Subsidy/Vanity Press Article - ABC Australia

Discussion and links regarding potentially problematic publishers, agents, writing contests, etc.

Moderators: RedBaron, itsjoanne, RedBaron, itsjoanne, RedBaron, itsjoanne

Post Reply
User avatar
Deb Porter
FaithWriters and Site Admin
FaithWriters and Site Admin
Posts: 1677
Joined: Mon Nov 14, 2005 4:02 am
Location: Sydney, Australia
Contact:

Subsidy/Vanity Press Article - ABC Australia

Post by Deb Porter »

Hi everyone.

I just shared this with the FaithWriters community group on Facebook, and it is important enough to share here as well.

This is an Australian article, but it is true worldwide. Thanks to these predators, the market is being saturated with books that either should never have been published, or at least not published yet. There are, of course, different degrees of subsidy (vanity) presses out there. Some are very upfront about their costs and packages. They are very clear it is a service, and they price it as such. If that helps a person with limited skills or willingness to self-publish, then these reasonable services may be an option. However, many subsidy/vanity press companies, such as the example in this story, are scammers to the highest degree. Authors need to be aware.

Literal self-publishing is a viable choice if the author takes control of all aspects of the book's development (editing, layout, cover design, marketing, etc). They then reap the reward (little as it may be). However, subsidy press options are incorrectly referred to as self-publishing. The subsidy press IS the publisher, and they make almost all their money out of the author--not from selling books.

I am very glad to see the particular publisher in the article finally pointed out as a vanity press. I came across them a year ago when an aspiring author showed me the contract they had been offered. Same spiel as shown in the article below. I told her to run, not walk, and don't look back (she had been seriously considering it). But I cannot believe these blood-suckers actually include publisher/author lunches in the author's contract. Can you believe it? The author in this article actually paid for the extravagant lunch with the publishers! Without realising it. I may only take my authors to the nearest cafe to chat, when possible, but I pay for it.

So please take care. There are some subsidy press companies that charge a fair amount to be able to publish a book that may not otherwise have a chance to be published. (BUT please, if you ever go this route, ensure your book has been professionally published and assessed first.) However, if you are thinking of going the subsidy/vanity press route, do your homework. Even better, check out your other options first.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/pro ... es/6759616

Love, Deb
Deb
FaithWriters' Writing Challenge Co-ordinator
Breath of Fresh Air Press

Breath of Fresh Air Press - a little publisher with a lot of heart

Image
Post Reply

Return to “Forewarned is Forearmed”