Eathompson314's List: DGL 2.5

• DIGITAL LITERACYResearching Credible ConnectionsEvaluation GuideKnowing how to look at the sources that you find online is a major component of being digitally literate. The prompts below will break down some of the important elements that go into judging whether your sources are credible. Review the articles that you have chosen by addressing these prompts. You do not have to answer every question, but you should be considering all of them when you create your responses and paragraph for your presentation.These prompts were based on “CCCCCCC.CCC (Ten Cs) for evaluating Internet resources by Betsy Richmond, Nancy Everhart, and Nicole J Auer. See ‘Evaluating Resources’ activity in the DGL class on FSO.Authority and Credibility•Are the author(s) identified and who are they?•If we can see the authors’ titles and job description(s), what are they?•Where does the article originate from?
• Currency and Continuity•What is the date or timestamp on the article?•Has the article been revised? If so, what was the last revision date?•Does the publication have a solid standing and history for accessibility?•Why or why not?Content and Bias•What was the focus of the article?•Is the article accurate and thorough?•Does the article seem biased, in any way, in its point of view?•Are they trying to convince you of something? •If so, do they succeed?Citations and Links•Does the author/publisher list any sources or citations?•How do these sources or citations make a difference to this article?•Are there links to other resources that enhance or support this article? •If so, how do they enhance or support the article? •Are the links still active?
• Navigation and Copyright•Consider how easy the article is to move around.•Do you find the information accessible through alternative sources and what are they?•Is there evidence that the article has been clearly copyrighted, if so, by whom?

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• Author Solutions LLC
  At a glance

  Global Ultimate Parent: 

  Bertelsmann Uk Ltd

  Domestic Ultimate: 

  Author Solutions LLC

  Headquarter/Parent: 

  Penguin Books Ltd

  On this page

  Physical Address:
  1663 S Liberty Dr, Bloomington, Indiana 474035161 USA
  MSA Code:
  1020
  MSA Name:
  Bloomington, IN
  Phone:
  8123396000
  Web Site:
  http://www.authorsolutions.com 
  Revenue:
  $39,600,000 (estimated)
  Doing Business As:
  A S I; Authorhouse
  Line of Business:
  Books-Publishing/Printing

• Financials

  Revenue:

  $39,600,000 (estimated)

  Public:

  No

  Top of Page

   Executives

  Executives:

  Andrew Phillips - Chief Executive Officer
  Barb Claassen - Chief Financial Officer
  Kevin Gregory - Chief Financial Officer
  Bill Becher - Senior Vice-President
  Keith Ogorek - Senior Vice-President
  Don Seitz - Senior Vice-President
  Jeffrey Eid - Vice-President

  Employees All Locations:

  260 (Actual)

  Employees At (Author Solutions LLC):

  125 (Actual)

• Industry

  Link to articles using NAICS Codes:

  511130 Book Publishers

  SIC Codes:

  27310000 Book publishing

  Top of Page

   More

  Year Founded:

  2012

  Location Type:

  Headquarters

  Subsidiary Status:

  Subsidiary

  Own/Rent:

  Unknown

  Manufacturing Indicator:

  Manufacturing is performed at this location.

  EBSCO Company Number:

  3300612

  Top of Page

  Database: 

  Company Information

  • Screenshot ability not currently working on diigo. For some reason I was able to Highlight the info needed and capture it that way.

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• Author Regina R. Tate, a Christian counselor, has written a new book to reach a larger audience with her message of perseverance. “There is a Balm for That” (published by AuthorHouse) contains Tate’s advice for those going through life’s struggles and serves as a reminder of God’s bigger plan.
• “There is purpose for everything we go through, for everything God allows,” Tate says. “We will never have all of the answers, we just need to trust that all things will eventually work together for our good.”
• Tate draws upon her professional experience, as well as anecdotal evidence from her life, to show readers God has a purpose for everything. She hopes readers walk away from her book inspired to walk through, around or over life’s obstacles
• We will never have all of the answers, we just need to trust that all things will eventually work together for our good.
• AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, LLC self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industry’s only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. For more information or to publish a book, visit authorhouse.com or call 1-888-519-5121. For the latest, follow @authorhouse on Twitter.

