Looking for a self-publisher? The decision of who to print with is not as easy as one might think.
Vanity Publishers
They are something to steer well clear of and books published by vanity publishers are treated as if they carry the plague. Booksellers won’t stock them, buyers are wary of buying them, and they cost more money than they are worth.
Authors who go the vanity publishing route are charged top dollar for basic services, and in the end, often find out that they’ve also lost rights to their own work. So what is Vanity Publishing? It’s when a company makes you pay to print your work, often with no quality checks, and then sells it back to you at a high cost.
If an author wants to self-publish, it is important that he or she remains the publisher, not a company that will keep the stock and charge the author to buy copies of his or her own book.
Is Lulu a Vanity Publisher?
The answer to that is a resounding yes; Lulu is a vanity publisher. However, it is not easily dismissed as it allows for international distribution and is gaining good repute. Many excellent authors have put their novels on Lulu and had some success. It is a print on demand service (when books are literally printed as they are ordered) and starting an account with them is easy and no-fuss.
They only charge the author for printing if he or she wants to buy copies of books directly, but as it is print on demand, the cost is high and profit margins are low. The downside of Lulu (other than the print per book cost) is that anybody can publish on Lulu. There is absolutely no vetting, which can mean that some very poorly written material is published.
The key for an author who has set up with Lulu is to advertise widely with excerpts from his or her book to let buyers know how high the writing quality is. Advertising is always important when self-publishing and authors can get free promotion by sending in reader letters to local papers and doing book signings.
Finding the Right Service
Once the vanity publishers have been vetted from the author’s list, he or she is still left with a mind-bogglingly long list to choose from. There are several stages that go into self-publishing. Does it need editing? It will certainly need a cover, digital file, and spine calculations. Then a book size must be chosen and all the digital files must comply with the printer’s needs.
If this sounds too complicated, then go with a full self-publishing service like AuthorHouse. They are a highly reputable self-publisher and also have a quality editing service if it is needed. They can give a good quote with no commitment and see a project through to the end with good customer care. If an author really just wants to print, then they will recommend the author go directly to Biddles; a short to medium print run company based in the UK.
As with anything, allow for extra time when expecting a finished product. Self-publishing has a steep learning curve and problems will crop up, so don’t book signings two weeks after the expected arrival of the books. Wait until they have arrived at the door, been checked, and approved before making any promises to seller and signings.
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