Publishing Choices For Writers - Self-Publishing Vanity Presses (Part One)

Another type of publishing under the self-publishing umbrella is what is euphemistically called Vanity publishing or a Vanity press. A vanity publisher is one which will publish any book as long as an author is willing to pay for it. Because it is almost impossible for someone to get into a traditional publishing house as an unknown, vanity presses are very attractive to new authors.

The name vanity publishing stems from the fact that certain publishers, for a fee, will publish any work by appealing to an author's vanity. These authors would be willing to pay a fee to see their name in print, no matter what the quality of the manuscript. As such, vanity presses gained a reputation of being more interested in the money they got from the authors than in the quality of work since the author takes on not only all the costs but also all the risks of the success of their book. Basically then, vanity presses have nothing to lose by publishing any type of work.

This stigma attached to vanity publishers has only recently begun to be re-evaluated as the publishing industry's choices have expanded and new vanity presses have changed the vanity press business model. However, depending upon who you talk to and their outlook on vanity publishing, an author will need to look closely as to whether or not they want to choose to publish with a vanity publisher.

There are several keys to recognizing whether or not a company is a vanity publisher. The vanity publishing business model is based upon obtaining profits from being paid by the author rather than from any sales of a book. Since they will have already received their income from making the book, a true vanity publisher does not have to be concerned with the quality of the work they publish because they do not care whether or not the book ever sells.

A second key to look for when trying to determine whether an author wants to work with a vanity publisher are the services that are provided to help the author with their book. A true vanity publisher will offer no services to an author and will take a work and publish it "as is", no matter how many spelling or grammatical errors the work contains. If an author just wants to see their book in print, then this will not be an issue. However, if an author wants to have a book they are proud of displaying, then having the option to take advantage of editorial and design services is a necessity in any publisher they choose.

More recently, hybrid vanity publishing houses have emerged which are changing the way the public is looking at vanity publishing. Author House, IUniverse, Lulu, UPublish, Xlibris are all examples of hybrid vanity presses. Like vanity presses, they will publish any work for a fee, no matter the quality of the work with no editorial quality assurance review. However, these houses have added editorial and design services that an author can pay for, thus making them not true vanity houses, but rather vanity hybrids. If an author takes advantage of the editorial, cover design and layout services, these presses can produce excellent work.

Why would any author want to publish with a vanity house if it has such a bad reputation? In part two of this series about vanity publishing, I will discuss several reasons why a vanity press may be an appropriate option for an author.

Candace C. Davenport is a retired attorney and published author whose love of writing led to co-founding a small independent publishing company, Our Little Books. Our Little Books ( http://www.ourlittlebooks.com ) is dedicated to publishing inspirational, educational and fun little books for pocket or purse. Candace encourages all people to find their inner muse and become published authors with their own little book, either for pleasure or for their business. Sign up for a free report on how Becoming a Published Author Will Improve Your Credibility and Make You an Expert in Your Field at http://www.ourlittlebooks.com/free-report/. Enjoy!

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Publishing Choices For Writers - Self-Publishing Vanity Presses (Part Two)

In Part One of Vanity Presses, I discussed the nature of vanity publishing and the negative atmosphere surrounding this type of publishing. The truth is that because a vanity press is not selective in the work that it publishes, books published under a true vanity press are not seen as prestigious or as credible as those published elsewhere. This is unfortunate because this automatically lumps both good and bad books together by reputation only.

Why would an author choose to go with a vanity publisher? It could be that an author has a book for a very small business niche, or a collection of poetry, a memoir, a genealogy or family cookbook that they want published. They are more interested in making a name for themselves within their niche or giving away their book to friends and family than in profiting from the sale of their book. If they hire their own editors, cover designers and layout artists to create a great product, then publishing with a vanity publisher may be the most cost effective way of pulling everything together.

An author may want or need their book quickly. A traditional publishing house can take up to three years to get out a physical copy of a book. An author has little to no control over when the book will be out in print. Vanity publishing can get books out much quicker, in weeks rather than years, since there is no review process.

