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{{short description|Publishing house in which authors pay to have their books published}}
A '''vanity press''' or '''vanity publisher''' is a ] printer which, while claiming to be a ], charges ]s a fee in return for publishing their ]s or otherwise makes most of its money from the author rather than from the public. ] claims to have coined the term in 1959.<ref>http://www.intute.ac.uk/artsandhumanities/cgi-bin/fullrecord.pl?handle=humbul16121</ref> In its very simplest terms, while a commercial publisher's intended market is the general public, a vanity publisher's intended market are the authors themselves. Many authorities consider an ] to be a kind of vanity publisher. A vanity press is distinguished from a ] publisher in that the small press acts as its larger cousins do, performing the traditional roles of editorial selection, binding and review, and marketing at its own expense, rather than at the expense of the author.


A '''vanity press''' or '''vanity publisher''', sometimes also '''subsidy publisher''',<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bernstein|first=Leonard S.|url=http://archive.org/details/gettingpublished00bern|title=Getting published : the writer in the combat zone|date=1986|publisher=New York : W. Morrow|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-688-06423-5}}</ref> is a ] that is paid by authors to ] their books.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022-08-28 |title=Self-publishing, Hybrid & Vanity Presses: A Simple Guide |url=https://janeyburton.com/self-publishing-hybrid-vanity-a-simple-guide/ |access-date=2023-10-31 |language=en-GB}}</ref> A vanity press charges fees in advance and does not contribute to the development of the book.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Biel |first=Joe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MxrtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT22 |title=People's Guide to Publishing: Building a Successful, Sustainable, Meaningful Book Business From the Ground Up |date=2018-12-05 |publisher=Microcosm Publishing |isbn=978-1-62106-313-1 |pages=21–23 |language=en}}</ref> It has been described as a ],<ref name=":0" /> though, as the book does get printed, it does not necessarily rise to the level of ].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Walsh |first=Pat |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WNcvKKOqaAoC&pg=PA38-IA1 |title=78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published and 14 Reasons Why It Just Might |date=2005-06-07 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-101-12683-7 |language=en |quote=Is a vanity press a scam? Kind of. But it is not necessarily fraud. Clients generally get what they pay for, but what you are paying for is not much despite how it is packaged. You pay to produce copies of your book and share any profits with the printer.}}</ref> The term ''vanity press'' is derogatory, so it is not used by the printers.<ref name=":0" /> Some self-publishing businesses prefer to market themselves as an ], and some authors who are self-publishing through ] and ] prefer to market themselves as ] instead of as self-publishing authors.<ref name=":1" />
The vanity companies often refer to themselves as '''joint-venture''' or '''subsidy publishers''', because the author "subsidizes" (or finances) the publication.
A vanity press will generally agree to ] and ] any author's work if the author is willing to pay for the service; these fees typically form a vanity press's ]s.


It is not to be confused with ], where the publisher and author collaborate and ''share'' costs and risks, or with assisted self-publishing, where the authors, sometimes styling themselves as ''authorpreneurs'',<ref>{{Cite book |last=Biel |first=Joe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MxrtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT22 |title=People's Guide to Publishing: Building a Successful, Sustainable, Meaningful Book Business From the Ground Up |date=2018-12-05 |publisher=Microcosm Publishing |isbn=978-1-62106-313-1 |pages=21–22 |language=en}}</ref> pay various contractors and publishing services to assist them with self-publishing their own book, and retain all rights.
Commercial publishers, on the other hand, derive their ] from sales of the book, and must therefore be cautious and deliberate in choosing to publish works that will sell, particularly as they must recoup their investment in the book (such as an ] and ] to the author, ]ial guidance, ], ], or ]). To better help sell their books, commercial publishers may also be selective in order to cultivate a reputation for high-quality work, or to specialize in a particular ].


== Vanity publishing vs mainstream publishing ==
Because vanity presses are not as selective, publication by a vanity press is typically not seen as conferring the same recognition or prestige as commercial publication. Vanity presses do offer more independence for the author than does the mainstream publishing industry; however, their fees are often higher than the fees normally charged for similar printing services, and sometimes restrictive contracts are required.
Mainstream publishers never charge authors to publish their books; the publisher bears all the risks of publication and pays all the costs. Because of that ], mainstream publishers are extremely selective in what they will publish, and reject most manuscripts submitted to them. The high level of rejection is why some authors publish with vanity presses. ] says, "Money should always flow towards the author",<ref name="CB1">{{cite web| last= Lundin|first=Leigh |title=Crossfire of the Vanities |url=http://www.criminalbrief.com/?p=6990 |work=Self-Publishing |publisher=Criminal Brief |location=New York |date=2009-05-03 |quote=Vanity publishing is like T-ball: Everyone gets a chance at bat, gets a hit, and takes home a trophy. But don’t expect anyone other than your mom to applaud.}}</ref> a concept sometimes called ].


