Vanity Presses

The publishing industry is hard even without all the scams out there. New or discouraged authors are particularly vulnerable to those who would take advantage of them. Today, we'll discuss vanity presses and how to know who you're dealing with.

A vanity press, also known as a subsidy publisher, operates on a business model where the author pays to have their book published. This stands in stark contrast to traditional and indie publishing, where publishers pay for all the up-front costs of editing, designing, marketing, and distributing a book, and pay the author royalties. Vanity presses stick you with all the financial risk. They offer packages of services, including production and sometimes promotion, but the effectiveness and value can vary widely.

WHY THEY EXIST

The appeal of vanity presses lies in the promise of seeing your work published without navigating the often challenging traditional publishing landscape. This can be enticing for authors who have faced repeated rejections. Some authors publishing for a niche audience, for personal fulfillment, or as a legacy project may find a good fit. These pay-to-play services capitalize on an author's desire to be professionally published for prestige or a personal goal.

THE CONCERN

The vanity press model garners criticism for being predatory and misleading. Authors might be wooed with the promise of professional-quality services and broad distribution, only to face high costs, limited editorial support, poor production, and minimal distribution. The financial arrangement — where the press profits from the author's payment rather than book sales — creates a scenario in which the publisher's incentive to actually sell books is almost zero.

Suggestion: Check the Authors Guild Scam Page for the latest on predatory services.

THOROUGH RESEARCH

As with any publishing deal, do your own research and rely on your network. (BTW — if an agent asks you to pay for their services, back away, then report them.)

Background Check: Look into the publisher's history, how long they've been in business, and their track record. The Better Business Bureau can offer insights into complaints and resolutions.

Author Testimonials: Search for feedback from authors who've worked with the publisher. Be mindful of overly positive testimonials on the publisher's own site; seek out independent forums.

Red Flags: Watch for repeated issues mentioned by other authors — hidden fees, poor communication, lack of distribution, or subpar quality.

READ UP

Educate Yourself: Learn the differences between traditional, indie, vanity, and hybrid publishing. This knowledge helps you identify which model is being offered.

FYI: Hybrid publishing combines professional services and shared financial burden, offering high royalties and creative control while "ensuring quality and distribution support."

Service Costs: Familiarize yourself with the typical costs of editing, cover design, and marketing so you recognize when you're being overcharged.

Breakdown: Here's my blog on the subject: Unveiling the Costs.

Understand Your Rights: Be aware of the rights you should retain and what it means to sign them away.

LEGAL

I am not a lawyer. This is not legal advice, just some practical concepts I've considered.

Attorney: Consider consulting a lawyer who specializes in literary or intellectual property law. It might be more expensive than you'd like, but it could save you money if you're concerned about a contract.

Contract Terms: Make sure you fully understand who owns the rights, what the royalties are, whether there's an earn-out clause, hidden costs, obligations, and termination clauses. Don't be afraid to ask for clarifications or modifications.

Red Flags: Be cautious of contracts that transfer rights indefinitely, lack clear definitions of services, or make it difficult for you to leave the agreement.

Common Sense: If a deal seems too good to be true, it might be.

UPFRONT FEES

What's Covered: Ask for a detailed breakdown of services and what each fee entails.

Compare Costs: Research the costs of similar services from other publishers or independent providers to gauge if the fees are reasonable.

Consider Other Routes: If the costs seem exorbitant, explore options that may be more economical or offer better value.

IMO: Self-publishing and co-op publishing are the present and future of publishing.

DEMAND TRANSPARENCY

If things aren't crystal clear, ask for clarification until you understand the ins and outs of the deal.

Portfolio: Ask for examples of books they've published, especially in your genre. Look them up and check their sales:

• How many reviews do they have?

• What is their sales rank in their genres?

• Have any of their books hit it big?

Chat with Clients: You can usually find authors' websites and social handles. Most authors are happy to give you a thumbs up or down.

Clear Communication: If they aren't great at communication now, you'll end up with communication problems later.

RETAIN RIGHTS

Rights Transfer: Avoid agreements that require you to transfer your copyright to the publisher. Retaining your rights means you control how your work is used in the future.

Negotiate Terms: If any rights (international, audiobook, etc.) are to be licensed, ensure the terms are favorable — limited terms, specific territories, and the ability to reclaim rights if conditions aren't met.

WATCHDOGS

Organizations like the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) and Writer Beware track and report on predatory practices. They offer guides, checklists, and databases — use them as part of your research.

RESOURCES

Legal: Sites like LegalZoom or Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts can provide access to legal advice.

Publishing Guides: Books like "The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published" by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry offer comprehensive insights.

