Vanity Presses

Vanity Presses The world would be glorious indeed if authors could write then hand off the manuscript to an entity that published the book, put it out there, and made it sell. Wed come up from our deep mental state of storytelling, occasionally check on statistics, cash the checks, and create to our hearts content. We wouldnt have to do social media every day. No speaking in public. No guest blogging. No shaking hands with bookstore owners or cold-calling book clubs in hopes of being selected for one of its 2016 choices. But an author isnt allowed to just write. He is if he doesnt care how many books sell, but if he isnt writing to be read, why is he writing at all? Here lately, Ive had a rash of requests from frustrated new authors. Way more than usual. They state they have a publisher who believes in their work, and for their investment of $3,000, $4,000, even $9,000, their book would be everywhere . . . even on Amazon! So, lets define a vanity press for those of you who are not sure how to avoid these people who will take your money and not care whether you sold your first child into slavery to do it. 1) They offer an entire turnkey program so you dont have to worry . . . for a four-figure fee. 2) They try to sell you a marketing package. Sorry, but you are the marketer. And bookstores know these vanity presses and dont want to read those pretty marketing publications that supposedly go out to an eager world of book buyers. 3) The price on your book is higher than the norm. How do you know this? Because you have done your homework and look in the bookstores or on Amazon to see what the norm is. Twenty dollars for a romance paperback isnt the norm. 4) They offer payment plans. 5) Their websites talk more about how to publish than about the books that have been highly successful. Their business is selling publishing packages, not books, unless they are selling those books to hungry authors. The reader is not the focus of their business. Most of you know to avoid vanity presses. There are too many other ways to publish in which you have more control and make far more money, but like anything in publishing, you have to do the promotion. If you write a book for family and friends and dont care about how books are made or sold, then vanity press publishing might be the answer. But the next time you are in the bookstore, take a list of vanity presses with you . . . and let me know how many of their books you see on the shelves.