The editor of Fast Company Magazine published the following piece on customer service in September:

"I think most of us have an unspoken expectation of that relationship that's rooted in an idealized image of early-20th-century small-town commerce. When we do business, we want to feel as if we're looking the proprietor in the eye over a wooden counter. ...At the same time, we want the economies, the speed, the choice, and the consistency that large-scale enterprise offers. We like being able to choose from millions of titles at Amazon.com and to shop for them in our bathrobes. And while Starbucks may be [writer] Lewis Black's idea of hell, we're happy that it's now possible to find a cup of coffee in this country that doesn't taste like hot water with a brown crayon dipped in it."

Well, that's us! While we do have limitations (we don't have the financial backing to offer millions of books, for example), we do offer secure online ordering that can be done easily and quickly in a bathrobe, and our books are the opposite of the equivalent of brown-crayon coffee. Tiffany Jonas, the founder of Aio Publishing, fields the majority of all communications with customers, so when you send an email here, you've got the proprietor looking you in the eye.

Read below to find out what others like yourself think of ordering from Aio!  Please use the scroll bar immediately to the right to page down.

And please feel free to add your own review to the mix... email us your review of any aspect of our company, from our web site to our order fulfillment to our books, and we'll post it here.

Reviewer: Amy Harlib
Rating: (Not applicable)

'The Steam Magnate' arrived safely and I am impressed by just how beautifully produced the book is. Before even reading a word, the design and paper quality and the author's illustrations make the whole thing very appealing. I sincerely hope that future publications can maintain this standard and be viable in the marketplace. Warmest wishes and thanks — Amy

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Reviewer: Charles Fraker
Rating: 5 stars

Wonderful experience dealing with Aio. Books received in great condition four days after they were ordered, including a holiday. Very nice emails tracking the progress of the order. Couldn't ask for more. Looking forward to your next book :-)  — Charlie

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Reviewer: Joe Gattie
Rating: 5 stars

The ordering of the book went well. One problem: when I had to repeat my credit card information I didn't realize that the date had returned to default. It took a while to figure that out. I have been very pleased with your company. Thank you!

Note from Aio We hate that too... especially when you've filled out an entire page of information and they erase everything, forcing you to start completely over. In this case, the credit card page is part of our payment gateway's server. (Our payment gateway is the company we use to ensure that all orders are encrypted and secure.) We didn't realize it was happening, but upon receiving this review took up the issue with them. Unfortunately they were unable to recreate the problem. If this issue happens to you, please let us know the steps you took so we can solve this. Thank you!

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Reviewer: Josh
Rating: 5 stars

Excellent customer service. The degree of care taken with my order and the e-mails I received from the wonderful Tiffany Jones have made Aio my pick for the best small press that's out there. Now if they'd only release more books... Two just ain't going to cut it. : )

Note from Aio: We're working on that last part!

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Reviewer: Bruce Chrumka
Rating: 5 stars

I'd waited for Ian R. MacLeod's novel-length version of 'The Summer Isles' since reading the World Fantasy Award winning novella excerpted from it several years ago. No publisher had the wit or courage to publish even a limited edition of this masterpiece until Aio stepped up and finally made it available. Unfortunately, Aio's contract specifically allowed them to ship solely in the USA and I'm a Canadian. Ian R. MacLeod personally gave a thumbs-up to having his novel shipped to Canada, and Aio was happy to oblige.I just received the book, and it's a beautiful object in its own right. And now, Part I...

Note from Aio: Thanks in part to Bruce's efforts, Ian and his literary agent have since agreed to allow us to ship to individual international customers, though we still cannot ship to non-U.S. bookstores or libraries. Our contract did give us only United States rights, but Ian is truly a gentleman and when he became aware of others who wanted this edition of his work, he wanted them to be able to have it. We were very glad to make this change!

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Reviewer: Gerry Malis
Rating: 5 stars

Aio Publishing's ordering service was fast and friendly. I placed my order on their website. When I sent an email requesting that my order be shipped to an address other than my billing address, they quickly made the adjustment for me and confirmed when the order was shipped.

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Reviewer: A. Medea
Rating: 5 stars

The Summer Isles was shipped to me via US Priority Mail. It arrived within a few days, in excellent shape. Since it's a collector's item I'd requested some special handling, which was done thoughtfully and well. The book itself (The Summer Isles) is the most elegant thing I've seen in a modern novel. I'm quite pleased to have it my collection.

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Reviewer: Joe Hartman
Rating: 5 stars

Aio... I'm greatly impressed with my copy [of The Summer Isles]—it is a beautiful piece of workmanship, and I shall treasure it for years to come. Thank you for publishing it. In these days of cheap and shoddy production values, of giving the customer the bare minimum for his/her money, your company stands out as a champion of quality and permanence.

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Reviewer: James Reston
Rating: 5 stars

I agree with others that the book design is quite striking and original, as befits a book of such high literary quality. Well done! I consider this book one of the top ten best alternative history novels ever written, on the same level as Keith Robert's PAVANE and Philip Dick's THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE. What makes these books (and THE SUMMER ISLES) great novels is that they have philosophical depth, unlike most alternative histories published today which are simply multi-volume adventure stories that rewrite the military campaigns of major wars. Sadly, these latter inferior books are the ones most likely to become bestsellers. I hope THE SUMMER ISLES sells well enough that it will someday be reprinted so that more people get a chance to read it.

In one sense I am glad that the major publishers passed on this novel, because they would have simply produced an undistinguished trade edition that could not compare with this one. Even other small press publishers would not have produced a book as distinguished as [this] edition. I am still amazed that Aio managed to keep the price below $30, which is only a few dollars more than a typical trade edition is priced these days. Other publishers should take a look at this book to learn that limited editions can be produced at a reasonable price and still be amazingly well-crafted if the producers are creative.