Yes, Archway Publishing is legit. It is a real company, run by Author Solutions in Bloomington, Indiana, and authors who pay it get a designed, printed book with an ISBN and retail listings. It is not a scam in the take-the-money-and-vanish sense.
Whether it is good value is a separate question, and the answer for most authors is no. In this legitimacy check, you’ll learn:
- Who actually runs Archway, and how its parent’s ownership has changed since 2012
- What the Author Solutions lawsuits alleged, how they ended, and whether Archway was named
- What the BBB and Trustpilot complaint patterns show, plus a red flags checklist
- Where Archway genuinely beats us, and what we recommend instead
For package prices, royalties and contract terms, read our full Archway Publishing review. This page answers one question: can you trust it?
Is Archway Publishing a Scam?
Archway Publishing is not a scam. It delivers what it sells: cover and interior design, printing, an ISBN and distribution to retailers. The fair criticism is about value, not fraud. You pay thousands up front, and you earn a low royalty on each printed copy sold through retailers.
Author advocates class this model as subsidy or vanity publishing.
Vanity press — a publishing service that earns most of its revenue from authors paying for packages, rather than from readers buying books.
A scam leaves you with nothing. A vanity press leaves you with a real book that usually costs far more than it needed to. Our guide to vanity press warning signs explains the difference, and our piece on hybrid publishers vs vanity presses shows where Archway sits.
Who Actually Runs Archway Publishing?
Author Solutions runs Archway Publishing, not Simon & Schuster. Archway’s current author agreement names Get Publishing! LLC, an Author Solutions subsidiary, as the company you contract with, and states that Simon & Schuster is not a party to it.
That matters for the legitimacy question, because Archway’s reputation is really its parent’s reputation. Here is the ownership history, as covered in our Author Solutions review:
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2007 | Bertram Capital forms Author Solutions around AuthorHouse and buys iUniverse |
| 2012 | Pearson buys Author Solutions for $116 million, placing it inside Penguin |
| Nov 2012 | Simon & Schuster and Author Solutions launch Archway Publishing |
| End of 2015 | Penguin Random House sells Author Solutions to the Najafi Companies |
| March 2025 | Center Street Ventures, an Ohio investment firm, buys Author Solutions |
One detail stands out. When Archway launched, its operator belonged to Penguin, a direct Simon & Schuster rival. Simon & Schuster licensed its name to a competitor’s self-publishing arm rather than building its own.
The same company runs AuthorHouse, Xlibris, iUniverse and Trafford. If you have read our AuthorHouse legitimacy check or Xlibris legitimacy check, most of what follows will sound familiar.
Has Archway Publishing Been Sued?
We found no lawsuit that named Archway Publishing as a defendant. The litigation authors cite when they search “Archway Publishing lawsuit” targeted its parent, Author Solutions. Those cases settled in 2015 without any court finding of wrongdoing.
Here is what the court reporting shows:
- April 2013: Authors Kelvin James, Jodi Foster and Terry Hardy filed a proposed class action against Author Solutions and Penguin in the Southern District of New York, seeking more than $5 million, Publishers Weekly reported. That article mentioned Archway only as a recent Author Solutions partner.
- The allegations: Upselling into editing and marketing packages that were subpar or never materialized, publishing errors that generated fees, and royalty accounting that was hard to verify. These were allegations, never proven.
- July 2015: Judge Denise Cote denied class certification, citing no evidence of a “centrally-orchestrated scheme” to defraud authors.
- August 2015: The New York case closed after a settlement with the two remaining named plaintiffs, on undisclosed terms, per Publishers Weekly.
- September 2015: A separate Indiana class action was voluntarily dismissed with prejudice, with each side paying its own costs.
Author Solutions’ lawyers called the New York suit “a misguided attempt to make a federal class action out of a series of gripes.” The fair reading is that the claims were neither proven nor disproven in court.
Why the lawsuits still matter
The cases put internal pricing into the public record. Writer Beware later documented that Author Solutions charged authors $859 for a film script coverage report while paying the freelance reader a basic rate of $110.
That post does not mention Archway specifically. But Archway sells through the same company and the same kind of add-on catalog, so the markup question applies when a consultant offers you extras.
What Do Archway Publishing Complaints Say?
Archway Publishing complaints center on value, not missing books. On the BBB and Trustpilot, unhappy authors describe high package prices, upselling of marketing extras, marketing that fell short, and slow or uneven communication. We found no pattern of authors paying and receiving nothing.
Archway Publishing reviews on the BBB
Archway has no BBB profile of its own. It is listed as an alternate name on the Author Solutions, LLC profile, shared with every other imprint.
When we checked on November 4, 2026, that profile showed an A+ rating, BBB accreditation since May 2010, 70 complaints in the last three years and 26 customer reviews.
An A+ grade mostly reflects how a business responds to complaints and how long it has operated. It is not a customer satisfaction score. Seventy complaints across every Author Solutions imprint is modest, so read what the complaints say rather than counting them.
Archway Publishing reviews on Trustpilot
Archway’s Trustpilot page showed a 4.0 TrustScore from 461 reviews on November 4, 2026. That breaks down to 49% five-star and 18% one-star, a split, not a consensus.
Archway replies to 94% of negative reviews there. The positive reviews praise named staff, cover design and a smooth process. The critical ones mention high prices, marketing that felt like upselling, and print quality.
What author watchdogs say
The Alliance of Independent Authors issued a watchdog warning on Archway in January 2013, weeks after launch. It questioned the value of the packages and noted Archway’s affiliate program paid partners $100 for each author who bought one.
That warning is old, and some details have changed. The core business model it described, author-paid packages sold by Author Solutions, has not.