Other authors may see their first work published by a vanity press as a way to get into a traditional publishing house for a second work. Generally, traditional publishers rarely will even review an author who has not been previously published. If an author can publish a good product through a vanity press, do enough self promoting such that there are a reasonable number of sales, then those successful results may provide the foot-in-the-door needed to obtain a traditional publisher's attention for a second book.

Finally, some authors just do not want to give away control of their book. They know what they want and they do not want anyone to change how they present their book. They have their cover in mind, they have their content done. By publishing with a vanity house, control is kept by the author and they can publish whatever they want. However, an author has to balance keeping control against the stigma of going with a vanity publisher. But to some authors, control is more important than what people think.

A vanity press can be a legitimate publishing option. The assumption that a work published by a vanity press is one that could not be published elsewhere nor be a commercial success is no longer automatically correct, despite the fact that traditional publishers may want everyone to continue to believe that.

Authors need to be aware of the historically bad reputation that is attached to a vanity press when making their decision to go with such a publishing house. But by taking advantage of the extra services offered, an author may get a great book through a vanity publisher with the advantages of self-publishing and the look of traditional publishing.

Candace C. Davenport is a retired attorney and published author whose love of writing led to co-founding a small independent publishing company, Our Little Books. Our Little Books (http://www.ourlittlebooks.com) is dedicated to publishing inspirational, educational and fun little books for pocket or purse. Candace encourages all people to find their inner muse and become published authors with their own little book, either for pleasure or for their business. Sign up for a free report on how Becoming a Published Author Will Improve Your Credibility and Make You an Expert in Your Field at http://www.ourlittlebooks.com/free-report/. Enjoy!

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Self-Publishing - Vanity Or Necessity?

Over the last decade, I have watched Christian publishers shift their focus away from being "message minded" to being "dollar minded." Rather than Christian publishers setting the trends, they have chosen to follow those of the secular book publishing market (also known as the ABA or the American Booksellers Association). Since I've been involved in the publishing industry, I've watched the general market focus more on publishing "celebrities" than authors with something important to say. Christian publishers as a whole have followed along with this mentality. Painful but true. Why is that? Because many Christian publishers have been bought out by secular conglomerates. The bottom line is no longer ministry but profits. A recent Writers Digest article sadly portrayed the state of Christian publishing as well as secular.

Brian DeFiori, former editor in chief of Hyperion Books, said, "Every publisher focuses on one or two books. We have room for the 10 million-copy novel everyone's heard about, but everything else flies under the radar."

Writers Digest, January 2006

"The State of the Industry"

Because of the current state of the market, more and more writers are investigating their options for alternative ways of getting into print, out of necessity. Here are six simple reasons why self-publishing is fast becoming the obvious choice for many Christians who have a message to share but are not "big name" enough to attract a traditional publisher.

1) Guaranteed publication.

The truth is you may not have any other option for getting your book into print.

2) More profit.

On my first experience with self-publishing, almost twenty years ago, the ministry I worked with self-published 10,000 copies of a 144-page book. The profit to the ministry for the sale of those 10,000 copies was approximately $40,000. When Multnomah picked up the rights, over an eight year period, they sold another 40,000 copies. How much did the ministry make in royalties and personal sales from those 40,000 copies? Only $21,000. You do the math, and it's easy to see that if you have a market for your book and it sells well, it is much more profitable to self-publish.

3) Create a track record for your book.

In sixteen years, we have had many authors who have proven the market for their book. They've self-published their book, sold out their initial printing of 5,000 or 10,000 copies, and been picked up by a traditional publisher.

4) Retain control.

Many authors choose self-publishing because their message is hard hitting, controversial, or cutting edge, and they do not want to risk that a traditional publisher might "water down" the message. When you sell your manuscript to a traditional publisher, you no longer retain editorial rights or control. When you self-publish, you stay in the driver's seat. I can't tell you how many authors I know who were disappointed with the editorial changes that were made in their manuscript when they went the traditional route.

5) Turnaround time.

