Trafford Publishing is a real, currently operating publishing services company, and its origin looks nothing like the business authors deal with today. It began in 1995 as an independent Canadian print-on-demand company in Victoria, British Columbia, running its own printing press and publishing authors from more than 120 countries. Author Solutions bought it in April 2009. Since then, ComplaintsBoard has logged 46 complaints against Trafford at a 2.5 out of 5 average, a 2026 review by SelfPublishing.com scored it 0.0 out of 5, and the Alliance of Independent Authors Watchdog Desk lists it under its lowest advisory rating. Writer Beware documented specific author complaints, including outsourced support and reduced royalty responsiveness, beginning shortly after the acquisition.
Trafford used to run its own press in Victoria, BC. Author Solutions bought the name in 2009.
Trafford Publishing did not start life as an Author Solutions imprint. It started as a Canadian company with its own printing facility, founded by four people in Victoria, British Columbia, who built one of North America's earliest print-on-demand publishers. That company was sold in April 2009, and the operation authors deal with today runs under a different owner, a different customer service structure and a documented complaint record that dates almost entirely from after the sale. If you published with Trafford and are trying to work out what your book, your rights and your relationship with the company are actually worth now, here is what the public record shows and what your options are.
What Trafford actually is, and how it got here.
Trafford Publishing was founded in 1995 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, by Bruce and Marsha Batchelor together with John Norris and Steve Fisher. Unlike most self-publishing services of the era, Trafford operated its own printing facility rather than outsourcing production entirely, and it also worked with print-on-demand partners including Lightning Source and BookSurge to expand its reach. By 2009, Trafford had grown to roughly 150 employees across offices in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland, and had published close to 20,000 titles for authors in more than 120 countries.
That independent, Canadian-run era ended on April 5, 2009, when Author Solutions acquired Trafford, according to reporting at the time by the Wall Street Journal, which noted the deal terms were not disclosed. The purchase came just months after Author Solutions had bought Xlibris in January of the same year, consolidating several of the largest names in self-publishing under one owner. At the time, Author Solutions itself was owned by the private equity firm Bertram Capital, which had acquired the company in January 2007. Writer Beware's Victoria Strauss covered the Trafford acquisition when it happened, writing that the consolidation reduced the field of choice available to authors, and reader comments on that same report described a shift in the months that followed: customer support work moving overseas, slower responses to emails and calls, and authors reporting reduced or delayed royalty payments compared to the original Canadian operation.
Ownership of the parent company changed hands twice more after that. Pearson, then the parent of Penguin, bought Author Solutions from Bertram Capital in 2012 for a reported $116 million. Pearson sold the company to Najafi Companies in December 2015, and in March 2025, Najafi sold Author Solutions to Center Street Ventures, a private investment firm. Trafford's current complaint record reflects that entire post-2009 period rather than its original independent run. ComplaintsBoard currently lists 46 filed complaints against Trafford Publishing with a 2.5 out of 5 average and roughly 37 percent marked resolved. A 2026 review published by SelfPublishing.com gave Trafford a final score of 0.0 out of 5. The Alliance of Independent Authors Watchdog Desk lists Trafford, along with its Author Solutions sibling imprints, under its lowest advisory rating, meaning it recommends authors avoid the service.
Why the Canadian-to-Author-Solutions history changes what you do next.
Authors who contact Columbia Publication about Trafford generally fall into three groups. Some signed recently, well after the 2009 acquisition, under the current package structure, and want out with their files recovered and their book relaunched under transparent, flat fee pricing. Others signed years ago, some during Trafford's original independent Victoria, BC era, and are unsure whether an agreement that old even has a working termination path. A third group has a book that technically remains under an active Trafford contract but has produced no meaningful royalty activity, and they want a clean relaunch rather than a prolonged dispute over unpaid royalties.
Because Trafford has never closed and has changed ownership multiple times without ever going through bankruptcy, none of these situations resolve automatically. Your rights depend entirely on the termination and reversion language in the specific agreement you signed, and that language can differ meaningfully depending on whether you signed before or after the 2009 Author Solutions acquisition. Columbia Publication starts every Trafford engagement with a free consultation that reviews your actual contract if you have it, or helps you request a copy directly from Trafford if you do not, and gives you a written, honest assessment of your position before you commit to anything.
If you move forward, Columbia Publication handles rights documentation, file recovery, production and platform setup end to end. Your book goes live on Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple Books and more than 40 additional global platforms, typically within four to eight weeks. You keep 100% of your rights and 100% of your royalties permanently, with one flat fee and nothing ongoing.
From a disputed royalty statement to a book you fully control.
Every Trafford republishing engagement moves through the same clear stages. No surprises, no post-signing upsells, no waiting weeks for a royalty answer that never comes.
Contract Review & Termination Path
We read your actual Trafford agreement and identify exactly what it says about termination, rights reversion, notice periods and any fees involved in exiting. Because Trafford contracts vary meaningfully depending on whether you signed before or after the 2009 ownership change, we flag anything unusual for your specific era. Most contract reviews are completed within two to three business days as part of your no-cost consultation call, before you owe anything.
DELIVERABLE: Written explanation of your specific termination path and timeline.
Manuscript & File Recovery
We help you formally request your production files, interior layout and cover source files from Trafford in writing. Where those files are withheld, delayed or unusable, we rebuild them from your manuscript. A new ISBN is registered in your name, independent of Trafford, and your copyright registration is confirmed or renewed.
DELIVERABLE: A complete file audit with a fixed scope and price before production begins.