Mainstream publishers also provide services. Ordinary author services, such as editing, ] design, and publicity, are provided by mainstream publishers for free, whereas a vanity press charges fees for these services.<ref name=":1" />
==Differences from commercial publishers==
The term “vanity press” is generally derogatory, and is often used to imply that an author using such a service is only publishing out of ], and that his or her work could not be commercially successful. Some vanity presses are in fact ], including those identified at the ] (SFWA) . In general, any publisher that expects the author to pay a large fee upfront (while promising or hinting at fame and fortune), is most likely dishonest, and certainly should be approached warily.


== Vanity publishing vs hybrid publishing ==
Some companies offer ] (and perhaps limited distribution) for a fee. If honest, such companies will explain their fees, what they do and do not offer, and how their service differs from that of a commercial publisher. Such services can be a viable way for an author to ] without owning printing equipment. This is particularly attractive to an author of a work with a limited, specialized appeal which may not interest mainstream publishers, or to the author who intends to promote his or her work personally. However, the true distinction between vanity publishing and self-publishing is simple: who owns the books when they come off the printing press? If the answer is the printer, who then pays royalties to the author on the basis of books sold, then the book has been vanity published. If the author owns the books outright, and can thus dispose of them as he or she likes, then that author has self-published.
] is the source of debate in the publishing industry, with some viewing hybrid publishers as vanity presses in disguise.<ref>{{cite web |title=HYBRID PUBLISHER OR VANITY PRESS IN DISGUISE? |url=https://writingcooperative.com/hybrid-publisher-or-vanity-press-in-disguise-75039644b804 |website=Medium |date=21 December 2018 |publisher=The Writing Cooperative}}</ref> However, a true hybrid publisher is selective in what they publish and will share the costs (and therefore the risks) with the author, whereas with a vanity press, the author pays the full cost of production and therefore carries all the risk. A vanity press has absolutely no interest in whether the book is saleable or suitable for publication.<ref>{{cite web |title=Vanity/Subsidy Publishers |url=https://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/vanity/ |website=SFWA}}</ref>


Given the bad reputation of vanity publishing, many vanity presses brand themselves as hybrids, leading to exploitation of writers. The Society of Authors (SoA) and the Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) have called for reform of the hybrid/paid-for publishing sector. Trade unions representing 14,800 authors jointly published a report<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 2022 |title=Is it a steal? An investigation into 'hybrid' / paid-forpublishing services |url=https://societyofauthors.org/SOA/MediaLibrary/SOAWebsite/Documents-for-download/_REPORT-Is-it-a-steal.pdf |website=Society of Authors}}</ref> to expose widespread bad practices among companies that charge writers to publish their work while taking away their rights.
]s often ask authors to pay page charges but use ] to keep a high scientific standard. This is to be distinguished from the true vanity publisher, who will publish anything within their general market that will be paid for.


==Vanity publishing vs assisted self-publishing==
Poets often ], as their work is generally of extremely specialized appeal, and therefore risky to mainstream publishers.
It is often stated that many famous authors, such as ] and ], have used vanity publishers. This is incorrect and confuses ] with vanity publishing.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 July 2012 |title=Self-publishing vs vanity publishing.|url=https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/advice/self-publishing-vs-vanity-publishing-confused}}</ref>
An inexperienced poet, whose manuscript has been repeatedly rejected by major edition companies, makes an easy target for vanity publishers.<ref>http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Crimes/Telemarketing/Inbound/MajorIn/publishing.htm</ref>


In a variant of Yog's law for self-publishing, author John Scalzi has proposed an alternate definition to distinguish self-publishing from vanity publishing: "While in the process of self-publishing, money and rights are controlled by the writer."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whatever.scalzi.com/2014/06/20/yogs-law-and-self-publishing/|title=Yog's Law and Self-Publishing – Whatever|access-date=22 May 2016|date=20 June 2014}}</ref>
A mainstream publisher traditionally assumes the risk of publication and production costs, selects the works to be published, edits the author's text, and provides for ] and ], provides the ] and satisfies whatever ] and ] formalities are required. Such a publisher normally pays the author a fee, called an ], for the right to publish the author's work; and further payments, called ], based on the sales of the work. This led to ]'s famous dictum, "''Money should always flow toward the author''" (sometimes called ]).