With a royalty publisher, the typical time it takes from signing the contract to publication is eighteen to twenty-four months or more. With self-publishing you can have a quality book in print in as little as three to six months. This can certainly be important if your message is timely or current events might help boost sales for your book. Carol Vandesteeg wrote a book called When Duty Calls for family members of active duty military who are being deployed. The book was in print by August 15, 2001, just six months from the time she turned the manuscript in, and just three weeks before 9/11. Because of the timeliness of her message, she sold over 25,000 copies and ended up getting picked up by Cook Communications. If she had tried to get a traditional publisher, she would have missed that window of opportunity.

6) Establish or expand your speaking ministry.

As I participate on Editor's panels at Christian writers' conferences across the country, I constantly hear editors say that unless you have a platform, a following, a successful speaking ministry, then chances are slim that they would be interested in taking a risk on an unknown author. However, in order to establish a platform or speaking ministry with any measure of credibility, you must be a published author.

New alternatives like print on demand enable you to get into print, without a large financial risk, and thereby establish or expand your platform and prove the market for your message.

The important thing to keep in mind is that excellence is the key to a successful self-publishing project. The last thing you want to do is look self-published, so working with a professional in the self-publishing process is of utmost importance. Sally Stuart made the following comment which punctuates my point:

Although the stigma attached to self-published books is blurring, it is still true that in order for such a book to get equal attention, it must also maintain the highest quality of workmanship."Sally Stuart's Market Update,"

The Christian Communicator, Nov/Dec 2001

There are many pitfalls in the road of self-publishing. That's why I always advise working with a professional custom publisher, one that is recommended by Sally Stuart in the Christian Writers Market Guide.

So, is self publishing really vanity publishing? Not any more!

"The general, prevailing theory used to be that if you self-published, it was because you couldn't find a publisher-it was vanity publishing," says Rick Wolff, an executive editor at Warner Books. "That's changed dramatically."

Writers Digest, January 2006 - "The State of the Industry"

Athena Dean, founder of WinePress Publishing and three-time self-published author, has coached hundreds of authors through the daunting task of book production and promotion. Over the last 17 years she has helped bring the degree of credibility for self-published works up to the high level of acceptance in the industry it enjoys today. Athena functions as Acquisitions Manager for WinePress Publishing Group http://www.winepressgroup.com and is currently the President of the Northwest Christian Writers' Association http://www.nwchristianwriters.org Check out her You Can Do It - Promote and Market Your Self Published Book Blog at http://athenadean.authorweblog.com

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The Truth About Vanity Publishing

Many authors are choosing to publish their masterpieces on their own terms using vanity or subsidy publishers, otherwise known as "paid-for publishing", "self-publishers" and "self-publishing companies". While these establishments do have their uses, for example for specialty, limited-release books, or private books including poetry and memoirs, there are quite a few drawbacks to their use. Here's the bare-boned truth:

Truth #1: Sacrificial Quality

Most of these "self-publishing companies" do not require editing or professional design for your book. Often they will tell you to use a template because it's cheap, but beware: your book will look like it belongs in a series written by someone else. These companies have a reputation of "ripping off" authors (though most of the time the author just hasn't done their proper research) and several are undergoing lawsuits for a myriad of reasons. If you have a company name on your book that doesn't belong to you, you are at the mercy of that company's reputation. So research very carefully before giving your money to any vanity/subsidy publisher.

Truth #2: Royalties and Up Front Payments

Like it or not, subsidy or vanity publishers are not in business to publish your best seller. They are here to make a profit, pure and simple. Luckily for them, their simple business model has worked quite well. Unlike the average author, which makes a profit by selling books, these "self-publishing" houses make a profit by convincing authors to use their services, pay fees and often give up a hefty percentage of the profits for the services provided. However, they are kind enough to give the author "royalties", thus graying the terminology between a vanity/subsidy publisher and a traditional house.

These publishers will convince authors to use their services by claiming to be easier to use, offering more autonomy than traditional publishers and a ease-of-use that seems to be second to none under first inspection. However, if someone were to look a little bit closer, the great deal offered often looks a little less great the more it is studied. For example, in most cases:

* The author is responsible for format: typesetting, graphics and book cover design, either by themselves or by hiring someone to do it. If the vanity/subsidy publisher is asked to help with the task, there is an upfront fee, sometimes in the thousands of dollars for a fully custom format.

