If I never hear the term vanity publisher again, I will be a happy writer. It's an archaic term left over from the early late 19th and 20th centuries before we had home computers. They way it worked was if you had enough money, you could pay someone to "publish" your book without benefit of editing, decent design, or even a good product. One was considered vain to have "just anything" published rather than having it done by a reputable established publisher. A writer who paid to have their book published wasn't viewed as a "real" writer. They were desperate, they were shunned, their book was of inferior quality and their vanity knew no bounds.
Turn the world ahead to the online, internet connected, blogging, twittering, keyboarding late 20th century and you will notice that the everyday use of computers has produced generations of people who write. Because we have programs like Word, WordPerfect, MacWrite and others, we can write, edit and publish to our heart's content. That's not saying that it is good writing or editing, but that is not stopping us. To post a blog such as this or a tweet or have your own website is commonplace today and does not make us vain. We simply have something to say and better communication venues in which to share our comments.
My point is that companies like Lulu, iUniverse, Xlibris, Wordclay and Trafford are not vanity presses. They are in fact Subsidy Publishers whom you pay to publish your book. You are subsidizing the publication of your book. It's legal, socially accepted and can be affordable. It does not make you vain.
I'll be exploring subsidy publishing over the next few posts. If you have any questions, post a comment here or at http://www.selfpublishing.ca/.
3 comments:
I agree with all you have said, except I can't recommend the companies you have listed. Many authors have complained about their quality and service. Legal actions that were taken resulted in thousands of dollars in punitive damages. You can read about the details in my free e-book, "No-Hassle Publishing: An Author's Guide to Today's Changing Industry" at www.aflairforwriting.com. I posted a discussion on the topic of "publishing wars" over today's terminology, and it brought more than 240 comments. The term "vanity press" is a derogatory one, but some insist on labeling any pay-to-publish service as such. I prefer to call my services "alternative publishing," and lots of folks have agreed.
I have just completed a 236 page book of poems, letters, stories, anecdotes,items of guidance including some 150 photos.
It is in PDF, the cover is completed and it is ready for printing/publication.
As it is a personal gift for my Granddaughter (to whom it is all adressed) I only need 10 to 20 copies.
Do you have any suggestions as to which firms might be best suited to do this on a reasonably economic basis?
Thanks and regards,
C Robert D Kelly
p.s I have already published ISBN 0-595-39959-2 "SOLO"
Robert - I don't know which province you live in. First Choice in Victoria has a good reputation. They are part of Victoria Bindery, which has a very good reputation.
Post a Comment