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.
A vanity publisher typically fails to provide any useful editing service, and is not selective, printing works by anyone willing to pay a fee. This lack of selectivity is the main reason for the low esteem in which most of the literary world holds vanity publishers. Many vanity publishers charge excessive fees, which are never likely to be recouped from sales of the books involved. Vanity publishers typically do little or no effective marketing. Formerly, they did little or no distribution. Now vanity publishers may offer web-based sales, or make a book available via online booksellers, but they generally do no marketing. Furthermore, many bookstores -- especially large chain stores -- avoid such books.


== Vanity publishing scams ==
Among the many types of books that are unpublishable by major commercial presses, family histories often find their way onto vanity presses, since family histories have an extremely limited market--often fewer than ten copies.
Vanity presses often engage in deceptive practices or offer costly, poor-quality services with limited recourse available to the writer. In the US, these practices have been cited by the ] as unfavorable reports by consumers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbb.org/greater-maryland/business-reviews/publishers-book/america-star-books-in-frederick-md-32010985|title=America Star Books, LLLP|access-date=22 May 2016|archive-date=23 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623224500/http://www.bbb.org/greater-maryland/business-reviews/publishers-book/america-star-books-in-frederick-md-32010985|url-status=dead}}</ref>


One common scam is when a vanity press pretends to operate a traditional publishing arm, where the publishing house bears the full cost. However, when an author submits his work, he is told it does not quite meet the standards required for traditional publishing, but that the company will still publish it if the author pays for something—engaging their professional editor, committing to buying a large number of copies of the book, or another similar excuse. In reality, the exorbitant fee charged for these services will fully cover the vanity publisher's costs for producing the book.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://writersweekly.com/ask-the-expert/vanity-publisher|title=When a Vanity Publisher...Pretends to be Traditional|date=11 January 2017|website=Writers' Weekly}}</ref> Such a scam is a plot point in ]'s novel '']''.
==Business model==
Vanity publishers typically offer ]s that strongly favor the publisher, charging high fees while providing low-quality books. They often sell worthless add-on services related to editing and marketing, and are frequently charged with outright ]s.


==Vanity publishing in other media==
A ] is an author who also undertakes the functions of a publisher for his or her own book. The classic "self-publisher" writes, edits, markets and promotes the book themselves, relying on a ] only for actual printing and ]. More recently, companies have offered their services to act as a sort of agent between the writer and a small printing operation. In these cases, the distinction between self-publishing and vanity publishing is less obvious than it once was.


The vanity press model exists for other media such as videos, music and photography. A notable example is ], which, for a fee, produced and released ]'s 2011 ] "]".<ref name="Hundley">{{cite news | first = Jessica | last = Hundley | title = Patrice Wilson of Ark Music: 'Friday' is on his mind | date = 30 March 2011 | url = http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/03/patrice-wilson-of-ark-music-friday-is-on-his-mind.html | work = ] | access-date = 2011-03-30}}</ref>
The most recent incarnations of vanity presses make use of ] technologies based on modern digital printing. Some have turned to scamming authors in order to keep their machines busy and to help pay for them.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} {{POV}} During the first years of the 21st century the mainstream printing business went into a slump and the gross oversupply of digital printing machines (like big ] machines with add-on units to bind books) forced traditional printers as well as the new print on demand companies to seek new sources of revenue.


Vanity academic journals also exist, often called ], which publish with little or no editorial oversight, although they may claim to be ]. One such predatory journal, the '']'', accepted for publication a paper called ''Get me off Your Fucking Mailing List''{{hsp}}<ref>{{Cite web|author=Mazieres |first1=David |last2=Kohler |first2=Eddie |date=2005 |title=Get me off Your Fucking Mailing List |url=http://www.scs.stanford.edu/~dm/home/papers/remove.pdf |journal=}}</ref> consisting of the sentence "Get me off your fucking mailing list." repeated many times.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://scholarlyoa.com/2014/11/20/bogus-journal-accepts-profanity-laced-anti-spam-paper/|title=Bogus Journal Accepts Profanity-Laced Anti-Spam Paper|work=Scholarly Open Access|access-date=22 May 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141122164005/http://scholarlyoa.com/2014/11/20/bogus-journal-accepts-profanity-laced-anti-spam-paper/|archive-date=22 November 2014}}</ref>
Vanity presses earn their money, not from sales of books to readers like other publishers, but from sales of books to the authors. The author receives the shipment of books and may attempt to resell them through whatever channels are available. In some cases, the copies are not even bound.


