Xlibris Automates Submission Process

Posted on April 6, 2001

Xlibris, an epublisher, has launched a redesign of its website. The redesign includes enhancements to its online bookstore and an automated online manuscript submissions process. The Xlibris redesign also included the removal of community-related content, such as online chat and discussion boards. Earlier this year, Xlibris laid off about 30% of its staff and shut down its online writing community called Inkspot. Since that time, Xlibris has raised the prices on its publishing services and has been focusing strictly on its publishing services for authors.

Xlibris states that it can now manage publication information more effectively throughout the book production process. Authors can submit a manuscript to Xlibris over the Web, track their book's progress through the publication process, and upon book completion, view sales data in real time.

``It's a huge step toward a completely integrated publishing platform. We can now accept and track every piece of a book's publication from receipt to sales and have our authors view this detailed book information at their own convenience at anytime,'' says Reginald Branham, Vice President of Information Technology.

In a separate recent announcement, Xlibris founder and CEO John Feldcamp announced that Xlibris books are now back on Amazon.com showing their correct availability. Amazon.com had recently been delisting the books and Xlibris was in negotiations with Amazon.com to continue listing its titles. In previous announcements Feldcamp repeatedly stated that the Amazon.com delisting problem would affect other print on demand (POD) publishers in the future. One possible reason for the delisting is that Amazon.com is trying to obtain a larger discount from POD publishers in return for continuing to list POD books.

Xlibris, headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, was founded in 1997 and has published more than 4,000 titles. Random House Ventures, LLC, a subsidiary of Random House, Inc., has a 49% stake in Xlibris.