BLOOMINGTON, Ind., March 26, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- After seven years as a pioneer in self-publishing, and experiencing unprecedented growth, 1stBooks announced this March it is changing its name to AuthorHouse(tm). The company has experienced dynamic growth since opening its doors in 1997, with some 18,500 authors published and more than 2 million books sold to-date.
AuthorHouse president Robert McCormack explained the company's new identity is driven by its growing presence in the book publishing industry and its strong commitment to an author-centric business model.
"We're a publishing house built around the needs and goals of today's authors," said McCormack. "We have proven there is tremendous demand for our services among authors and, at the same time, a large market for the books we publish."
The world's largest provider of self-publishing services, AuthorHouse published close to 8,000 manuscripts last year, more than any other traditional publisher or self-publisher. Since 2001, the company doubled its title count, tripled its employee count and printed and sold 1.65 million books. Today AuthorHouse's complete list includes over 20,000 titles in print, with more than 600 new titles added monthly.
Founded in 1997, AuthorHouse (then 1stBooks) was an early pioneer in e-book and self- publishing. The company's initial focus was on first-time authors who were finding difficulty breaking into traditional publishing. However, AuthorHouse quickly became a destination for all kinds of authors, including established, previously published writers.
McCormack explained that the company's expanding range of services makes it attractive to all kinds of authors.
"The AuthorHouse approach to publishing has proven so successful for many authors that more and more authors are deciding they prefer to publish this way," said McCormack. "AuthorHouse gives them the control and flexibility to achieve their publishing goals."
From journalists, educators and business writers to entertainers and sports celebrities, thousands of authors are choosing to take advantage of the speed to market, creative control and ownership of rights provided by AuthorHouse.
Thomas Hamburg, author of "Surface Driven" (AuthorHouse, 2004) explains that self-publishing was his preferred method of getting his book to readers:
"I chose AuthorHouse over traditional publishing because I wrote an unconventional novel that I wanted to get to market fast, rather than working past the firewalls inherent within the industry," said Hamburg. "AuthorHouse offers a way to bring a book to press and globally distribute it via Ingram and the Internet within a matter of months -- as opposed to years when going the conventional route."
AuthorHouse offers a broad array of services to its authors, including a choice of promotional services to help authors market their book. Many AuthorHouse authors have been profiled in, or interviewed by, top-tier media outlets including NBC's Today Show, CBS' Early Show, NBC's Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Time Magazine, Newsweek and a wide array of other public forums.
AuthorHouse authors have also received prestigious honors and awards from the likes of ForeWord Magazine, and Writer's Digest. Many authors have hit bestseller lists, including Joe Vitale, who topped the Amazon.com bestseller list for his category, and Buddy Ebsen who was No. 3 on the Los Angeles Times bestseller list.
1stBooks was founded on the premise of allowing authors to retain all rights and control over their work, while having the opportunity to promote and sell their books in the mainstream marketplace. Now, as AuthorHouse, the company continues its commitment to providing a range of publishing and marketing services to both emerging and established authors, giving them the tools to publish, distribute, promote and sell their books.
About AuthorHouse
With over 20,000 books in print, AuthorHouse is the largest self-publishing house in the world, providing premier publishing and marketing services to authors. The company was founded in Bloomington, Ind. in 1997 to fulfill the dreams of authors who wanted to have their books published while retaining all rights and control of content. AuthorHouse provides high-touch customer service, an easy-to-use process and a broad range of services to help authors write, publish, distribute and promote their works. AuthorHouse titles are available for order at more that 25,000 retail stores worldwide, through major Internet booksellers and at the AuthorHouse online store, www.authorhouse.com.
The new company logo can be found at: http://media.primezone.com/prs/single/?pkgid=974