Author Solutions executives trying to re-write personal horror stories into fairy tales

In a recent conversation about why just being good at your job is not enough, Keith Ogorek, senior vice president of marketing for the high-profile, Indianapolis-based, self-publishing firm Author Solutions Inc. (ASI), told CNN that more people are using self-publishing as a way of promoting their personal brand. Ironic, considering that two top executives at Author Solutions, president and chief executive officer Kevin Weiss and chief financial officer Kevin Gregory, are trying to re-write their own personal horror stories into fairy tales. You see, both Weiss and Gregory were accused of financial fraud in earlier chapters of their respective careers. To make a long story short:

• Kevin M. Weiss was fired as president of famed antivirus software maker McAfee in October 2006 in a scandal over accounting discrepancies in stock options grants. Weiss was exonerated of any wrongdoing and named as CEO of Author Solutions in December 2007.

• Kevin G. Gregory stepped down as chief financial officer of well-known information solutions company ProQuest in November 2005, shortly before a class-action lawsuit accused him and several other top executives of improperly editing the company's financial books. The lawsuit was settled and Gregory was named CFO of Author Solutions in October 2008.

Presumably, the personal stories that Weiss and Gregory are trying to re-write have similar plots: Grow Author Solutions. Avoid financial horrors. Accumulate fairy-tale wealth. Good luck, guys!