Vanity and Subsidy Publishing
Vanity and Subsidy Publishing are two versions of bad news for an author. They rely on the author for their income, not on the sale of books. In both cases there is little if any help available to an author to ensure a professional quality book, and you are on your own wehn it comes to the all-important marketing. Be especially careful of contracts offered by such publishers; they may have restrictive conditions that are not in the author's favor.
- Vanity Publishers print and bind a book at your expense and will generally accept any manuscript regardless of its quality. The costs include the publisher's overhead and profit, which makes vanity publishing more expensive than self-publishing. The completed books are the property of the author.
- Subsidy Publishers pay part of the cost of putting the book together, but the author still pays for the printing and binding and sometimes other services as well. The completed books belong to the publisher, and the author receives minimal royalties on sales. This is the worst of all possible worlds. Don't do it - there are always better options available.
Still confused about what type of publishing will be best for your book? That's why we're here - to help find the best combination of services to make your book into the reality you envision.