deal with sarcasm, insults and even worst the sales staff who sold this agreement hides behind a group of joiners.
There is absolutely no support for the writers. Someone being a smart aleck is not a review. Just like their comments to this complaint not a customer service response a smart allek who has obviously cashed the check already. I have nothing good to say about I Universe but would strongly suggest you go with someone else, anyone else.
Read other complaints about this company. I should have know better.
- I liked the sales approach
- Want to re-write a poetry book
Preferred solution: Deliver product or service ordered
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Verified ReviewerWhat Arrogant, What Nerve, Highly overpaid
This is my 4th manuscript with I.Universe a print on demand company. In addition to getting attitude from a "check in coordinator" someone who probably just came out of high school is attempting to do a book review and tell me what I can not can not write.
Even worst, I paid a photographer to do photographs that I use for promotion and advertising and more specifically my book which they say I can't use. Do they know anything about copyright laws or freedom of speech. I've encountered one idiot after another and will probably refer this matter to legal.
They don't have a clue. They are not publishers they are a print on demand company and they are not very good at that.
- Service is down hill after they get the sale rude conscending
- It is all sale and no service
Preferred solution: Deliver product or service ordered
The IUniverse Scam
I commend the authors for exposing IUniverse to the public. It's time to stop them from stealing money and using incompetent people to "review".
This is a POD company the customer is the publisher. I Universe is making money on both sides of the table they are charging you for a service and selling your product for their personal profit. I know about the Royalty check issue. I have had a number of people call to get autographs on books they purchased on line.
Never saw a Royalty check for more than a couple of dollars.
If you have not done it already - GET FAR AWAY FROM I UNIVERSE. It's a scam and they "policy" is designed to deceive and steal.
- Force contract
- Did not receive royalties
- Poor communicaiton
Preferred solution: Deliver product or service ordered
Unresolved I Universe
Please stop asking me if this is matter resolved. I Universe took the position that they were not going to publish my manuscript pursuant to the agreement unless I removed names, changed photographs or used a pen name.
That will never happen. So I'm sort of stuck giving them something to publish that has been sitting in my computer archives. That's not a resolution that's pacification. And I am much too old and my work is far to Afrocentric and Ethnic to allow them to commande I re-write the creative diversity in this book.
We have gone back and forth on e-mail communications and the alleged customers relations or arthur solutions department to no avail. It's all far too personal to be business.
- How they all stick together to challenge my argument
- I universe
Constant COntact
When we first published with iUniverse in 2005, they were a good company. We felt we received what we paid for and were happy with the quality of the product.
A year or so later, we published with them again. However, in September 2007, iUniverse was purchased by Author Solutions, the parent company of hedge fund-owned rival AuthorHouse, a subsidy publisher with a lower reputation. During the past few years, we have been swamped with emails and phone calls from iUniverse. We keep asking them not to call or write.
We said we'd contact them if we needed anything.
Nevertheless, the calls and emails continue. I would never use them again.
IUniverse "Chinese Cyber Crime" Stolen Royalty Payments Towards Hollywood Book-to-Screen PitchFest
(iUniverse) https://infogalactic.com/info/IUniverse Now to make things clear, I never signed up my book "CandyCali" to be in "Book-to-Screen PitchFest" with iUniverse, but they put it in PitchFest without my permission.... *It's a breach of contract giving away my Intellectual Property Now the reason I chose not to put my book into "PitchFest" is because "CandyCali" was initially an indie project and I was just in it for the royalty payments, but instead of paying the author, they in turned paid celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Soulja Boy, Will Smith, Jay-Z, Rihanna & Paris Hilton (THE LIST GOES ON) for time spent reviewing my novel which I didn't sign up for....
*FBI & CIA Investigations leading up to the President are currently being preformed on iUniverse given that the company has been outsourcing to Shanghai, China....
*CURRENT FCC INVESTIGATION: An allege Chinese Woman has been giving me 247 Radio Frequencies while hacking into my Private Files, Phone, Webcam, Leaking Private Information from my Google Chromebook with Notable Celebrities.... USA: Obama and Xi Jinping agree to halt state-sanctioned Cyber Crime (iUniverse) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ana7EyWjdEg
- Did not receive royalties
- Misleading and fraudulent practice
Preferred solution: Full refund
Iuniverse - Customer Care Review
Iuniverse- screw artist marketers-NOT publishers
I believe iUniverse under pays Authors.
Preferred solution: Let the company propose a solution
These people are the worst ever
Iuniverse - Publishing Service Review
Royalty reluctance
I received royalties at first when friends and family bought on their (IUniverse) website. Amazon, Barnes and Nobel all sold my books (published 2 in 2014).
These books were supposedly purchased by Lightening but this quickly dried up. I purchased 6 on line myself from Amazon and low and behold no royalties. I purchased 200 kindel cards to give away at shows and no results. I confronted IUniverse and they wanted proof of my purchase so I went to my account from 6 months prior and printed the purchase an delivery.
They were shocked but again said they would take care of it and never did even after repeated inquiries by me.
People I meet still buy from Amazon but I never receive royalties now. They still call me for promotions and I foolishly spent well over $30,000 and since 2014 my total royalties are less than $300.00.
- Poor product marketing
- Did not reveive royalties
- Did not receive royalties
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I agree, after being disappointed in my royalties of 29.25, I looked it up. My net sales were 112 and my royalties were 29.25?
And my sales report said net sales were 468 and I earned 31.25, their math is off if 31.25 is 50% of 468! So glad I left them for Createspace. Switch to createspace, much cheaper.
Make a Facebook page, create a website. Write and do it yourself, the only sympathy Iunivers shows is when you say no.