iUniverse

iUniverse focuses on print-on-demand self-publishing and a service the company refers to as "assisted self-publishing" which critics say is indicative of vanity press{{citation|title=Oprah of the Piney Woods|date=October 12, 2011|first=Brittanie|last=Shey|url=http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/oprah-of-the-piney-woods-6591311|access-date=November 30, 2016}}{{citation|title=2014 Book Publishing Industry Predictions — Increased Competition Between Traditional Publishers and Indie Authors|date=January 7, 2015|first=Mark|last=Coker|newspaper=Huffington Post|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-coker/2014-book-publishing-indu_b_4533411.html|access-date=November 30, 2016}} since authors are asked to pay from {{USD|400}}{{citation|first=Samita|last=Sarkar|title=On Vanity Presses, True Self-Publishing, and One Author's Tenacity|newspaper=Huffington Post|year=2016|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/samita-sarkar/on-vanity-presses-true-se_b_11232456.html|access-date=November 30, 2016}} to $15,000 for additional services.{{citation|title=Proliferate, Easing the Bar to Entry|first=Alina|last=Tugend|date=July 29, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/30/your-money/the-rise-in-self-publishing-opens-the-door-for-aspiring-writers.html|access-date=November 30, 2016}} Soon after they were founded, Barnes & Noble purchased a 49% stake in the company. As part of the agreement, Barnes & Noble offered select iUniverse titles both in their online bookstore and at their physical stores.{{cite news|last=Clampet|first=Elizabeth|date=November 2, 1999|title=Barnes & Noble Takes Stake in iUniverse|work=internetnews.com|url=http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/230631|access-date=February 22, 2010}}

In 2004, Amy Fisher's memoir, If I Knew Then, about serving seven years in prison on first-degree aggravated assault charges for shooting Mary Jo Buttafuoco, became the best-selling book in iUniverse's history, selling more than 32,000 copies up to 2004.{{ cite web |title=iUniverse by the Numbers|date=May 16, 2005|author= |journal=Publishers Weekly |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA601501.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412013720/http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA601501.html|archive-date=April 12, 2009}} According to a 2005 Publishers Weekly article, out of the more than 18,000 titles published by iUniverse until 2004, only 83 had sold at least 500 copies and only 14 titles had been sold through physical Barnes & Noble stores.

In September 2007, iUniverse was purchased by Author Solutions, the parent company of hedge fund-owned rival AuthorHouse.{{citation|first=Jim|last=Milliot|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6476444.html|title=AuthorHouse acquires iUniverse|magazine=Publishers Weekly|date=September 9, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504022450/http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6476444.html|archive-date=May 4, 2009}} In 2008, iUniverse operations moved from Lincoln, Nebraska to Bloomington, Indiana where Author Solution's headquarters are located.

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• [http://www.iuniverse.com/ iUniverse Official site]

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Category:Book publishing companies based in Indiana

Category:Publishing companies established in 1999

Category:Companies based in Bloomington, Indiana

Category:Self-publishing companies

Category:1999 establishments in Indiana