Out of curiosity, I hosted a survey about self-publishing on a writing site. Many people have self-published their books; others have considered self-publishing; and some would never consider self-publishing.
Answers to the questions in the survey varied considerably. One thought that seemed rather consistent was most people didn't know the difference between self-publishing and vanity press. In today's publishing world, the two differ, but they also seem to overlap each other at times.
The survey contained six questions or remarks. I will quote or summarize the results and in places add some information found through other research.
1. What is the definition of self-publishing?
A summary of comments include self-publishing is where the author has enough faith in his own work to underwrite the cost of publication. The author does not go via a commercial publisher, but arranges everything directly with the printer.
Self-publishing is where the author takes on the role of publisher, editor, layout specialist, publicist, marketing guru, production coordinator, and sales manager. For an author who is skilled in these areas, cutting out the middleman and keeping more of the profit makes a lot of sense. However, if an author is not skilled in all of these things, the end product can be a disaster.
According to definition, self-publishing is the publishing of books and other media by the authors of those works, rather than by established, third-party publishers. Although it represents a small percentage of the publishing industry in terms of sales, it has been present in one form or another since the beginning of publishing and has seen an increase in activity with the advancement of publishing technology, including xerography, desktop publishing systems, print on demand, and the World Wide Web. Cultural phenomena such as the punk/DIY movement, the proliferation of media channels, and blogging have contributed to the advancement of self-publishing.
2. Is self-publishing the same as vanity publishing? What is the difference or how are they the same?
One person answered, "No! But they do tend to carry the same stigma, for the same reasons. Too many people are too eager to see their words in print and too impatient to carefully attend to the details, so 'self-publishing' and 'vanity press' and 'subsidy publishing' all share this image of high price and low quality. I doesn't have to be that way, though."
Other remarks supported the first statement. In some respects the two are the same, except some publishers found ways to blur the lines. At least one "publisher" doesn't require the author pay anything to have a book published, but the author receives little or nothing in return. Only the most surface editing is done, and the book is not promoted. The royalty fees are low, and the author's rights are kept for seven years or more.
3. Have you ever self-published, or will you in the future? Why or why not?
The first group of comments deal with "no" answers. "No, though I easily could. But a writer shouldn't have to force himself on an audience ... But then, John Grisham is noted for self-publishing his first effort to sell out of the back of his care."
"No. I'm a bookseller. We resist vanity presses (considers self-publishing and vanity press as synonymous) all day, every day. Here's why:
The lack of an impartial selection process.
The (likely) lack of an editor in the mix.
My prior experience of hideous uncommercial amateur jacket art - do not let anyone tell your jacket design is irrelevant to a book's chance of selling.
The fact that Sale OR Return won't be happening, so if the vanity press title does not sell, the cash that purchased it is tied up in increasingly scruffy stock on the shelf.
owe it to the world to get my work into print, and they'll help me do that for just $4995, I'm going RUN, not walk, the opposite direction."
"I think a small or independent publisher would treat my work with far more care and dedication than a major publisher."
"Small publisher = smaller slush pile."
6. Comments:
A person should decide what he wants from being published before deciding what kind of publisher wanted.
From the bookseller: "I'm not sure that writers get how intensely booksellers despise vanity presses. You cannot imagine how abysmal the stuff they put out can be. ... The big commercial house put out enough bilge."
"My opinion is not formed by experience, but I have seen enough to sense that the 'times they are a changing.' A number of artists, mainly recording artists, now produce and distribute their own works, bypassing the stranglehold and limitations of the established producers."
The bottom line is whether or not an author has the means to have his work thoroughly edited, to have a quality design for book block and cover, and is will to do all the promoting necessary. If so, he might consider self-publishing. However, once the book is printed, the hard work begins: getting bookstores to accept the book, marketing it so that enough copies are sold to create a profit.
However, as noted above, getting work accepted by a traditional publisher is also extremely difficult. Even if an author is fortunate enough to have a quality agent accept him, persuading a publisher to accept a manuscript is hard.
Small publishing houses might be the answer for beginning writers, if they are good writers. Self-publishing may be answer for some authors and some types of writing.
After teaching composition for twenty-five years and becoming an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ a site for Poetry, Vivian Gilbert Zabel produced Hidden Lies and Other Stores, Walking the Earth:, The Base Stealers Club, and Case of the Missing Coach, which can be ordered through most book stores and on Amazon.com.
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