Xlibris is a real, currently operating publishing services company under the Author Solutions umbrella, and it has an unusual origin: it began in 1997 as an independent company that offered free basic publishing, partly owned by Random House starting in April 2000. Author Solutions bought out the Random House stake and took full ownership on January 8, 2009. Since then, the free model has been replaced with tiered packages that industry reviewers report currently range from roughly $2,099 to $15,699, and the complaint record has grown alongside the price tags: a 2.2 out of 5 Poor rating on Trustpilot, a 1.7 out of 5 average across 601 PissedConsumer reviews, and an Alliance of Independent Authors Watchdog Desk listing that flags Xlibris for caution.
Xlibris used to be free. Now it is one of the pricier names in a crowded field.
Most authors who signed with Xlibris never heard the origin story: a Trenton, New Jersey startup that briefly had Random House as a minority partner and pitched itself as a no-cost way to get a book into print. That company no longer exists in the form it launched as. Author Solutions bought full control in 2009, and the packages sold under the Xlibris name today carry price tags the original founders never charged. If you published with Xlibris and are trying to work out what your book, your rights and your money are actually worth to you now, here is what the public record shows and what your options are.
What Xlibris actually is, and how it got here.
Xlibris was founded in 1997 by John Feldcamp in a business incubator in Trenton, New Jersey, one of the early print on demand self-publishing ventures in the United States, and the name derives from the Latin ex libris, meaning "from the library of." It was not born inside Author Solutions. For its first decade it was run as an independent company, and in April 2000 Random House Ventures, then led by Richard Sarnoff, announced it had acquired a significant minority stake, widely reported at 49 percent. At the time, Xlibris marketed its basic publishing service as free to writers, with authors retaining all rights to their own work, a pitch that reads strikingly differently against the company's current pricing.
That independent, partly Random House-owned era ended on January 8, 2009, when Author Solutions acquired full ownership of Xlibris, folding it into the same corporate structure as AuthorHouse, iUniverse and other imprints headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana. Ownership of the parent company changed hands twice more after that. Pearson, then the parent of Penguin, bought Author Solutions 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. Publishing industry reporting at the time of that sale noted that little independent information exists about the new owner beyond the acquisition itself.
The pricing shift across those ownership eras is well documented by current reviewers. Per a 2026 review by SelfPublishing.com, Xlibris currently sells four package tiers: Classic at roughly $2,099, Prime at roughly $5,799, Expert at roughly $10,499 and Signature at roughly $15,699. None of that reflects the free, rights-retained model Xlibris opened with in 2000. Complaint aggregators tell a parallel story. Trustpilot currently shows a 2.2 out of 5 Poor rating for xlibris.com. PissedConsumer lists 601 reviews with a 1.7 out of 5 average and roughly one in three reviewers saying they would recommend the company. ComplaintsBoard lists approximately 80 filed complaints against Xlibris Publishing with a 1.2 out of 5 average. The parent company, Author Solutions, was also named in federal lawsuits filed in the Southern District of New York in 2013 seeking class action status; a court denied class certification in July 2015 and the litigation concluded without a class judgment by late that year. The Alliance of Independent Authors Watchdog Desk lists Xlibris among the Author Solutions imprints it flags for caution.
Why the free-to-paid history matters for what you do next.
Authors who contact Columbia Publication about Xlibris generally fall into three groups. Some signed recently, under the current paid package structure, and simply want out with their files recovered and their book relaunched under transparent, flat fee pricing. Others signed years ago, possibly during or shortly after the Random House era, and are not sure which contract terms even apply to an agreement that old. A third group has a book that technically remains under an active Xlibris agreement but has produced no meaningful sales or royalty activity, and they want a clean relaunch rather than a legal fight.
Because Xlibris has never closed and has changed ownership three times without ever going through bankruptcy, none of these situations resolve on their own. 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 Xlibris engagement with a free consultation that reviews your actual contract if you have it, or helps you request a copy directly from Xlibris 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 $2,000-to-$15,000 package to a book you fully own.
Every Xlibris republishing engagement moves through the same clear stages. No surprises, no post-signing upsells, no waiting weeks for an answer that never comes.
Contract Review & Termination Path
We read your actual Xlibris agreement and identify exactly what it says about termination, rights reversion, notice periods and any fees involved in exiting. Because Xlibris contracts vary meaningfully depending on which ownership era you signed under, we flag anything unusual for your specific package tier. 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 Xlibris 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 Xlibris, 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 Xlibris authors than for authors coming from a closed publisher. Because Xlibris 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 Xlibris 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 package structure Xlibris 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 Xlibris book, including higher tier Expert or Signature packages, had real commercial traction before the account relationship soured.
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The free platform you signed up for is not the paid company you are dealing with now.
Xlibris being a real, currently operating company does not obligate you to stay, and it does not mean today's pricing reflects what the service was originally built to offer. Every year your book sits under an account relationship that is not working 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 republishing is worth the effort given how much they already spent. 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 Xlibris authors.
Is Xlibris still in business?
Yes. Xlibris continues to sign new authors today. It operates under Author Solutions, sold to Center Street Ventures in March 2025, the parent company's third change of ownership since 2007. Because Xlibris is still operating, there is no automatic rights reversion. You typically need to invoke your contract's termination clause directly.
Why does Xlibris have so many complaints?
Trustpilot currently rates xlibris.com 2.2 out of 5, labeled Poor. PissedConsumer lists 601 reviews with a 1.7 out of 5 average, with roughly a third of reviewers saying they would recommend the company. ComplaintsBoard lists approximately 80 filed complaints with a 1.2 out of 5 average. The Alliance of Independent Authors Watchdog Desk lists Xlibris among the Author Solutions imprints it flags for caution.
Is it true Xlibris used to be partly owned by Random House and offered free publishing?
Yes. Xlibris was founded in 1997 by John Feldcamp in Trenton, New Jersey, as an independent company. In April 2000, Random House Ventures acquired a significant minority stake, reported at 49 percent, and Xlibris marketed its basic service as free with authors keeping all rights. Author Solutions bought full ownership on January 8, 2009, and the paid package structure in place today, currently reported from roughly $2,099 to $15,699, dates from after that acquisition.
Do I automatically get my rights back from Xlibris?
No. Because Xlibris 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 Author Solutions acquisition. We review your actual agreement in the free consultation before you pay anything.
What if I cannot find my original Xlibris contract?
Common, especially for authors who signed years ago, possibly during the Random House era. We can help you request a copy directly from Xlibris 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.
Xlibris started as a free platform and became a company charging up to five figures a package. You do not have to keep paying for that shift.
Get Your Free Contract ReviewOr call (703) 997-9787 · Reviewed by Gia K., Director of Editorial and Book Production · Columbia Publication, Arlington VA