Traditional Publishing, Self-Publishing, and Vanity Presses Explained
Image Source: ( Freddie Marriage / Unsplash)
If you've written a book and want to get it published you have to decide how you want to publish it. There are 3 main avenues you can choose: a traditional publisher, a vanity press, or publishing it yourself. But it can be difficult to get information that compares the three, and what it means for the author. Here I will give a short explanation of each, as well as some pros and cons for each approach.
Traditional
A traditional publisher is usually what people imagine when they think about publishing their book. They will take on the costs of publishing a book and give the author a percentage of sales that is referred to as royalties. The publisher will usually have editors, designers, and marketers on staff who work on the books. Publishers often specialize in a specific genre or niche, such as romance or speculative literary fiction.
Generally, publishers will offer an advance to authors, but not always, and the amount will depend on a number of factors. The author will receive royalties after they have earned enough to cover the advance. Royalty rates also vary, and different formats often have different rates. For example, an author might receive 7% from paperback sales but 25% from ebooks.
Publishers take on the risk and the bulk of the costs of publishing a book, so they keep most of the profit. Book sales are never guaranteed and publishers might lose money on a book. Or they might have a bestseller. Publishers usually take on books they are confident they can sell.
Publishers might find manuscripts through agents, submissions, or past authors. When trying to find a publisher, make sure your book fits within their catalog. A publisher who works with historical fiction isn't going to consider literary fiction, no matter how good it is. Publishers get a lot of submissions so they may give your submission 15 seconds on the initial screen. Writing a great query letter is essential in getting a second look. Literary agents can help authors in crafting query letters or even use their connections to put your manuscript in the right hands.
A traditional publisher will handle most of the work of selling a book, but authors shouldn't be hands-off. Authors who work with publishers to sell their books will generally have more success. Authors need to work on marketing their brand as much as the publisher does.
Self-publishing
An author who chooses to self-publish will accept the costs of publishing their book, but also keep all of the profits. Self-publishing is becoming more popular, and there are authors who can make a living this way.
Self-publishing has a steep learning curve, especially for first-time authors. Authors have to figure out how to get an editor, designer, and have to do their own marketing. It can be expensive just to get a book ready to be published, and sales are never guaranteed.
I suggest that authors who are considering self-publishing reach out to authors who are already self-published. Finding someone who can mentor you is invaluable, and even just getting advice from someone who has been through the process will help you avoid some mistakes.
Amazon has a great platform authors can utilize, but it's not a guarantee. There are many other books on Amazon and new releases daily. It's very possible to get lost among the rest of the book, so marketing is very important. Customers are also aware that self-published books can vary greatly in quality, so having a professional cover and description is crucial.
Self-publishing can be rewarding and you can be very successful. But just like with the other methods—sales are never guaranteed.
Vanity Press
A vanity press is a press that an author pays to publish their book. A vanity press charges the author for all services—editing, design, marketing, printing, and distribution. They usually have multiple packages that include different or more complex services. These presses are usually thought of as producing inferior books, and scamming authors. I would not recommend this for authors who are looking to publish as a career because it isn't sustainable.
Vanity presses will charge authors a lot of money for basic services, and they often pressure authors to upgrade or buy add-ons. A vanity press makes its money from authors rather than book sales. This means that the publisher doesn't have a stake in how the book sells, because they've already made their money.
A vanity press isn't the same as a printer or distributor. Printers will usually have set prices listed on their website, or a calculator you can use to get a quote. Printers and distributors charge for their services, but they will never guarantee results—a company that does is usually not a good one.
A distributor or wholesaler is a company that handles the logistics of getting a book to retailers. The distributor will represent authors or publishers and work to sell your book to retailers. A wholesaler isn't going to sell your book in the same way, they make your book available to retailers and handle the shipping aspects.
Here are some signs that a publisher is a vanity press:
They require authors to pay for editing, design, marketing, printing, and distribution services. These are often sold as a package.
They may call themselves hybrid publishers. This term doesn't have one definition, and not all hybrid publishers are vanity presses, but it is a red flag when you see other signs.
Vanity presses often offer high royalty rates.
They have not published many books.
The covers of books they've published are of poor quality or don't fit the genre.
Books they've published don't have a lot of reviews (editorial or customer).
Books they've published don't list the publisher on the cover or in the product details.
They might contact you, or you might find them while searching for publishers. But a vanity press will always charge the author and will never offer an advance.
Don’t rush this decision, do research and figure out the best option for you. Ask publishing professionals or fellow authors for their advice. Don’t be afraid to send an email to someone with a question—the worst they can do is ignore it. Publishing requires a different set of skills than writing, so make sure to do your research if you’re unsure about something.