Author Marketing: Assisted Self-Publishing vs. Vanity Press
Transformations have taken place in the publishing industry. Its traditional ways of doing business are gradually becoming outdated. The old business model has changed, and many authors have shifted to new ways of sharing their work with the world. As the changes and shifts have occurred, more and more businesses are being created that market themselves to writers who are taking on a more active role in publishing their work.
For the author who has decided to side-step the big-name publishers, the "big box" stores of the industry, the options to self-publish may seem overwhelming. Many businesses are going to ask you for money, and you may not know who to trust. We understand that you have many questions and concerns, and we are here to address at least some of them in our blog posts from Spirited Press.
If you've done some research, you may be wondering: What is the difference between an assisted self-publishing company and a vanity press?
The vanity press has been around for quite some time. If you've ever taken a writing workshop or read any books on how to get published, then you've been warned about the vanity press. The term has attracted a negative connotation because these types of companies generally will accept and publish anything written by anyone with enough cash. When writers publish through a vanity press, their books are often stripped of any sort of literary merit. A vanity press does not subject submissions to guidelines or editing, prints whatever it is given regardless of how well (or poorly) it is written, and therefore has acquired a stigma in the literary community.
As a result of these perceptions, writers are sometimes wary of companies who classify themselves as assisted self-publishing businesses. Like the vanity press, the assisted self-publishing company may ask for money from the author upfront. However, the major difference is that the assisted self-publishing company is offering a service, rather than gratuitously publishing anything that comes its way. At Spirited Press, for example, we offer author services in editing, proofreading, book design, and marketing. In other words, your money is an investment towards the improvement of your work. Should an author want to publish through Spirited Press, it is important that the book meet the criteria which are important to us. Our company is guided by the same spiritual principles as Absolute Love Publishing and we only align ourselves with projects promoting goodness in the world. If a book is not a good fit for us, we will decline to publish it just as a traditional publisher would.
Quick tips:
- Avoid companies that ask for a lot of money upfront, without offering any services
- Be wary of companies that seem overly eager to publish your book
- Consider companies with submission guidelines/acceptance criteria
- Once you have made contact, do not be afraid to ask tough questions
- Go with your gut! When you find the right company, you will know
