MONEY PAID, SERVICES NOT RENDERED
I paid Author Book Publications (ABP) $1,900 for extensive publishing and a three-month social media campaign, then $5,000 for audiobook narration, publishing and distribution. Before I paid, ABP represented that its services would include review of my entire manuscript, beta-reader feedback, editorial correction so the book would be published “100% error free,” eBook/paperback/hardcover production, distribution on more than 50 platforms, five author copies, and Facebook and Instagram marketing. I was also told the normal publishing process was 30–45 days and the standard response time was under 24 hours. My experience was very different. ABP published an outdated draft containing numerous errors. In February 2025, its representative acknowledged that publication and audiobook files on ABP's end had been “mixed up.” The erroneous version was listed for sale on Amazon. A hardcover jacket was later prepared for an obsolete 636-page version rather than the final book, which was approximately 100 pages shorter. The jacket didn’t fit properly; it was too large for the book. I was promised five or six beta readers plus editorial feedback. I received only one generalized letter praising the book, with no substantive editing suggestions, and received no reports attributable to the other promised beta readers. On December 24, 2024, my project manager told me the hardcover would appear on Amazon “within a few hours or, at the latest, by tomorrow morning.” In April, 2025, I was still reporting the lack of a hardcover for sale. This delay interfered with planned Christmas gifts, book signings and a library event. I was promised extensive distribution, social-media services and five author copies. I repeatedly requested information showing where the book was actually available. I also requested a report concerning the promised social-media campaign and have never seen the Facebook or Instagram pages ABP was supposed to create or the results of that campaign. Copyright registration was another significant issue. The salesman spoke of “registering the copyrights under your name.” In November 2025, my project manager told me, “We don’t handle copyright registrations.” I ultimately had to handle the copyright registration myself, which was one of the primary reasons I had paid ABP. The $5,000 audiobook project also became problematic. ABP's narrator was working from an outdated manuscript, requiring substantial work by me to identify and communicate numerous errors. He made numerous pronunciation errors, even after multiple corrections, and sounded bored even when the text demanded emotion. I ultimately hired another narrator at my own additional expense. In October 2025, ABP agreed in writing that if I supplied the replacement narrator's completed audio files, ABP would publish and distribute them. In November, my project manager described a process requiring approximately 3–4 days for sound review and another 1–2 days for publication setup. I uploaded the completed files in June 2026. Twelve days later, I had not even received an acknowledgment. My telephone calls were not returned, and I have received no further contact from ABP. I have retained the invoices, sales representations, emails, Basecamp correspondence and relevant files supporting these statements.
By Joseph W.