Online Courses: Platforms like Udemy or Coursera have courses on indie publishing and marketing.

Author Associations: Joining an association in your genre provides networking and industry insights.

Online Communities: If you aren't interacting with other authors yet, jump on board. We love to help each other.

ALTERNATIVES

Indie Publishing: Take control yourself using platforms like Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing or IngramSpark for print-on-demand.

Traditional Publishing: Submit to publishers that don't charge fees and pay a royalty on sales.

Hybrid Publishing: Publishers offering a middle ground where costs are shared but you retain more control and a higher royalty.

Caution: There have been reports of abusive hybrid publishers that operate more like vanity presses.

Professional Services: Individually hire professionals for editing, design, and marketing, keeping control over your publication.

Spotting Them

Upfront Fees: Legitimate publishers pay authors, not the other way around. Significant upfront fees are a sign of a vanity press.

Lack of Editorial Standards: Vanity presses may claim to provide editing, but the quality is often subpar or nonexistent.

Promises: Be wary of guaranteed sales or bestseller status. No publisher can guarantee success.

Rights Grab: Some require authors to sign over rights without clearly explaining the terms.

Lack of Transparency: Legit publishers are transparent about services, fees, and contract terms.

Pressure Tactics: Beware of high-pressure sales or attempts to rush you into signing.

Poor Reputation: Research reviews and testimonials. A history of complaints is a warning.

Unprofessional: Spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, and unprofessional design suggest the publisher isn't reputable.

DO THEY PAY OFF?

While it's possible to make money through a vanity press, it's typically much harder than traditional or reputable self-publishing. The upfront fees eat into any potential profits. They usually lack the distribution and marketing of traditional publishers, and even when you sell copies, vanity presses often offer lower royalties. If you're serious about earning income, pursue traditional or indie publishing through reputable platforms.

ARE THEY ALL BAD?

Not all vanity presses are scams per se, but almost all operate against the authors' interests and rarely provide value. If you simply want a book published and aren't concerned with costs or success, they can be a convenient end-to-end solution. Otherwise…

LEGIT PUBLISHERS

It's important to differentiate legitimate indie publishers and service providers from vanity presses that exploit authors. Expert services charge for specific work, editing, cover design, distribution, but do so transparently and without false promises of success. Authors retain full control and still receive royalties.

INDIE PUBLISHERS

Many vanity publishers come across like indie publishers at first. The key difference: vanity publishers charge you; indie publishers pay you. Some general ranges:

Royalties: Indie publishers typically offer higher royalty rates than traditional ones — 10% to 70% of net sales revenue depending on the model and contract.

Note: "Net Sales" means total income minus costs (editing, cover art, formatting). If sales don't rise above costs, you won't receive royalties.

Advances: Advances tend to be smaller than traditional publishers' — from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, depending on platform, genre, and projected sales.

Note: Advances can be counted as "costs," meaning you often don't start earning until the publisher recoups your advance.

Marketing and Promotion: Support varies. Some offer limited help (catalog inclusion, press releases, social promotion); others run comprehensive campaigns.

Hint: Look at the publisher's marketing efforts for other authors, and ask those authors how they feel about it.

Rights: Indie publishers may offer more favorable rights retention. You may keep e-book, audiobook, foreign-language, and adaptation rights.

Note: If they don't provide services for a book format, they shouldn't get rights for that format.

Services: Indie publishers typically provide editing, cover design, formatting, and other production services as part of the package. These costs subtract from net revenue, so it takes longer to earn out.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. How do vanity presses make money?
A. Primarily by charging authors upfront fees for publishing services. They take a sizable cut from editing, formatting, cover design, and marketing — often hiring low-quality consultants so they can take a larger cut.

Q. What are the signs of a vanity press scam?
A. I'll answer in three ways: upfront costs, upfront costs, and upfront costs.

Q. Why do authors use vanity presses?
A. Rejection from traditional publishers, a desire for a faster process, or a lack of understanding of the industry. Some like the end-to-end service or want the prestige of being published.

Q. Can you make money with a vanity press?
A. It's challenging due to high upfront costs and typically low sales. The lack of effective distribution and marketing makes recovering your investment difficult.

Q. How can I tell if a publishing offer is from a vanity press?
A. If the publisher asks for payment to publish your book, it's a clear sign. Legitimate traditional and most hybrid publishers do not require payment from authors.

Q. What should I do if approached by a vanity press?
A. Decline politely. If contacted on social media, block them and post your experience so others know.

Q. Are all vanity presses scams?
A. Not all are outright scams, but most operate on a model that benefits the publisher far more than the author.

Q. How can I avoid vanity press scams?
A. Be frank about needing to know their standard advance, royalty, and references from past and present authors.