What Are Vanity, Subsidy, and Self Publishing?

In my last post, we talked about traditional, royalty-paying publishing, in which a publishing company buys rights for a finite period and pays all costs to publish a book.

In other publishing models, however, the author pays to have the book published. Many writers and others in the industry proclaim loudly that "Writers should never pay - they should always be paid!"

Although I believe all forms of publishing have a place, it's important that writers understand what each is and make the right decision for them and their books. Unfortunately, there are a lot of scams, especially among vanity publishers, and writers must be informed.

You'll find useful information at Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America's Writer Beware.

Here's a quick overview of the three kinds of publishers:
Vanity publishers are publishers who charge (usually very high prices) to print and bind books for authors. Vanity publishers publish any book whose author has the money to pay, and they generally do no marketing or promotion. Although they don't call themselves vanity publishers, they have earned this name because the main reason authors publish with them is for vanity - they just want to see their name in print and can afford to pay for the privilege. Writers need to be very careful when dealing with publishers who charge for their services because vanity publishers often call themselves "co-op," "subsidy," "joint venture," "small press," "partner," or any of a number of other names to hide their true nature. They often disguise their fees, too, so be sure you know exactly who and what you're dealing with.

Subsidy publishers also charge authors to publish books, but legitimate subsidy publishers provide the full range of services that traditional, royalty-paying publishers provide. They also charge reasonable fees for their services; of course, they make a profit, but not an exorbitant one! They are selective in what they publish; if a company agrees to publish your work without reviewing it, you should be very suspicious. Since vanity presses often claim to be subsidy publishers, check references and samples of the publisher's work.

Self-publishing means that the author arranges every aspect of publishing (hiring an editor, contracting with a printer, finding a cover designer, registering the copyright, acquiring the ISBN, etc., ) himself. This can be labor- and time-intensive, but it can also mean a less expensive and higher quality product.

Subsidy or self-publishing may be a good choice for writers who want to take control of the publishing process and who are willing to promote their own work. Writers of nonfiction, especially those with a platform such as public speaking and teaching, may do very well with subsidy or self-publishing. Books that aren't likely to be accepted by a commercial publisher, such as family history, are especially suited to this type of publishing.

But writers have to investigate carefully to ensure they're dealing with a legitimate company that will produce a quality product at a fair price on schedule.