Book Publishing - Vanity Publishers Will Take You to the Cleaners

Many more people than you might think believethem. Once you've signed on the dotted-line they
that they have a book or two inside of them, andhave achieved their goal because they will then
they are yearning to get it out. In fact, almosthave a "lock" on 90% or more of your book
every day I get e-mails from folks asking for helpsales revenues for the foreseeable future.
or information on how to write and publish a bookTHE LITTLE KNOWN TRUTH ABOUT VANITY
or ebook.PUBLISHERS:o They often require "exclusive
These folks are not planning to be the nextrights" to your book/ebook so only they will be
Hemingway or anything like that - they're justable to sell/distribute it - normally for a period of
regular people who have a story to tell or someyears.o They pay you very low royalties, usually
information to share. A few of the optimists areabout 7% to 10% of the cover price, and they
hoping to write the next block-buster novel, butkeep the rest.o They sometimes charge the
the majority of them have much more humbleauthor incrementally for various support services
writing/publishing ambitions. They want to writesuch as editing, proof-reading, design, graphics,
about such subjects as: their family, their kids,marketing support, etc.o Many of them make
their job, their hobby, their invention, their pet,their money by charging the author substantial
their travels, their personal experiences, etc.printing costs whenever the author needs
If you've surfed around the Net looking for helpadditional copies of their own book to distribute to
getting your book/ebook published you'vetheir buyers. (e.g. only 10% to 30% off of cover
probably run across one or more of the so-calledprice).o Most have little or no distribution network,
"vanity" publishers. Since you're reading this,and are counting on you, the author, to find your
there's a chance that you haven't yet signed upown buyers.
with one of those outfits - and that's good newsSo, whatever you do, DO NOT sign up with one
for you!of these outfits WITHOUT at least requesting a
BEWARE: If you are a new or aspiring writer andcopy of the contract, and then reading it in careful
or self-publisher you are being targeted by scoresdetail!
of "vanity" publishers which populate the Internet.THE BOTTOM LINE ON VANITY PUBLISHERS:
These outfits want you to sign up with them soVanity publishers will indeed get your book
that they can pocket 90% or more of the"published", and eventually you will hold a copy in
proceeds from sales of YOUR book. Sorry, butyour hands.
that's the sad truth!BUT, and this is a big but...o From sign-up, until
So, "What exactly is a vanity publisher..." you ask?your book is ready, there's a good chance it will
Keep on reading...cost you many months and many hundreds of
The word "vanity" is defined in the dictionary asdollars.o You will make very little money from
"...conceit and desire for admiration because ofbook sales, if any, due to a combination of:
one's personal achievements...". Accordingly, these"unforeseen" publishing/printing expenses, lack of a
publishers are known as "vanity" publisherssignificant publisher distribution network, and paltry
because they focus on this "desire" and offerroyalty payments.
anyone who has written a book, the ability to getIn the end, what a vanity publisher really wants is
it printed and published, and out into the publicthe exclusive rights to print and/or distribute the
domain.hard-earned fruits of your writing labours... YOUR
The vanity publishers are well aware that anyoneBOOK. After all, it costs them next to nothing to
who has labored hard to write a book will doprint your book because they already have the
almost anything to get it published. They are alsoresources and technology in-place, in any case. In
aware that the chance of one's book/ebook beingexchange, they get as much as 90% of the
picked-up by one of the established publishingproceeds from each sale of YOUR book!
houses is slim, at best. This knowledge givesSo, if you are serious about selling more than a
them a lot of leverage.few dozen copies of your book to friends, family
That's why they tend to target first time authors,and acquaintances, I strongly advise you to avoid
and focus on their often desperate need to getthese vanity publisher outfits like the plague.
published.It was when I realized exactly what vanity
HOW TO IDENTIFY VANITY PUBLISHERS ATpublishers are all about, and how they operate,
FIRST GLANCE:o They are so-called "publishingthat I decided to develop what I have since
houses" that focus on first-time amateur authorsdubbed the Online Publishing Model. Using that
and tell them that they will accept ANYapproach to self-publishing allows people to take
manuscript and get it published, no matter what.ocharge of their own book. In fact, the OPM shows
They promise to publish your book for free or atyou exactly how to publish, distribute and market
very low cost. (and they will - but with a few littleyour book/ebook online so that YOU will be in
catches).o They offer many supposedly low costcontrol, and NOT at the mercy of the exploitive
ancillary services such as proofing, editing,"vanity publishers".
graphics, marketing, etc., "should you ever needIf you're looking for a successful publishing
them."o Each one claims that it is somehowexperience, you might want to give this
"different" from all of those "other" vanityindependent approach to self-publishing, using the
publishers.Online Publishing Model, some serious consideration.
Essentially, these operators use a type ofCopyright © Shaun R. Fawcett. All rights
"loss-leader" approach, offering you all kinds ofreserved.
benefits up-front so you'll sign a contract with