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iUniverse

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IUniverse
Parent companyAuthor Solutions
Founded1999
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters locationBloomington, Indiana
Publication typesBooks
Official websitewww.iuniverse.com

iUniverse, founded in October 1999, is a self-publishing company, co-located with AuthorHouse in Bloomington, Indiana.[1]

History

iUniverse initially focused on business-to-consumer print-on-demand publishing as well as publishing both new and reprinted titles.[2] Soon after they were founded, Barnes & Noble purchased a 49% stake in the company. As part of the agreement, Barnes & Noble was to offer iUniverse titles both in their online bookstore and at their physical stores.[3]

In 2004, porn star Amy Fisher's memoir If I Knew Then about how she pled guilty to first-degree aggravated assault and served seven years in prison, became the best-selling book in iUniverse's history, selling 32,445 copies up to 2004.[4] Nevertheless, 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.[4]

In September 2007, iUniverse was purchased by Author Solutions, the parent company of hedge fund owned rival AuthorHouse.[5] On January 22, 2008, Author Solutions announced iUniverse operations would move from Lincoln, Nebraska to Bloomington, Indiana to be co-located with AuthorHouse.[1] In June 2008, it was announced that Author Solutions would "onshore" iUniverse's Shanghai, China operations—creating more than 140 new jobs in its Indiana headquarters over the next few years.[6]

Industry recognition

iUniverse has been recognized by both industry groups and independent publishing watchdogs. In 2003, iUniverse received the Editors' Choice designation from PC Magazine in a comparison of six print-on-demand companies.[7]

In 2011, iUniverse was ranked #1 of 12 in the online book publishing category by TopTenReviews.com.[8] The company earned the TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award, and was appraised as an indie publisher that “does a great job with its basic features, up-to-date marketing and helpful paid add-on services.”

Publishers Weekly notes iUniverse has partnerships with The Writers' Club (under Writers Club Press) and Writer's Digest (under The Writer's Showcase).[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Kevin Abourezk, "iUniverse to move to Indiana"Lincoln Journal Star, January 22, 2008
  2. ^ "History of iUniverse". iUniverse. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  3. ^ Clampet, Elizabeth (November 2, 1999). "Barnes & Noble Takes Stake in iUniverse". internetnews.com. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  4. ^ a b "iUniverse By the numbers". Publishers Weekly. May 16, 2005. Retrieved July 27, 2009. [dead link‍]
  5. ^ Jim Milliot, "AuthorHouse acquires iUniverse", Publishers Weekly, September 9, 2007
  6. ^ "Company to Expand Its Global HQ, Publishing Operations in South Central Indiana". Bloomington, Indiana: Author Solutions. 2008-06-05. Retrieved 2013-02-13. Author Solutions to Relocate Jobs from China as Part of Indiana Expansion
  7. ^ PC Magazins May 27, 2003, issue.
  8. ^ "iUniverse 2012 - TopTenREVIEWS". Online-book-publishing-review.toptenreviews.com. Retrieved 2012-06-03.
  9. ^ PW: iUniverse.com's Brave New Publishing World - 2/21/2000 - Publishers Weekly
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