  • permalink: http://www.prweb.com/releases/ReginaRTate/ThereisaBalmforThat/prweb12091853.htm

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• BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Sept. 4, 2014 – Author Solutions, LLC, a Penguin Random House company and the world leader in supported self-publishing services, announced Wednesday that Keith Ogorek, senior vice president of marketing, has been named keynote speaker for the 2014 Digital Author and Indie/Self-Publishing (DA+ISP) Conference to be held October 17–19 at Los Angeles Valley College.
• Ogorek, a frequent conference speaker and self-publishing thought leader, will speak about “The Four Paths to Publishing,” a popular presentation outlining the range of options available to authors in the ever-changing publishing landscape. He will present information on DIY publishing, contract self-publishing, supported self-publishing and traditional publishing options.
• “I’m pleased to have the opportunity to address another group of talented writers and share with them the paths they can take to bring their manuscripts to readers,” said Ogorek. “This is truly the greatest time in history to be an author.”

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• BookLocker.com, a firm that competes with Author Solutions (the parent company of AuthorHouse, Xlibris, iUniverse, Trafford, and more), is the parent company of this publication. However, many unhappy Authors Solutions' authors have submitted their manuscripts to BookLocker for consideration after becoming unhappy with AuthorHouse, Xlibris, iUniverse, etc. When BookLocker.com must reject a manuscript (we vet manuscripts for quality and salability), we refer those authors to reputable P.O.D. firms. NONE of the Author Solutions' firms are on that list (and never have been!). We have received far too many complaints about them over the years to refer any hopeful author to those outfits (which we glumly call the "author meat markets" of the industry).
• Earlier this month, Author Solutions was (finally) sued by a group of writers who are unhappy with their services. Author Solutions is the parent company of AuthorHouse, Xlibris, iUniverse, Trafford, WordClay, and other properties. The suit is seeking class-action status. At WritersWeekly, we have received numerous complaints from unhappy Author Solutions authors over the years. Each year, it seems to get worse!
• As for the upselling part of the lawsuit, the angry authors are correct (but I'm not sure any law was broken there). Trying to convince an author to buy a tiny ad in the New York Times Review of Books for $4,000-$5,000+ (an ad that also, by the way, promotes whichever Author Solutions firm sold it to the author) is just wrong. I've never heard from any author who sold enough books to pay for that ad. On the flipside, I have a hard time feeling sorry for someone who chose to use AuthorHouse, Xlibris, iUniverse, Trafford, or their other properties when there are numerous complaints posted about them online. Simply google one of the company names and the word "complaint" or "scam" and you'll have plenty of reading material to get you through your lunch hour and more. I'm not saying Author Solutions is a "scam" but I am saying I don't agree with the way they run their business and some of their past authors have used that word to describe them. They seem to care a lot more about how much money they can get out of an author's wallet than they do about how many books the author sells.
• I found it pretty laughable that Author Solutions' response to the lawsuit, in part, was that they have an "A" rating with the Better Business Bureau. It looks like they managed to wrap all the old complaints up into the Author Solutions BBB account in 2010 so the old company names in the BBB database no longer have a rating, nor any complaints listed. Ah, well-played, Author Solutions, well-played! Perhaps Author Solutions only takes steps to satisfy authors who complain to the BBB since there are plenty of authors who are still unhappy who have not complained to the BBB themselves...hence the lawsuit and the numerous complaints appearing on other websites.
• According to attorney Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print, WritersWeekly.com and BookLocker.com is: "As close to perfection as you're going to find in the world of ebook and POD publishing. The ebook royalties are the highest I've ever seen, and the print royalties are better than average.