Is the Archway Upsell a Real Concern?
Yes, the upsell is the most consistent concern. It appears in the 2013 lawsuit allegations, in Trustpilot reviews and in watchdog reporting. Expect follow-up offers for publicity, advertising, bookstore and film services after you buy a package.
The math explains why it matters. Archway’s packages run from $2,599 to $18,599, and its print royalty through retailers is 10% of the retail price. On a $19.99 paperback, that is about $2 a copy, so even the entry package needs roughly 1,300 retail sales to break even.
Every add-on raises that bar. Before you buy one, ask the consultant for measurable results from past campaigns in writing. Our book royalties explainer shows what fair rates look like across formats.
What about the Hollywood and film offers?
Archway’s own Hollywood fraud alert warns that scammers impersonate producers, sometimes using real names and logos. It says a legitimate company will first ask whether your film rights are available, and will not charge you a fee to represent them.
That warning protects you from outside scammers, not from Archway’s own add-ons. Apply the same skepticism to any paid film or “book-to-screen” package, whoever sells it.
Archway Publishing Red Flags Checklist
Run through this list before you sign with Archway, or with any paid publishing service:
- The Simon & Schuster name is a license. Simon & Schuster is not a party to your contract and does not provide the services. Discovery by a Simon & Schuster imprint is a possibility, not a service.
- The refund window closes early. The agreement cuts your refund to 50% once you submit manuscript text, and to zero after final approval or 12 months.
- Archway sets your retail price unless you buy a separate Set Your Own Price program. A high price can sink a first book’s sales.
- Disputes go to binding arbitration unless you opt out in writing within 30 days of signing.
- Calls pitching marketing before your book has sold a copy. Pause, and ask for results in writing.
- Unsolicited film, agent or “rights” offers. Verify the caller independently before paying anything.
If two or more of these bother you, a cheaper route exists. Our cost to self-publish a book breakdown shows what the same services cost when you hire them yourself.
Where Archway Beats Chapter
We make Chapter, so here is an honest list of what Archway does that we do not.
Archway does the production for you. Its team designs your cover and interior, assigns an ISBN, prints softcover copies and lists the book with retailers. Chapter writes the manuscript and stops there.
Archway gives you people. A consultant walks you through each step by phone. If you dislike software, that hand-holding has real value.
Archway carries a Simon & Schuster association. It is a licensed name, but it is a real connection, and Simon & Schuster says it watches for strong-selling Archway titles. Chapter has no publisher watching your sales.
Archway handles some marketing logistics. Press releases, an author website and bookstore returnability come in higher tiers. Chapter does none of this.
If your book is already finished and you want it produced without lifting a finger, Archway does something Chapter cannot.
Is Archway Publishing Worth It?
Archway is worth it for a narrow group of authors: you have a finished, edited manuscript, you want polished copies for family, clients or a speaking audience, and you treat the fee as a cost rather than an investment.
It is not worth it if you want the book to earn money, or if you are paying for the Simon & Schuster name. Publishing yourself through Amazon KDP costs nothing up front, and our guide on how to self-publish a book walks through every step.
The Verdict and the Alternative We Built
Archway Publishing is a legitimate company with an expensive, author-funded business model. You will get a real book. You will probably pay more for it, and earn less from it, than you would publishing it yourself.
Many authors researching Archway face an earlier problem: the manuscript is not finished. No publishing package helps until the book exists.
Our Pick — Chapter
Chapter is AI book writing software that takes you from an idea to a complete, structured manuscript in your voice. More than 10,000 authors have used it, and it has been featured in USA Today and the New York Times. You keep 100% of the rights and publish wherever you choose.
Best for: Authors who have not finished their manuscript, or who want to publish without a four-figure fee Pricing: $97 one time, 2 books included (fiction or nonfiction), 30-day money-back guarantee Why we built it: Writing the book is where most authors stall, long before they need a publisher.
Chapter has limits. There is no free tier or trial, it does not print, design or distribute your book, and you still review what it drafts. Our Chapter review lays them out.
If your book is still unwritten, Chapter for nonfiction and Chapter for fiction write the complete manuscript for $97 one time, with no subscription and a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can publish free on KDP instead of buying a package.
FAQ
Is Archway Publishing a scam?
Archway Publishing is not a scam. Authors who pay receive real, designed and printed books with ISBNs and retail listings. The criticism is about value: packages from $2,599, a 10% royalty on retail print sales, and marketing upsells that authors say rarely pay for themselves.
Is Archway Publishing part of Simon & Schuster?
Archway Publishing is not part of Simon & Schuster. It is operated by Author Solutions through a subsidiary, Get Publishing! LLC. Simon & Schuster licenses its name, helped shape the packages and says it watches for strong sellers, but it is not a party to your contract.
Has Archway Publishing been sued?
We found no lawsuit naming Archway Publishing as a defendant. Its parent, Author Solutions, faced class actions filed in 2013 and 2015 alleging upselling and poor service. Both ended in 2015 settlements or dismissal, with no court finding of wrongdoing and no public settlement terms.
What is Archway Publishing’s BBB rating?
Archway Publishing’s BBB rating is A+, through the shared Author Solutions, LLC profile, accredited since 2010. In November 2026 that profile showed 70 complaints in three years across all imprints. BBB grades mostly reflect complaint handling, not customer satisfaction.
Is Archway Publishing the same company as AuthorHouse?
Archway Publishing and AuthorHouse share a parent company, Author Solutions, which also runs Xlibris, iUniverse and Trafford. They share a BBB profile and similar contracts. Archway’s difference is the Simon & Schuster name and higher package prices.
