iUniverse advertised a special price for a bulk order. I ordered 500 copies of my books (250 of each title) in 2010 October to be sent to two addresses--one in Idaho, one in New Hampshire. I was on overseas assignment, and when I returned in April, the books were STILL at neither address. When I called iUniverse, they kept bumping the matter around from one employee to another (the employee who had mishandled the original order was no longer with them, and the employees still there wouldn't fulfill the order). And of course they had charged my credit card.

I tried to order 50 books from iUniverse with what they called the Author Event Discount at 45%. The representative told me if I ordered 100 books, I could get a 50% discount. I told her I didn't need them. She said I could order my other two books to equal 100 and get the discount. I asked her a couple of times if the 100 books could be books for the 50% discount. She said "yes" each time. I ordered the 50 plus 25 each of the other books, but when I got the invoice by email a few minutes later, I found out I was charged 50 books at 40% and 35% discount for each of the other. When I called back, I was informed the office was closed. When I finally got ahold of the representative, she told me that the order had already gone in to the publisher. I called my credit card to dispute the charge and will refuse the order when it arrives. Authors beware of the "bait and switch" at iUniverse. They do not do good business.

I up - signed for a "Premier Pro Package" with Iuniverse and they have taken over two years to yet publish my book. I have had one of their "award winning" editors who edited my book (Cathy Witcamper ), while transferring my call to another department condescedingly, telling them that "his book is not going to sell" while she knew I could her her. She read my book and didn't like the content and must have smugly but incorrectly thought that by doing this that I was indecisive if my book wouls sell, and that making this comment would discourage me. She was wrong. I have a large group who can't wait to get a copy, especially overseas, England, Australia, Viet Nam, ect.

Then under the first PSA they assigned to me, my manuscript was altered to make me sound like a Steppen Fecthit stereotype ("I is comming" ) and when I complained about that (by email) they told me she no longer works there anymore (she didn't like the book either).

They assigned me another PSA, (this one is also an "award' winner) Andrea Long" and for over two years she can't get the book finished yet! The PSA is supposed to guide through the process and I have told her countless times that I have never wrote a book before and that I am totally unaware about the process. I had just started teaching myself to type and use a pc. After I had completed the editing process, she asked me if the editing was correct. I had gotten to what she claimed was the "cover polish stage". I told her what they did was good, but I still wanted to follow the editors suggestions to breakdown larger paragraphs only to find out the next day that I was denied access to my manuscript by Iuniverse. I called Andrea and she ONLY THEN told me in retrospect (after the fact) that when you get to this stage you HAVE TO PAY FOR ANY FURTHER CHANGES! I protested to no avail, she told me that "it was too late" like it was some kind of a game, andd since I had many changes to make, it has cost me THOUSANDS of dollards to get it right!

When I would make corrections to the manuscript ($100.00 for 25 corrections), I would check them and let her know if they were done right. Then when I was about to go to print again, I asked her about them making sure that the edits they did were good, since I had found (stumbled upon) mistakes they made and that I have all copies of everything they had ever gave me, and this is when she tells me THAT I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR reviewing (proofreading) the whole 475 page book! I told her that I am not a proofreader, that if I were, then I wouldn't have had to pay Iuniverse to proof read the book.

I told her that I only checked the edits they made at my request and that I shouldn't have to proofread the rest of the book, because besides my corrections, it should still be the same as when Iuniverse proofread it and if there are anymistakes they make that causes me to get sued, then they are responsible for that, not me! Then Andrea does something real stupid in trying to influence my mind (just like Cathy Wittcamper did) that in all affect shoed me how stupid they are. She kept stressing to me that Iuniverse is a "self-publishing" company, as if I were robotically supposed to all of a sudden, become stupid and interpet her saying the phrase "self- publishing" to think that it means that because I was self-publishing my book, that I am responsible "for their mistakes". I told Andera that when I was 25, I turned down a law scolarship that knowledge of the law runs in my blood, and that I have a sister who got a scolarship to Vassar and is a partner in the largest corporate law fim in the world (Plunkett & Cooney - "the super lawyers") who has practiced well over 25 years and never lost a single case in her life! I told Andrea that when they do anything besides AND GO BEYOND JUST printing a ready-made book, and provide services like editing and proofreading that THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT THEY DID, AND THAT NO BUSINESS IS EXEMPT FOR WHAT THEY DO! I threatened to sue them.

I decided to take my book to another publisher (but I haven't told them yet), but I need to have it proofread again and needed to have it in a Word document form (instead of a PDF doccument) and and told them that their rates were too high, and asked them for my manuscript in Word. They gave me a word doccument that was unable to be processed and I went back and got another that was a little better, but is still unacceptable to the prooreaders still. They are trying to hold me as a hostage by giving me such an unacceptable version. All the people who have problems with Iuniverse, NEED TO COME TOGETHER AND FILE A CLASS-ACTION SUIT AGAINST THEM! CONTACT ME AT ([email protected]).

iUniverse has published my book with sixty blank pages. Their marketing ploys result in zero sales. Now my book is on Amazon under my real name and not my nom de plume like I requested. The once flagship of the vanity/POD industry, has turned into a black joke staffed by poltroons.

Snafu the Elder author of "Illustrated Love Stories For Men (Bedtime Stories)

iUniverse appears to have finally solved the problems I was having with my book cover. They are sending me some copies of my book in a week's time.