Vanity photography magazines often have little or no physical circulation, relying instead on the submitting photographers buying the magazine after publication.<ref>{{cite web |last1=York |first1=Nicole |title=Why You Shouldn't Submit Your Photographs to Magazines |url=https://fstoppers.com/originals/why-you-shouldnt-submit-your-photographs-magazines-193976 |website=Fstoppers|date=30 August 2017 }}</ref> Some also charge a submission fee. Magazines such as ''Lucy's'', ''Jute'', and ''Pump'' – all managed by parent publisher Kavyar – often accept photograph submissions for free, or for a minimal fee to be featured on a magazine cover.<ref>{{cite web |last1=York |first1=Nicole |title=Should You Get Published? An Interview With the Editors of Lucy's and Jute Magazines |date=26 September 2017 |url=https://fstoppers.com/editorial/should-you-get-published-interview-editors-lucys-and-jute-magazines-197428#comment-thread |publisher=Fstoppers}}</ref>
==Alternatives to vanity publishing==
Writers considering ] often also consider directly hiring a ]. According to self-publisher and ] ], vanity presses charge higher premiums and create a risk that an author who has published with a vanity press will have more difficulty working with a respectable publisher in the future.


==History==
Some vanity presses using ] technology act as printers as well as sellers of support services for authors interested in self-publishing. Reputable firms of this type are typically marked by clear contract terms, lack of excessive fees, retail prices comparable to those from commercial printers, lack of pressure to purchase "extra" services, contracts which do not claim exclusive rights to the work being published (though one would be hard pressed to find a legitimate publisher willing to put out a competing edition, making non-exclusivity meaningless), and honest indications of what services they will and won't provide, and what results the author may reasonably expect. However, the distinction between the worst of these firms and vanity presses is essentially trivial, though a source of great confusion as the low fees have attracted tens of thousands of authors who wish to avoid the stigma of vanity publishing while doing just that.


The term ''vanity press'' appeared in mainstream U.S. publications as early as 1941.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=22 December 1941 |title=Books: Literary Rotolactor |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,932017,00.html |url-status=dead |magazine=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609234923/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,932017,00.html |archive-date=9 June 2008 |access-date=22 May 2016}}</ref> In that year, C. M. Flumiani was sentenced to 18 months in a US prison for mail fraud, arising from his scheme that promised book promotion (a line in a catalog), expert editing (they accepted all books), and acting as agent bringing books to his own publishing houses.<ref name="trends" />
==Libraries==
The typical ] avoids stocking self-published books, since most vanity publications have not gone through selection, revision, copyediting and other critical steps which are normal for commercial for-profit ]s. Most libraries will not accept such vanity publications, even when they are offered free of charge, since even then there are costs involved: all library books have to be described in a ], and require classification stickers and other elements. The total cost of cataloguing and general processing in 2002 was about fifty dollars per book in the ] regardless of the size or original cost of the book. Then, the cost of keeping the book on the shelves has to be added, each year. In any case, it is usual for books to be chosen for a library by the application of a ] policy designed to meet the needs of a particular user community, and vanity publications only rarely meet those needs.


By 1956, the three leading American vanity presses (Vantage Press, Exposition Press, and Pageant Press) were each publishing more than 100 titles per year.<ref name="trends">{{cite journal |last1=Sullivan |first1=Howard A. |title=Vanity Press Publishing |journal=Library Trends |date=1958 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=105–111 |url=https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/5811/librarytrendsv7i1l_opt.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |access-date=September 17, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210809024808/https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/5811/librarytrendsv7i1l_opt.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |archive-date= Aug 9, 2021 }}</ref>
On the rare occasions when libraries accept the product of a vanity press, they usually require the donor to sign a form giving to the library the right to do what it pleases with the item. The item is sometimes then disposed of in a yearly book sale or by some other process for the distribution of unwanted items. {{Fact|date=February 2007}}


], author of the 1939 novel '']'', written entirely in ], was unable to find a publisher for his work and ultimately chose to publish it through a vanity press.
Exceptions include local histories, which are of specialized interest enough to be uninteresting to commercial publishers but which are sought out by libraries.