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• Almost a year ago, David Gaughran wrote a post for IR called, “Penguin’s New Business Model: Exploiting Writers“. In it, he outlined the details of how Penguin’s parent company, Pearson, purchased Author Solutions–which has a long history of providing questionable services at staggering prices–for $116
• Turns out that, according to a claim filed by three unhappy authors, “Penguin Group’s self-publishing branch, Author Solutions, cheats writers of royalties and charges them to correct typos in manuscripts that the company itself inserted…”
• “Author Solutions’ revenues are estimated at $100 million per year,” the complaint states. “Of the $100 million Author Solutions earns as revenue, approximately one third of that amount, or millions annually, comes from book sales. The rest of its revenue is derived from the services it offers, such as editorial services, formatting and design services, production services, and marketing services (‘services’).”
• “Despite its impressive profits from book sales, Author Solutions fails at the most basic task of a publisher: paying its authors their earned royalties and providing its authors with accurate sales statements.
• “Author Solutions also fails to take diligent care of its authors’ works, making numerous and egregious publisher errors – errors made by the publisher, not the author. These errors include errors on book covers, in addition to various typographical and formatting errors. In fact, Author Solutions profits from its own mistakes. Aggressive sales techniques ensure that these errors are corrected only for a fee of several hundred dollars. Even though, as a matter of policy, Author Solutions promises to correct publisher errors for free, it rarely does.
• “Most of Author Solutions’ earnings are derived from its publishing and marketing services. These services, which can cost authors tens of thousands of dollars, likewise fail to deliver what they promise: more book sales and more opportunities for authors.

• “Therefore, even while Defendant Author Solutions prominently markets itself on its website as ‘[t]he leading indie publishing company in the world,’ authors often discover, once it is too late, that Author Solutions it is not an ‘indie publisher’ at all. It is a printing service that fails to maintain even the most rudimentary standards of book publishing, profiting not for its authors but from them.”

   

  “Many authors, in an effort to avoid republishing a second book with the same imprint, move onto another without realizing that it is simply the same Author Solutions operation under a different name,” the complaint states.

  • permalink: http://indiereader.com/2013/05/update-authors-sue-author-house/

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• July 19, 2012 - Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, is today announcing the acquisition of Author Solutions, Inc (ASI) from Bertram Capital for $116 million in cash.

   

  Formed in 2007, ASI is now the world’s leading provider of professional self-publishing services. It has enabled 150,000 authors to publish, market and distribute more than 190,000 books in print and electronic formats and benefits from several powerful growth trends including user-generated content, eBooks and digital publishing and marketing technologies.
• Self-publishing is a rapidly growing segment of the consumer books market. According to Bowker, 211,000 titles were self-published in 2011 in either print or digital form, an increase of almost 60% on 2010. The self-publishing sector has also become an important source of talent and content for the publishing industry, producing several bestselling authors including Lisa Genova, John Locke, Darcie Chan, Amanda Hocking, Bronnie Ware and E.L. Ja
• The acquisition gives Penguin a leading position in this fast-growing segment of the publishing industry and brings significant opportunity for the two companies to collaborate. Penguin will gain access to ASI’s expertise in online marketing, consumer analytics, professional services and user-generated content. ASI will benefit from Penguin’s design, editorial and sales skills, and its strong international presence as it looks to expand outside the US.
• Penguin’s chief executive John Makinson said: “Self-publishing has moved into the mainstream of our industry over the past three years. It has provided new outlets for professional writers, a huge increase in the range of books available to readers and an exciting source of content for publishers such as Penguin. No-one has captured this opportunity as successfully as Author Solutions, which has rapidly built a position of world leadership on a platform of outstanding customer support and tailor-made publishing services.
• In 2011 Author Solutions generated revenues of approximately $100m, growing at an average annual rate of 12% over the past three years. Its business is split broadly evenly across three key areas: publishing, marketing and distribution services, with revenues generated primarily from services to authors.

• Kevin Weiss, Chief Executive of ASI, said: “Over the past 75 years, Penguin has demonstrated a commitment to bold and fresh thinking in the publishing industry. We are thrilled to be a part of its vibrant culture, and look forward to accelerating the pace of change the industry is experiencing. As part of Penguin, we will be on the front-end of that change and have the broadest set of offerings of any publisher today. That means more opportunity for authors and more choice for readers.”

