Of the 7,302 books published by Outskirts Press that were for sale on Amazon as of July, 55% have received a rating.
Compare that with the other five major online publishers, where that percentage is 42%, 30%, 25%, 21%, and 15%. Since one-star ratings are included among all these percentages, receiving a rating doesn’t necessarily equate to “quality.”
But receiving a rating does relate to engagement by the author in terms of marketing effort, and engagement by the consumer in terms of readership, which ostensibly relates to higher readership and higher author royalties, a consensus shared by the book Top Self-Publishing Firms by Stacie Vander Pol that lists Outskirts Press as #1.
Outskirts Press is also #1 in terms of percentage of reviews that are 4 stars or higher, which does relate to quality. In fact, Outskirts Press is significantly higher than the other five major online publishers on this front:
| Publishing Firm | % of 4 or 5 star ratings |
| Outskirts Press |
52% |
| iUniverse | 37% |
| CreateSpace | 27% |
| AuthorHouse | 24% |
| Xlibris | 19% |
| Lulu | 13% |
When you figure that these percentages are coming only from the percentage of books that received any sort of rating, that means 95% of Outskirts Press books that receive a rating are rated four stars or better.
“We have always known Outskirts Press helps authors publish a stellar book and have an exemplary publishing experience, especially in comparison to the other options out there,” said CEO Brent Sampson. “It’s nice to see Amazon readers confirming this fact with their ratings and reviews.”
In August, Outskirts Press is giving all new authors an incredible incentive to experience this kind of high-quality self-publishing for themselves. With the purchase of the top-of-the-line Diamond book publishing package or the full-color Pearl package, new authors can enter a promotion code good for a free custom cover design. See all the details at http://outskirtspress.com/promotion.html
I have been thinking about Outskirts Press as my next publisher since Publish America is royally screwing me. They were supposed to set up press releases and make contacts to my local area newspapers and other things to help promote my book and they haven’t done anything but help themselves. They constantly send me emails wanting me to buy more copies of my book. They only send out royalty reports twice a year and they said I haven’t sold any books in six months time. WHY? Maybe because they haven’t done their job. I only read good things about Outskirts Press and that’s why I want them to publish my next children’s story.
Debra Glendenning
304-337-4046
Hi Debra,
This is a great time to start. You’ll get 15 free copies with your full-color package when you start before September 15th with this promotion code: 3XSEP11 – And we offer the most full-color illustration styles anywhere, if you need artwork: http://outskirtspress.com/p/art
To order the full-color Pearl package, you can click here: http://outskirtspress.com/p/pearl and don’t forget to put that promotion code in the shopping cart at check out. We look forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
Outskirts Press
I never hesitate to refer any writer to Outskirts Press when they are ready to self-publish. Every time I receive a compliment on the quality of my book, my decision to go with Outskirts Press has been reinforced. When a reader has a quality book to read, it isn’t difficult for them to leave a rating on Amazon or Barnes & Noble online.
Kathy Vorenberg
K. P. Vorenberg,
Author of TIERRA RED
Hey Kathy!
Thanks for your comment! We appreciate your referrals. Have you been able to take advantage of our affiliate program?
Also, you’re right – readers can easily leave their feedback online, but it’s up to the author to reach their target market and our publishing and marketing professionals can help you do just that.
Hi Jim,
You’re right, statistical analysis like this can often help make a decision. If you like comparative data, you may find this following blog posting helpful, too: http://brentsampson.com/2011/07/14/best-self-publishing-sites/
If/when you decide to publish, you can get a Jump Start with Outskirts Press here: http://outskirtspress.com/p/consultant
We look forward to working with you.
This was useful to see and I believe in the “numbers tell the story” with regard to the number of satisfied experiences of the viewing eyeballs.
I am considering several publishing company at this time – and being able to review this article was a definite help – Thank you.
This review /information is pertinent and is very relevant to he book I am in the midst of writing, and therefore is the reason I am search for a publishing company.
The book is a companion product to another product. However, the book is critically important to the overall campaign and marketing strategy.
Jim Johnson