Vanity publishing is a term you may already be familiar with.
It is often considered to be a form of publishing operated by unscrupulous printers who will provide you with copies of your book, often at a high cost.
It’s not advised for authors to go down this route.
This month, I wanted to raise awareness of some of the potential perils that authors can face when trying to get their work ‘out there’.
Potential Problems With Vanity Publishing
Here are a few reasons why vanity publishing might not be for you.
1. Empty Promises
A vanity publisher will often offer to get your manuscript into the hands of readers. But if it is your first manuscript, it is unlikely to sell thousands of copies.
So, a vanity press company will promise sales and tell you that the upfront costs may be recouped later.
2. Little Quality Control
A vanity publisher will publish all of the manuscripts it receives. However the author will pick up all of the associated costs. A vanity publisher can therefore be unselective.
The vanity publisher’s audience is primarily the author and possibly a small number of other interested people. But often the author will buy the majority of copies, setting a number of books aside for friends and family.
One suggestion implied by the term ‘vanity publishing’ is that the book would not otherwise be commercially successful.
3. Risk Of Higher Costs
A vanity publisher will charge a fee and their involvement might include the author signing away their rights to their published material.
Additionally, they may provide little or no editing, cover art, or marketing services.
You can read our section on publishing for more information about what different publishing models include.
Vanity Publishing vs Self-Publishing
You might be wondering what the difference is between vanity publishing and self-publishing.
John Scalzi proposed this alternative:
“While in the process of self-publishing, money and rights are controlled by the writer. Self-publishing is distinguished from vanity publishing by the writer maintaining control of copyright, as well as the editorial and publishing process, including marketing and distribution.”