   

  Source: http://www.authorsolutions.com/

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• Donna Marie Conner appeals the district court's dismissal of her civil action on the motions to dismiss filed by theAppellees. Conner filed a Complaint in the[*612]district court arising out of an arbitration proceeding betweenConner and 1st Books Library a/k/aAuthorHouse ("AuthorHouse"), which was administered by the AmericanArbitration Association ("AAA"). The underlying basis for the Complaint was to have vacated and set aside theDecember 18, 2007 arbitration Award issued by Richard S. Rhodes ("Rhodes"), as arbitrator, in the matter ofDonnaMarie Conner v.AuthorHouse,American Arbitration Association No. 52 143 Y 000308 07. Conner named asDefendants the AAA; Antoinette S. Clarington, Case Administrator for the[**2]AAA; Linda Beyea, Assistant VicePresident of the AAA; and Rhodes (collectively the "AAA Appellees").1While not identified as Defendants in the
• caption of the Complaint,2Author Solutions, Inc. d/b/aAuthorHouse ("AuthorHouse") and Eugene Hopkins(collectively referred to as the "AuthorHouseAppellees"), parties to the underlying arbitration proceeding, have beenlisted as Appellees as well.
• 1 Conner also named Bryan H. Babb, a partner with the law firm that represented theAuthorHouseAppellees as outside counsel in theArbitration. Babb was dismissed as a Defendant by the district court on April 18, 2008, and Conner has not appealed that order.2 Nor did Conner make any allegation against them or seek relief from them in the body of her Complaint.
• The arbitrator found that Conner failed to sustain her burden of proof relative to most of her claims. He further foundthat whileAuthorHousedid, in fact, ultimately terminate the Contract in compliance with Conner's request, it did soafter a delay which constituted a breach of contract. Rhodes determined, however, that the delay caused no damage toConner, thus precluding any entitlement to relief. Both parties to the arbitration were[**3]directed to share theadministrative fees and expenses of the AAA, as well as the compensation and expenses of the arbitrator. Conner soughtto overturn the arbitration Award on the ground that Rhodes purportedly rendered an "unethical decision."
• It is clear that the underlying purpose of Conner's Complaint was to have the Award rendered in favor ofAuthorHouseset aside. For relief, Conner requested thatAuthorHousebe forced to pay the monies owed to her for its breach of theContract between them, which monies she sought as relief in the arbitration proceeding. She also sought a ruling thatAuthorHousepay the fees associated with the arbitration proceeding. While she complained of a "conspiracy" betweenRhodes andAuthorHouse,and claimed that Rhodes' decision was "unethical," she sought no relief from Rhodes or theAAA directly.
• Moreover, review of arbitral awards is limited.Remmey v. PaineWebber, Inc.,32 F.3d 143, 146 (4th Cir. 1994).Seealso International Med. Group, Inc. v. American Arbitration Ass'n,312 F.3d 833, 843 (7th Cir. 2003);Austern v.Chicago Bd. Options Exch., Inc.,898 F.2d 882, 886 (2d Cir. 1990);Tamari v. Conrad,552 F.2d at 780;Cahn v.International Ladies' Garment Union,311 F.2d 113, 114-15 (3d Cir. 1962).Here, Conner failed to articulate any factual or legal underpinnings to support her vague and conclusory[**5]claimsagainst the AAA Appellees, including her assertion that Rhodes' decision was unethical. As such, those claims fail.Nor did the district court err in dismissing Conner's Complaint against theAuthorHouseAppellees. We find that theaction suffered a number of infirmities as to those Defendants, including, but not limited to, lack of jurisdiction,insufficient service of process pursuant to the legal requirements of Fed. R. Civ. P. 4, and failure to state a claim uponwhich relief may be granted pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6)

  • Permalink: http://www.lexisnexis.com.oclc.fullsail.edu:81/hottopics/lnacademic/
    