==Examples==
Many libraries and reviewers do not clearly distinguish between vanity publications and self-publications, and are apt to decline or resist any book that does not come from a commercial press. Indeed in some cases any book produced using POD technology encounters such resistance, even if it is from a small commercial publisher.
* ]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harger III |first=Stover E. |title=Paying for prestige: the cost of recognition |url=http://media.www.dailyvanguard.com/media/storage/paper941/news/2007/02/14/News/Paying.For.Prestige.The.Cost.Of.Recognition-2718460.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927090018/http://media.www.dailyvanguard.com/media/storage/paper941/news/2007/02/14/News/Paying.For.Prestige.The.Cost.Of.Recognition-2718460.shtml |archive-date=Sep 27, 2007 |website=Daily Vanguard}}</ref>

* ] (previously Austin & Macauley)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/thumbs-down-publishers/ |title=Thumbs down publishers list |publisher=] |access-date=2019-08-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190909001626/http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/thumbs-down-publishers/ |archive-date= Sep 9, 2019 }}</ref>
==History==
* ]<ref name="washingtonpost">
It should be noted that in the nineteenth and early twentieth century it was common for legitimate authors, if they could afford to, to pay the costs of publishing their books. Such writers could expect more control of their work, greater profits, or both. Self-publishing was not judged negatively as it has been more recently. Among the authors taking this route to publication was ], who paid the expenses of publishing ] and most of his subsequent work. Such authors as ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ] also resorted to self-publication for some or all of their works.
{{cite news

| first=Paula
==Vanity presses in fiction==
| last=Span
]'s novel '']''
| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25187-2005Jan20.html
discusses the inside workings of a vanity press operated as a side operation of a more orthodox publisher, to pump out otherwise unpublishable personal musings on the ]. The 'main' publisher is run by a Signor Garamond, named for a ], while the vanity press is called 'Manutius', the name of ] famous sixteenth century printer. Elaine Viets's novel ''Murder Between the Covers'' involves a self-published author attempting to set up a bookstore signing.
| title=Making Books
The hero of ]'s novel '']'' is commissioned over a long period to write a book by an otherwise vanity publisher. The company is satirized at some length. One of the substories of ]'s 2004 novel ] is about Timothy Cavendish, a vanity press publisher.
| newspaper=The Washington Post

| date=23 January 2005
==Some vanity presses==
| access-date=2013-08-22}}
*] (see Scams Page, CAV, below)
*]
*] (formerly 1st Books Library)
*] (a branch of ])
*] (formerly GreatUnpublished.com)
*Dorrance<ref name="washingtonpost">
{{cite news
| first=Paula
| last=Span
| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A25187-2005Jan20
| title=Making Books
| publisher=]
| date=]
| accessdate=2006-12-26}}
</ref> </ref>
* ]<ref name="boston"></ref>
*]<ref name="washingtonpost" />
* ], The International Library of Poetry<ref name="pw">Margo Stever, ''The Contester: Poetry.com Struggles for Legitimacy''. Poets and Writers Magazine</ref>
*]
* ] (there are at least three companies called Tate Publishing; the others include a reputable art publisher and a defunct software book publisher)
*]<ref name="washingtonpost" />
* ], a ]-based vanity press best-known for releasing the book ''Newbia'' by Chelee Cromwell.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Comeau |first1=Tina |title=Newbia sequel: Dartmouth author with Digby County ties looking forward to launch of 2nd dream-inspired novel |url=https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/communities/newbia-sequel-author-with-digby-county-ties-looking-forward-to-launch-of-2nd-recurring-dream-inspired-novel-100590646/ |website=www.saltwire.com |publisher=Saltwire |access-date=16 December 2022}}</ref>
*] (])
* ]<ref name="washingtonpost" /><ref name="DTMax">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/00/07/16/bookend/bookend.html|title=No More Rejections|author=D. T. Max|newspaper=New York Times|date=16 July 2000}}</ref>
*], ''aka'' The International Library of Photography
*], ''aka'' The International Library of Poetry
*]
*] (aff. ], Cambridge)
*Metropolitan Who's Who (Metroplitan Registries, Inc.)
*]
*]
*]
*]<ref name="washingtonpost" />
*]
*]<ref name="washingtonpost" />
<BR>Vanity magazines
*]


