It seemed like an innocent enough email message filtered out by my spam screening system, but in fact it’s heinous:
“I noticed you on Boulder Writers Alliance February 2003 Member Directory and thought you would be interested in publishing your writing. If you have a finished manuscript or you are in the process of writing a book, you can publish it easily and affordably with Xlibris…”
The problem is, the Boulder Writer’s Alliance explicitly prohibits this sort of sleazy tactic, not to mention the bigger problem that “Megan Gallagher, Manager, Publishing Services” should do her homework and find out that I have already been published plenty of times.
“Click here to sign up for more information and as thanks, we will automatically enter you in a contest to win free publishing service for your book. Or call 888.795.4274 today to speak with a publishing consultant, who can answer all your questions and start you on the road to publishing success.”
Ah well, at least they’re polite about it. In fact, their publishing services seem quite good, from what their Web site suggests. So why do they spam?
The real question, though, is if I asked them about having Xlibris publish a book about spam, would they appreciate the irony?
Meanwhile, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of response I get: I just forwarded the spam to James Stevens of their public relations firm, asking for an explanation of why Xlibris would need to resort to such tactics to gain new business.
Why would a publishing need to resort to such tactics to gain new business is my question too. I received an email from Jon Enriquez -Author Representative of Xlibris Corporation who said that he found my impressive profile on Yahoo and that If I’d like to venture into self-publishing, he�d appreciate it I kept Xlibris in mind. When I replied stating that I did not appreciate his unsolicited spam email, he stated that he was not sending spam.
Opps left a word out there! Sorry! lol That should have read publishing company.
I finally had to Contact Xlibris directly to stop their continually harassing phone messages I received every day trying to push their publishing promotions, and further had to register a complaint. Telemarketers are the lowest form of life on this planet; someone in their PR Dept should inform the CEO that parsitic attacks like that on Authors forever taints their company – or any wish to be party to them.
Quite simply, Xlibris is a fraudulent, dishonest and incompetent, disaster zone. Xlibris is nothing more than a quick-buck scam printer, posing as a “print-on-demand publisher”, and it has one of the highest complaints percentages for a small business of it’s type – with numerous civil legal proceedings for fraud and libel – including one major one that is currently in the Indiana courts and when the judgement is made public in Spring 2011, will likely make the Rebecca Brandewyne/Authorhouse saga look like a walk in the park. (Word is they’re going to need to remortgage a few houses to cover the damages on this latest libel case) Xlibris was started in the late 1990s in a parents’ basement, and was previously run out of a garage/home office in Philadelphia, but in the last year moved to the Author Solutions call-center with partner frauds, AuthorHouse (which has a long legal history – just Google “Authorhouse Scam” to find out) and Searchforpublishers.com – the quintessential Author trap. As of December 2010, Xlibris owes huge back taxes to the IRS and is currently carrying huge liabilities that Mr Princeton CEO Kevin Weiss has strategized to rescue with disturbingly dubious “publish 2 for 1” / “publish for a buck” coupon deals which any writer, however good or bad, should stay well clear. Their book production is dogshit like their customer service. Piers Anthony, one of the website’s English owners, one of the swarming flies who still fronts this scam, is a failed British “published author” and part time con-man who lives in Florida, and has a few skeletons of his own – including a 20-year old criminal record in the UK for serious sexual misconduct, fraud and theft. Yes, Random House does still own a percentage – but let’s be clear folks, Random House has a sleeping stake much the same way that Microsoft partially owns the adult services site, Ingenio/Niteflirt and don’t they keep that very quiet. RH makes VERY CLEAR that Xlibris books have nothing to do with RH. The Xlibris website contains inept, vague material which is more confusing than helpful, and makes wild inconsistent boasts about how the company has “600 staff” on one page, yet, on another page mysteriously has “300 employees”. The company actually has 3 full time employees, (including Mr Ivy League Kevin Weiss), and at any one time up to 10 part time workers, most of whom are part-time college students who know virtually nothing about publishing except high school english and how to make a greasy $10/hour. The problems with printing at Xlibris are as long as Authorhouse’s scam history, they are a disgusting company and I’m sorry they ever crossed paths with my work.
Xlibris is quite disappointment…actually it’s not Xlibris anymore, for ASI bought it. I don’t know why they still use that name… for what? [to continue their fraud? or ASI has a disgusting issues when it comes to their service….?] Well, for further information, they are extending it here in the Philippines for almost 11 years I guess just to use Filipinos,… using “american alias names” names of their CSR(costumer service representative) and ASR (Author Solution Representative)pretending they’re just americans…lol… sorry for those guys who don’t know….
Lucky for those college students that make $10/hr as part time worker… here in the Philippines at IT Park, they only got 9.something $ per day + overtime that never paid some other OT time, including saturday. I just have pity on those employees who have families because they cant fight their rights because they’re afraid to loss their only job.
If they get incentives, it will be subtracted with the amount of the Overtime they paid with. What else left, the Overtime will be Taxed by the government and even the incentives…. I don’t know how to help them.
Even the Incentives last february has not been given until today? These are the responsible person, Shawn Henry as the Director of Production Department… and the Filipino Ass. Director Joy So with her Manager Johnny Jagdon who gives lots of work for the Ebook designer’s pushing them to release 25 ebooks per day, that she can’t even produce 2-3 a day…. and threatening Trade Book Designers to finish one ebook per day… this is her statement “you’ll be dealt with accordingly”.