Vanity publishers prey on unsuspecting and inexperienced writers who desperately want to ‘live the dream’ without doing a lot of the hard work of making that dream a reality. Mostly, they try to skip the hard work part due to simple ignorance (the nice kind where you just don’t know something yet, not the insulting kind). Sometimes, they try to skip it because they think they’re hot shit and the vanity publisher actually believes they are, too.
First of all, what is a vanity publisher or vanity press?
ANY SO-CALLED PUBLISHER WHO WANTS MONEY FROM YOU.
That’s it. If they ask you for any money to publish your book, they are a bunch of lying, cheating, preying scum.***
How Vanity Publishers Snag Writers
I am a member of probably far too many social media writers groups and fiction writing forums. Amid the help, great networking opportunities, and playful banter with other writers, I frequently find evidence of one of the deadliest writers sins out there: vanity.
It comes in various forms, but one of the most insidious and damaging is the belief in vanity presses as a viable way to get your book published. It all starts with a seemingly innocuous approach. Someone calling themselves a publisher wants to make your book available to the masses. It sounds amazing. Not only are you good enough to publish, but you are so impressive that a company actually approached you out of the blue with an offer to make all your dreams come true.
(Cue a video clip of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer cavorting through the snow yelling, “She likes me. She really likes me!”)
A Publisher Only Likes Your Book if It Makes Them Money
It may sound horribly commercial and consumerish, but that’s the plain truth of any industry. It’s about money. You may want to share your unique vision with readers, but you do that by publishing and selling your book. That’s just how it works.
REAL publishers (traditional or trade publishers) pay you for your book-writing efforts because they know they will make more money off it in the long run. They think your book is marketable and readers will spend money on it.
VANITY publishers don’t care if your book sells at all because they already got their money directly from you. They have NO incentive to offer, marketing, or even produce your book well because they already have what they want: your money.
How Much Does It Cost to Get Published?
NOTHING.
Whether you submit to traditional publishers, small presses, or self-publish, actually publishing costs NOTHING. If you self-publish, you will have to pay for editing, cover design, etc. Publishing the book, however, is 100% free.
Vanity publishers have been around for a very long time. They have made TONS of money off unsuspecting or arrogant writers who think paying is some kind of short cut to success. The vast majority of them lost money and barely sold any books. Every week in writer’s groups I see another sad story about a writer getting cheated out of thousands of dollars. Don’t make the same mistake.
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*** Please note that editors, book formatters, cover designers, and some book coaches etc. are NOT lying, cheating scum. They are professionals who provide valuable services that help you publish successfully. The difference is paying for a valuable service vs. paying to get published. Big difference.
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