    
    
    http://www.lexisnexis.com.oclc.fullsail.edu:81/lnacui2api/api/version1/getDocCui?lni=4VK2-04N0-TXFX-62D0&csi=270944,270077,11059,8411&hl=t&hv=t&hnsd=f&hns=t&hgn=t&oc=00240&perma=true
• that could be proved consistent with the allegations,Hishon v. King & Spalding,467 U.S. 69, 73, 104 S. Ct. 2229, 81 L.Ed. 2d 59 (1984), and a plaintiff does not need to make detailed factual allegations in a complaint,Bell Atl. Corp. v.Twombly,550 U.S. 544, 127 S. Ct. 1955, 1964, 167 L. Ed. 2d 929 (2007), a complaint requires more than labels andconclusions, and thus a complainant must do more to state purported grounds of her entitlement to relief.Id.at 1964-65.We find that Conner's Complaint fails to meet [HN3] the most basic requirements of pleading under the Federal Rulesof Civil Procedure.[**6]It is not a short and plain statement of the grounds for the claim showing that Conner isentitled to the relief she seeks. Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a). Rather, it is little more than a collection of cursory allegations ofunethical behavior associated with an incorrect result relative to the arbitration proceeding. Conner's conclusoryallegations that she has been wronged by virtue of Rhodes' decision in the arbitration proceeding, together with herfailure to make specific allegations against or request specific relief that could be provided by theAuthorHouseAppellees, are insufficient under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Her Complaint therefore fails to state a claim forwhich relief may be granted by eitherAuthorHouseor Hopkins. Accordingly, the district court's dismissal of theComplaint as against theAuthorHouseAppellees was proper pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6)

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• New Delhi, Dec. 6 -- Larvie Learns a Lesson (AuthorHousePress; Publication date: June 1, 2013) tells the story of alovable caterpillar named Larvie who watches too much television and eats too much junk food. When the time comesfor Larvie to spin a cocoon to become a butterfly, he finds himself too large and out of shape to become the beautifulcreature he is meant to be.
• With the support of his parents, his bug doctor, and his friends, Larvie embarks on a new regimen of regular exerciseand eating healthy fruits and vegetables. In no time at all Larvie is back in shape, happier than ever, and ready toembark on his transformation into a butterfly.
• Larive represents the best in all of us. Children will enjoy watching Larvie transform himself from a caterpillar slug intoa beautiful healthy butterfly. While reading Larvie Learns a Lesson, kids will learn about the real life risks of becomingobese: diabetes, high blood pressure, and other health risks. In the end, children will take Larvie's story to heart and willenjoy their own ability to take action to live healthier lives.

  • permalink: http://www.lexisnexis.com.oclc.fullsail.edu:81/lnacui2api/api/version1/getDocCui?lni=5B0S-JYJ1-DXMP-K0D9&csi=270944,270077,11059,8411&hl=t&hv=t&hnsd=f&hns=t&hgn=t&oc=00240&perma=true
• "As parents, we completely understand the ongoing challenge to get kids to make healthy choices," said co-author Dr.Mickey Seger. "And as physicians, we understand the devastating health complications brought on by obesity, startingat a very young age. We were inspired to write Larvie because we wanted to offer a way for parents to talk to theirchildren about the importance of a healthy lifestyle."

