Dear Writer Friends,
I had a discussion with a writer-for-a-reason a little while ago, about a ‘vanity publisher’, who wanted to charge her a lot of money to print her book. Should she go ahead, she asked me.
Here’s the thing: such organisations charge a lot of money, plus you are usually obliged to buy books (probably plus shipping), which will cost you even more.
You will be given promises of your book being available for distribution, but usually this means being in a catalogue somewhere, along with all the other authors’ who have gone down the same route. So, basically, you will be left having to sell the books yourself.
These vanity publishers take your money, print you a number of books and leave them with you, then move on to the next person. It’s a great money making scheme for them, but not for you.
Sometimes the product is poorly designed and printed. If there is any editing, you will have to pay for it. Shops are unlikely to want books produced in this way – anyone in the trade can spot poorly edited and produced books immediately.
Vanity publishers know writers are so desperate to get their books into print that they will fall for their clever marketing, which makes their ‘services’ look great – the perfect solution to getting your book out into the world… at a cost!
Beware these people. Some prey particularly on Christians, because they know they are honest, trusting, and want to get their book out there to help readers. Yes, it’s despicable!
So I looked up the organisation my friend was looking into. They were asking me to upload my whole ms before even knowing who I was (no bio necessary) – this is a big red flag. A reputable publisher will request to see a book proposal first, and have a chat with you, to see if your book fits their list.
They don’t even tell me how much their services will cost, before I uploaded my manuscript, which is another big red flag. I suspect there may also be extra charges as things progress. (My friend was telling me that the total cost would have come to the equivalent of 10 months salary – how scary is that?)
So avoid vanity publishers like the plague. They look and sound fantastic! But they’re not.
Here are some tips:
- Always check out reviews online
- Only work from a personal recommendation.
- Look up vanity publishers online. You will be horrified at the stories.
If a ‘publisher’ sounds too good to be true, but wants your money, they are almost certainly too good to be true, and want your money.
You can get your book done on Amazon yourself – kindle or print – that would be a better option. Free. All the money you would have spent on printing with a vanity publisher, use for an excellent editor instead, and a brilliant cover. And join Writers for a Reason Unite. Your writing buddies will help keep you from making any kind of terrible mistake.
Sorry this is a bit of a downer, but it’s good to be warned.
Do you know anyone who has been scammed by a vanity publisher? Please send me your stories, so we can let everyone know to beware!
May the Lord lead and guide us with his wisdom,
Janet
P. S. Have a great week! Don’t let this put you off writing. Scammers have always been around, and always will be. But there’s always a good way forward, with the Lord. 🙂