Interestingly, someone else had just emailed me about her experience with said company. She had published her first book with Xlibris and will not do it again. She did not elaborate, but clearly it was not a good experience.

In his book, The Fine Print of Self-Publishing: The Contracts & Services of 45 Self-Publishing Companies–Analyzed, Ranked and Exposed, Mark Levine says that XLibris marks up the price of a book by 150%, and makes more than 300% more profit on Amazon sales than the author does, and 225% more on direct sales. XLibris is in Mark’s list of  “publishers to avoid.” I can see why!

Mark’s book is an excellent reference. He did an amazing amount of  “legwork” to put it together. If you’re thinking of going with these self-publishing companies, you must get Mark’s book first.

I myself worked with Intermedia recently. It was overall a positive experience. As the book comes out, I’m eager to see if the marketing and distribution live up to the promises. That’s one of the things that impressed me about the company.

They also  have these “events” that they stage all over the country, and for authors who are willing to go there and at least sign books, it’s great exposure. Also, they really do get into bookstores (of course, that depends on the buyer, but they’re structured such that book buyers might say yes).

Intermedia also acts as a speaker’s bureau for authors, which is a really nice plus. I’m impressed by the way they try to help authors “think outside the book” in terms of marketing. That’s what you’re really paying for (though their services, such as cover design, are very professional as well).

If you’re an author who is willing to take responsibility for marketing your book (and all authors must), I think Intermedia provides some of the best support. Listen to my interview with Terry Whalin on this–it’s quite extensive. You can even ask a question!