==See also== ==See also==

*]
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*]
*] * ]
* ]
* ]
* '']''
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
:* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
{{div col end}}


==Notes== ==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}
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<div class="references-small"><references/></div>


==External links== ==External links==
{{Wiktionary|vanity press|vanity publisher}}
*http://www.aeonix.com/vanity.htm
* *
* *
*
*

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}


]
]


{{Self-publishing|state=expanded}}
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{{Books}}
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{{Authority control}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanity Press}}
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Latest revision as of 20:34, 20 December 2024

Publishing house in which authors pay to have their books published

A vanity press or vanity publisher, sometimes also subsidy publisher, is a book printer that is paid by authors to self-publish their books. A vanity press charges fees in advance and does not contribute to the development of the book. It has been described as a scam, though, as the book does get printed, it does not necessarily rise to the level of fraud. The term vanity press is derogatory, so it is not used by the printers. Some self-publishing businesses prefer to market themselves as an independent press, and some authors who are self-publishing through CreateSpace and Amazon Kindle prefer to market themselves as indie authors instead of as self-publishing authors.

It is not to be confused with hybrid publishing, where the publisher and author collaborate and share costs and risks, or with assisted self-publishing, where the authors, sometimes styling themselves as authorpreneurs, pay various contractors and publishing services to assist them with self-publishing their own book, and retain all rights.

Vanity publishing vs mainstream publishing

Mainstream publishers never charge authors to publish their books; the publisher bears all the risks of publication and pays all the costs. Because of that financial risk, mainstream publishers are extremely selective in what they will publish, and reject most manuscripts submitted to them. The high level of rejection is why some authors publish with vanity presses. James D. Macdonald says, "Money should always flow towards the author", a concept sometimes called Yog's Law.

Mainstream publishers also provide services. Ordinary author services, such as editing, book cover design, and publicity, are provided by mainstream publishers for free, whereas a vanity press charges fees for these services.

Vanity publishing vs hybrid publishing

Hybrid publishing is the source of debate in the publishing industry, with some viewing hybrid publishers as vanity presses in disguise. However, a true hybrid publisher is selective in what they publish and will share the costs (and therefore the risks) with the author, whereas with a vanity press, the author pays the full cost of production and therefore carries all the risk. A vanity press has absolutely no interest in whether the book is saleable or suitable for publication.

Given the bad reputation of vanity publishing, many vanity presses brand themselves as hybrids, leading to exploitation of writers. The Society of Authors (SoA) and the Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) have called for reform of the hybrid/paid-for publishing sector. Trade unions representing 14,800 authors jointly published a report to expose widespread bad practices among companies that charge writers to publish their work while taking away their rights.

Vanity publishing vs assisted self-publishing

It is often stated that many famous authors, such as Mark Twain and Jane Austen, have used vanity publishers. This is incorrect and confuses self-publishing with vanity publishing.

In a variant of Yog's law for self-publishing, author John Scalzi has proposed an alternate definition to distinguish self-publishing from vanity publishing: "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.

Vanity publishing scams

Vanity presses often engage in deceptive practices or offer costly, poor-quality services with limited recourse available to the writer. In the US, these practices have been cited by the Better Business Bureau as unfavorable reports by consumers.

One common scam is when a vanity press pretends to operate a traditional publishing arm, where the publishing house bears the full cost. However, when an author submits his work, he is told it does not quite meet the standards required for traditional publishing, but that the company will still publish it if the author pays for something—engaging their professional editor, committing to buying a large number of copies of the book, or another similar excuse. In reality, the exorbitant fee charged for these services will fully cover the vanity publisher's costs for producing the book. Such a scam is a plot point in Umberto Eco's novel Foucault's Pendulum.

Vanity publishing in other media

The vanity press model exists for other media such as videos, music and photography. A notable example is ARK Music Factory, which, for a fee, produced and released Rebecca Black's 2011 viral video "Friday".

Vanity academic journals also exist, often called predatory journals, which publish with little or no editorial oversight, although they may claim to be peer reviewed. One such predatory journal, the International Journal of Advanced Computer Technology, accepted for publication a paper called Get me off Your Fucking Mailing List  consisting of the sentence "Get me off your fucking mailing list." repeated many times.