* The author is responsible for all edits, or for having someone edit their manuscript. Again, if the vanity/subsidy publishing house is brought on board, there is an upfront fee, in addition to the cost already cited for publication and distribution.

* Even if the author chooses to complete the formatting, editing and marketing all on their own, they are still required to give somewhere between 60% to 90% of their profits to the vanity/subsidy publisher, and resort to making a meager "royalty".

Like it or not, these vanity/subsidy publishing houses will make money off of your hard work To be fair though, there are some subsidy publishers who have much better and fairer terms of contract. Unfortunately they can be very hard to find.

Truth #3: Who Really Owns the Rights?

Believe it or not, one of the biggest and most damaging mistakes that authors make when dealing with vanity/subsidy publishers is not knowing what they're getting into, and not carefully reading the terms of contract. Most authors believe at the end of the process, they will own the copyright, distribution rights and everything related to the printing of their book. Sadly, though, most subsidy publishing agreements will provide the copyright to the author, but give exclusive distribution rights to the publisher. That means that without careful consideration and negotiation on the part of the author, they are limited in how, when and where the book is distributed. Depending on the various agreements of the vanity/subsidy publisher with their distributors, the exposure of your book could be very limited. This also closes the door to a vanity/subsidy book being picked up by a major traditional publisher. According to a few editors I met at the Blue Ridge Writer's Conference in June, traditional publishers hate fighting vanity/subsidy companies for distribution rights to a book, so more often than not they will simply not accept that book for mainstream publication, even if they want it.

Truth #4: Bookstore Sales Won't Happen

Unless a vanity/subsidy publisher sets a book up properly, you can say goodbye to brick and mortar sales. Many of these publishers won't even promise these sales to you anymore, because they know their name is "red flagged" by major bookstore chains. In order for a book to be accepted by a brick and mortar store for stocking and to have the author in for a book signing, three criteria must be met:

* Wholesale discount-A discount of a minimum of 45% must be given to the distributor. Most vanity/subsidy publishers offer 25% - 35%.

* Price point-The book must fit within consumer guidelines for pricing. Vanity/subsidy publishers make money off the back end, especially "free" publishers. They mark the price of the book up (first they tell you that you set the price, then they say "within our guidelines") to make a profit on the print cost, then in order to meet the wholesale discount it must be marked up again so they don't lose money on the back-end. Example: I priced out my 120-page book, Financial Survival with a popular "free" vanity publisher and my minimum recommended price point was $16.95, a price no one except maybe my mother would pay.

* Returnability-Here's where most vanity/subsidy publishers really fall short. In order to meet bookstore guidelines, the book must be labeled as returnable. One popular vanity publisher actually charges $800/year for this privilege and then destroys the books as they are returned instead of sending them on to you, the author, to resell.

There are a couple vanity/subsidy publishers that meet the above criteria without additional fees. But once again, they are hard to find.

Where's the Hope?

So what is an author to do? There are a few options open to those who wish to publish their books, and one of them is to go straight through traditional publishing channels. There is a reason why this has been the standard for so many years. With patience, a killer proposal and a large author platform, it is entirely possible to be traditionally published. However, if you feel that self-publishing is your best route to becoming an author, or you don't want to wait 3-5 years to see that book in print, it is possible to truly self-publish. Many printing houses will provide the use of their printing services for a fee, and most are extremely reasonable. You can even open a publishing company of your own. Then, it is a matter of getting an ISBN for the book for $125.00 (or $250 for 10 of them), contracting a quality editor and designer and using the services of a print house to print and bind the books.

By publishing on your own (independently), you broaden your potential for distribution and keep many marketing doors open that would otherwise slam shut. Many indie-published authors will use a combination of online sales, marketing to brick and mortar booksellers, "back of the room" sales and distribution through friends and family to move the majority of their books. Plus, if a publishing house takes an interest in your book, the current book or next edition just might be published through their company, giving you the power to negotiate a bigger advance and better contract.

Please don't misunderstand-true self-publishing ("indie") is not for everyone. However, if you know that your book is worth publishing, it is definitely worth a look into publishing it completely under your own terms!

Kristen helps you get the book out of your head and into print. Visit http://www.kristeneckstein.com for free author resources, training, and more!

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