Vanity and Subsidy Publishers Need Scrutiny
Unscrupulous Companies Take Advantage of Authors' Inexperience
Jan 9, 2009
"Buyer beware" is a maxim that inexperienced, first time authors seeking publication need to remember. As the publishing world physically, and financially, diminishes because of buy-outs, poor book sales and the failure of the publishing industry to publish anything but celebrity or political nonsense, it has become increasingly, if not impossibly, difficult for new authors to see their work in print via the traditional publishing houses. Unfortunately, many promising writers are resorting to unethical "vanity" and "subsidy" presses who take advantage of writers' dreams and aspirations to see their books in print.
Not all vanity and subsidy presses will be so blatantly unprofessional and cruel to unsuspecting, naïve authors, but there are plenty who will. The problem is not just that a writer may lose money and learn lessons the hard way, but that the books produced put a black eye on the self-publishing industry in general. As a result, authors of books published by vanity/subsidy presses are not received with the same respect as other writers. This is unfortunate given the poorly written books often published by the “big publishing houses.”
Vanity and Subsidy Presses
In general, both vanity and subsidy publishers charge the writer for publishing his/her book. Subsidy publishers are usually more reputable in that there is more selectivity on the part of the publisher in choosing titles; there is usually some editing involved as part of the package, and some distribution is included in the agreement.
Vanity presses run the gamut. Some produce fine work and have strong reputations, but many do not. Unfortunately, these unscrupulous publishers will produce any book as it is written, mistakes and all.
Editing is Critical
Part of the problem here lies with authors. Editing is one area where it does not pay to cut corners and scrimp. Of all the steps in getting a book published, editing may be the most important. Having a friend or neighbor “proofread” the manuscript is not the same as editing. Further, most writers are woefully unable to critically edit their own work.
If a writer submits an unedited manuscript to a vanity press, most companies will publish the book as is. The work may be brilliant, but grammatical errors, misspelled words, point of view changes, passive voice and a myriad of other writing errors will greatly mar and detract from any dazzling, thoughtful, award-winning content.
Unreasonable Charges
A vanity press’ book printing costs may be excessive, especially since these books will be printed POD (print on demand). POD has become an increasingly cost effective way of printing books as printing technology has improved. The author may have to pay way too much to buy his/her own book.
Often, vanity presses will have alarmingly high charges for services rendered. For example, storage services for storing the books that they say they will distribute can run as high as one hundred dollars a month. Writers may be told that their book will be available at Barnes and Noble, Borders, Target and other outlets. The fact is, the vast majority of the time these books will not sit proudly on the shelves of these stores, but will be available only by customer special order.
Writers may be charged excessively for an ISBN or for a Library of Congress Number. Even worse, writers will have to pay for “good” reviews. These reviews are dishonest and insulting when books that are filled with errors are given five star ratings. This is dishonest to the book buying public, book vendors and even other authors.
Many a writer who has used a vanity press has bemoaned the fact that the royalties promised from books sales were never forthcoming. It is far more lucrative, at this point, to self-publish on line than to suffer further dishonesty.
Choosing a Publisher
Should a writer choose to go with a vanity or subsidy publisher, it is imperative that he/she carefully scrutinize and research these companies. Visit chat rooms where these publishers are discussed; buy samples of their books; talk with others who’ve used their services; visit websites where publisher comparisons are available.
Making the right choice is difficult and requires investigation. It’s your book, however. You’ve worked hard and deserve the best for your efforts.
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