Vanity photography magazines often have little or no physical circulation, relying instead on the submitting photographers buying the magazine after publication. Some also charge a submission fee. Magazines such as Lucy's, Jute, and Pump – all managed by parent publisher Kavyar – often accept photograph submissions for free, or for a minimal fee to be featured on a magazine cover.

History

The term vanity press appeared in mainstream U.S. publications as early as 1941. In that year, C. M. Flumiani was sentenced to 18 months in a US prison for mail fraud, arising from his scheme that promised book promotion (a line in a catalog), expert editing (they accepted all books), and acting as agent bringing books to his own publishing houses.

By 1956, the three leading American vanity presses (Vantage Press, Exposition Press, and Pageant Press) were each publishing more than 100 titles per year.

Ernest Vincent Wright, author of the 1939 novel Gadsby, written entirely in lipogram, was unable to find a publisher for his work and ultimately chose to publish it through a vanity press.

Examples

See also

Notes

  1. Bernstein, Leonard S. (1986). Getting published : the writer in the combat zone. Internet Archive. New York : W. Morrow. ISBN 978-0-688-06423-5.
  2. ^ "Self-publishing, Hybrid & Vanity Presses: A Simple Guide". 28 August 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  3. ^ Biel, Joe (5 December 2018). People's Guide to Publishing: Building a Successful, Sustainable, Meaningful Book Business From the Ground Up. Microcosm Publishing. pp. 21–23. ISBN 978-1-62106-313-1.
  4. Walsh, Pat (7 June 2005). 78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published and 14 Reasons Why It Just Might. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-101-12683-7. Is a vanity press a scam? Kind of. But it is not necessarily fraud. Clients generally get what they pay for, but what you are paying for is not much despite how it is packaged. You pay to produce copies of your book and share any profits with the printer.
  5. Biel, Joe (5 December 2018). People's Guide to Publishing: Building a Successful, Sustainable, Meaningful Book Business From the Ground Up. Microcosm Publishing. pp. 21–22. ISBN 978-1-62106-313-1.
  6. Lundin, Leigh (3 May 2009). "Crossfire of the Vanities". Self-Publishing. New York: Criminal Brief. Vanity publishing is like T-ball: Everyone gets a chance at bat, gets a hit, and takes home a trophy. But don't expect anyone other than your mom to applaud.
  7. "HYBRID PUBLISHER OR VANITY PRESS IN DISGUISE?". Medium. The Writing Cooperative. 21 December 2018.
  8. "Vanity/Subsidy Publishers". SFWA.
  9. "Is it a steal? An investigation into 'hybrid' / paid-forpublishing services" (PDF). Society of Authors. April 2022.
  10. "Self-publishing vs vanity publishing". 27 July 2012.
  11. "Yog's Law and Self-Publishing – Whatever". 20 June 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  12. "America Star Books, LLLP". Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  13. "When a Vanity Publisher...Pretends to be Traditional". Writers' Weekly. 11 January 2017.
  14. Hundley, Jessica (30 March 2011). "Patrice Wilson of Ark Music: 'Friday' is on his mind". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  15. Mazieres, David; Kohler, Eddie (2005). "Get me off Your Fucking Mailing List" (PDF).
  16. "Bogus Journal Accepts Profanity-Laced Anti-Spam Paper". Scholarly Open Access. Archived from the original on 22 November 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  17. York, Nicole (30 August 2017). "Why You Shouldn't Submit Your Photographs to Magazines". Fstoppers.
  18. York, Nicole (26 September 2017). "Should You Get Published? An Interview With the Editors of Lucy's and Jute Magazines". Fstoppers.
  19. "Books: Literary Rotolactor". Time. 22 December 1941. Archived from the original on 9 June 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  20. ^ Sullivan, Howard A. (1958). "Vanity Press Publishing" (PDF). Library Trends. 7 (1): 105–111. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  21. Harger III, Stover E. "Paying for prestige: the cost of recognition". Daily Vanguard. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
  22. "Thumbs down publishers list". SFWA. Archived from the original on 9 September 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  23. ^ Span, Paula (23 January 2005). "Making Books". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
  24. Bad Art – A verse-case scenario (Boston Phoenix)
  25. Margo Stever, The Contester: Poetry.com Struggles for Legitimacy. Poets and Writers Magazine
  26. Comeau, Tina. "Newbia sequel: Dartmouth author with Digby County ties looking forward to launch of 2nd dream-inspired novel". www.saltwire.com. Saltwire. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  27. D. T. Max (16 July 2000). "No More Rejections". New York Times.

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