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• A local lawyer who represents many doctors in malpractice cases has written a book about why all doctors should beDr. B.Jim Saxton, chairman of the health litigation group of the Stevens & Leelawfirm and president of the LancasterYMCA Foundation Board, will talk about the advantages of being Dr. B at the YMCA's 7th annual PathfindersLuncheon this week.The title of his talk is the title of his new book, "Sorry Works!''The primary point of the book is that if more doctors empathized with their patients' adverse medical outcomes,malpracticesuitscould be reduced dramatically.
• "It's important 100 percent of the time to show empathy, to say you're sorry,'' the attorney says. "It makes a bad situationa little bit better.''Saying you're sorry is not an admission of guilt, Saxton says. It is a way to substitute a human process for the legalprocess.Saxton intends to tell his "Y'' audience that saying you are sorry for bad outcomes works in all facets of life."Instead of getting mad, or quitting your job, or running away from home or a relationship,'' he says, "we need to bemore empathetic to other people's feelings.''
• Saxton has been working on this concept for a decade. He knows that trying to calm the malpractice waters may reducehis business, but he believes it's "the right thing to do.''The attorney travels around the country explaining his idea to doctors. At one of these meetings he met DougWojcieszak, a public relations consultant from St. Louis who created the Sorry Works Coalition.The coalition promotes the idea Saxton supports.With the help of Maggie Finkelstein, one of Saxton's Stevens & Lee colleagues, Saxton and Wojcieszak collaborated on"Sorry Works!''They published the $19.95 paperback throughAuthorHouse.The self-published book is available through thepublisher's Web site and at Stevens & Lee's local office at 51 S. Duke St
• Saxton has been working on this concept for a decade. He knows that trying to calm the malpractice waters may reducehis business, but he believes it's "the right thing to do.''The attorney travels around the country explaining his idea to doctors. At one of these meetings he met DougWojcieszak, a public relations consultant from St. Louis who created the Sorry Works Coalition.The coalition promotes the idea Saxton supports.With the help of Maggie Finkelstein, one of Saxton's Stevens & Lee colleagues, Saxton and Wojcieszak collaborated on"Sorry Works!''They published the $19.95 paperback throughAuthorHouse.The self-published book is available through thepublisher's Web site and at Stevens & Lee's local office at 51 S. Duke St.Saxton also will sign books at the YMCA luncheon for Pathfinders, a group of longtime "Y'' members and supporters.The public luncheon will be held Thursday, from noon to 1:30 p.m., at the F&M Alumni Sports & Fitness Center'sWoods Room. Details are available from Beth Grossman at the YMCA, 397-7474.Saxton says experience proves that doctors who are proactive and work with patients who have suffered negative resultsavoid lawsuits.Physicians in the Central Pennsylvania Risk Retention Group report fewer malpractice lawsuits, he says, because theytake the "Sorry Works'' concept seriously.Physicians throughout the country have reported similar results.The key to everything, Saxton and his book conclude, is "good customer service.''In the medical arena, the book says, "when doctors, hospitals and insurance companies focus on their patients andfamilies with excellent customer service and forget about trial lawyers, the courts and politicians, it can bring an end tothe medical malpractice crisis.''That same message is important for society in general to hear, Saxton says."Do we as a society want to continue to fight with each other? he asks. "Shouldn't we have a way to sort things outourselves?''
• Physicians in the Central Pennsylvania Risk Retention Group report fewer malpractice lawsuits, he says, because theytake the "Sorry Works'' concept seriously

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• A debut picture book for children aged 2 to 5 that highlights the resonant racket of a little faucet and his animalfriends.Jackson was inspired by a blind child and created a story that relies on sound, rather than visual description, toidentify its characters and create opportunities for children to chime in during the reading. The story begins with alonely, drippy faucet, who stands near a pond and a patch of flowers. Mr. Frog visits him one day, and the faucet agreesto share his water; in return, Mr. Frog helps the faucet shine by knocking off his rust.
• The following day, the frog brings along his friend, Mr. Duck, and the faucet invites him to bring along more friends.Over time, Mr. Caterpillar, Mr. Turtle, a very silly monkey, Mr. Giraffe, Mrs. Rabbit, a butterfly, a dragonfly, Ms.Zebra, Mrs. Bear and others join the group. Every time the book mentions a character's name, it follows it with his orher sound; the same goes for significant actions, such as turning the faucet's handle or jumping in the pond. Some of thesounds are standard, but will tickle the ears of tots-"Quack, Quack," "Rrribet" and "Splish Splash." The more inventivesounds-"Twinkle Twinkle" for Mrs. Rabbit and "ZazazaZa" for Ms. Zebra, for example-are also fun to say, but notrepresentative of anything to do with the animals. The cover, which appears to be illustrated with clip art, is in acompletely different style from the interior illustrations, which appear to be drawn with colored pencil and crayon in achildlike manner. The illustrations show all the friends, except for the alligator, bear and purple hippopotamus, who, forsome reason, only appear in the text. The text's lack of paragraphing and inaccuracies in punctuation ("So on the secondday, the little faucet 'Drip Drop' and Mr. Frog 'Rrribet' waited for a friend") make reading this book more challengingthan it needs to be, but some readers may overlook these infelicities.A fun read-out-loud book, but a stronger edit mightmake it more readable