Professional Production
Depending on your book's condition, this stage covers interior formatting to current Amazon KDP and IngramSpark specifications, cover redesign, professional copyediting where the original edition needs it, and metadata work including title, subtitle, description, keywords and BISAC categories for discoverability.
DELIVERABLE: Finished interior and cover files that pass Amazon and IngramSpark's current 2026 upload checks on the first submission.
Platform Setup & Global Distribution
Your book is submitted to Amazon KDP and IngramSpark simultaneously, reaching 40,000 plus retailers, libraries and wholesalers worldwide. Pricing is set to maximise your royalty per copy, which you keep in full. The new edition is live within 72 hours of platform submission.
DELIVERABLE: Your book live on Amazon and IngramSpark with global distribution active.
Relaunch Against an Active Old Listing
This step matters more for Trafford authors than for authors coming from a closed publisher. Because Trafford is still operating and actively sells new packages, your old edition typically stays live for sale rather than quietly disappearing, which means your new edition needs to be clearly positioned as the current, authoritative version. We handle the Amazon author page update, new edition metadata, and provide a relaunch outreach template so existing readers find the new edition without confusion.
DELIVERABLE: Clear new edition positioning with the old listing appropriately handled.
What former Trafford authors typically need, and what it costs.
Republishing costs vary depending on your contract's termination process, what files you can recover, and how much production needs to be redone. Columbia Publication uses flat fee, transparent pricing: no royalty splits, no ongoing percentages, no post-signing upsells of any kind, a deliberate contrast with the multi-tier package structure Trafford sells today.
Full production republishing, from $1,499
For authors who need a new cover, a manuscript reformatted from scratch, or an interior redesigned to current publishing standards. Covers professional cover design, full interior layout, copyediting, metadata optimisation, ISBN registration, and Amazon KDP and IngramSpark setup with global distribution active. Timeline: four to six weeks.
Full service relaunch, from $4,999
For authors who want a genuine relaunch: updated content, professional editing, a new cover, Amazon bestseller positioning, press outreach and a structured relaunch campaign. Timeline: six to eight weeks. Appropriate for authors whose Trafford book had real commercial traction, especially titles from the company's original Canadian-run years, before the account relationship soured.
Get Your Free Contract Review
Tell us about your book and your Trafford contract. We will reach out within 1 business day.
No spam. No obligation. We respond in 1 business day.
Your information is private and never shared.
The company that published your book in Victoria is not the company answering your emails today.
Trafford being a real, currently operating company does not obligate you to stay, and it does not mean the service you are getting today matches what its founders originally built or what you may have signed up for years ago. Every year your book sits under an unresponsive account relationship is a year it is not reaching the readers it was written for.
The authors who wait longest are usually the ones unsure whether their contract even allows an exit, or unsure whether chasing an old royalty dispute is worth the effort compared to simply republishing clean. Both questions have concrete answers once someone actually reads your agreement. That review costs nothing but forty five minutes, and it tells you exactly where you stand.
Frequently asked by Trafford authors.
Is Trafford Publishing still in business?
Yes. Trafford still operates today. It is part of Author Solutions, sold to Center Street Ventures in March 2025, the parent company's third change of ownership since the 2009 buyout wave. Because Trafford is still operating, there is no automatic rights reversion. You typically need to invoke your contract's termination clause directly.
Why does Trafford Publishing have so many complaints?
ComplaintsBoard currently lists 46 filed complaints against Trafford Publishing with a 2.5 out of 5 average and roughly a 37 percent resolution rate. A 2026 review by SelfPublishing.com gave Trafford a final rating of 0.0 out of 5. The Alliance of Independent Authors Watchdog Desk lists Trafford under its lowest advisory rating. Writer Beware documented specific complaints beginning shortly after the 2009 Author Solutions acquisition, including outsourced customer support and reduced royalty responsiveness.
Was Trafford Publishing originally a different, more reputable company?
Yes. Trafford was founded in 1995 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, by Bruce and Marsha Batchelor with John Norris and Steve Fisher, running its own printing facility and publishing authors from more than 120 countries. Author Solutions, then owned by Bertram Capital, acquired Trafford in April 2009. Writer Beware reported at the time that the deal reduced authors' options, and documented author reports of service declining afterward, including support work moving overseas and slower royalty responses.
Do I automatically get my rights back from Trafford?
No. Because Trafford is still operating and has not gone through bankruptcy, there is no automatic reversion. Your position depends on the termination language in your specific contract, which can vary depending on whether you signed before or after the 2009 acquisition. We review your actual agreement in the free consultation before you pay anything.
What if I cannot find my original Trafford contract?
Common, especially for authors who signed years ago, including some from Trafford's original independent Canadian era. We can help you request a copy directly from Trafford in writing, which publishers are generally obligated to provide, and advise on next steps before that copy arrives.
How much does republishing with Columbia Publication cost?
Full production republishing starts at $1,499, flat fee, including cover design, interior formatting, ISBN registration and platform setup. Full service relaunch packages with editing and a marketing campaign run up to $4,999. No ongoing packages, no post-signing upsells, ever.
Your book was never the problem. Let's give it a publisher that answers the phone.
The free consultation takes forty five minutes. It covers your contract, your file status, your republishing options and what each one costs. If Columbia Publication is not the right fit for your situation, we will tell you who is. If we are, you will have a clear proposal and timeline before the call ends.
Trafford started as an independent Canadian printer. What it became after 2009 is not a reason to keep waiting.
Get Your Free Contract ReviewOr call (703) 997-9787 · Reviewed by Gia K., Director of Editorial and Book Production · Columbia Publication, Arlington VA