iUniverse to Offer Editorial Reviews

Posted on April 25, 2003

iUniverse, a provider of print-on-demand publishing, announced that it now offers an editorial review program to authors. iUniverse also recently announced that Barnes & Noble has endorsed the iUniverse Star Program as a means for discovering and publishing promising authors. Barnes & Noble will review books that have achieved success within the Star Program. Books that best match the needs of Barnes & Noble's customers will be inventoried and sold in Barnes & Noble stores. Barnes & Noble is also a major investor in iUniverse.

According to iUniverse President and CEO Kimra Hawley, publishers should perform four key functions for authors: (1) editorial review and filtering; (2) book design and printing; (3) book distribution; and (4) sales and marketing investments. Hawley says that traditional publishers perform all four functions -- but, because of financial constraints, only for a few select authors.

"Editorial advice and marketing investments are critical to any book's success, and POD publishers have not provided these services," says Hawley. "iUniverse's new Editorial Review and Star marketing investment programs demonstrate our commitment to offering serious authors all the tools they need to make their books successful. We're combining many of the advantages of traditional publishing with the benefits of POD, such as heightened author involvement in the publishing process and faster time to market."

Hawley says that the company is also providing an important service to traditional publishers by fostering talented authors, evidenced by the number of iUniverse authors that have moved on to traditional publishing contracts.

Through the review process, industry experts evaluate manuscripts for style, content and overall quality, and provide author feedback on areas for improvement. Books that score exceptionally high qualify for the Editor's Choice Program and receive an Editor's Choice icon, making them more visible to people shopping at iUniverse book outlets. Editorial filtering is also a prerequisite for acceptance into advanced author programs, such as the Star Program. iUniverse's Editorial Review product is available as part of the company's premier publishing program package. It will be available to all iUniverse authors beginning May 1.