Vanity Publishers
If it seems too good to be true, it typically is. That's certainly the case with vanity publishers.
Happy Easter everyone! And greetings to those new subscribers after my Cast of Characters post.
It should be no surprise that the world of publishing is fast becoming a proverbial minefield in my quest to have this manuscript published. While I expected it to be difficult to get the work out via the traditional methods of a publisher via a literary agent, there are various publishing methods I negated to consider. One of them is vanity publishers.
What Is A Vanity Publisher?
At first glance, vanity publishers look like most publishing businesses. You send them a writing sample, possibly the whole manuscript, and they respond confirming whether they wish to publish it. Sounds simple enough, and it is, probably too simple, actually.
Having sent around 70 submissions to a mix of literary agents and publishers, my experience of a vanity publisher was quite typical. I looked at the website, saw their testimonials from published authors, so saw it as a viable opportunity. Deciding to try my luck, I sent in the material they requested and then waited. The only difference was the offer and a follow-up email with a contract to digitally sign. That was a bit quick, wasn't it?
Putting aside my initial excitement, I read the email attachment and noted that it was for a different piece of work entirely. They hadn’t even reviewed my manuscript. That's when the warning bells began to make themselves heard. Even though the attachment had my name on it, it belonged to another writer, albeit one with a surname also beginning with 's'. A simple mistake like that is enough to be put off going into a business relationship. While I could have been tempted if they had provided the right review, the prospect of putting my name and money towards a lackluster effort would have been instantly regrettable.
I replied to clarify why my book was not the subject of their email, to which they admitted their mistake, and sent on their thoughts on my manuscript. The answer was still the same, the double-page review confirmed that they had read the manuscript. Crucially, they also required a financial contribution that went towards the publishing costs. That’s right, you pay them to get your book out. Nope, not for me.
Paying To Be Published
This is where the 'vanity' part comes in. My good friend Elie (hi, if you’re reading) said, “I’d be very, very wary of anyone charging you money to publish”. Wise words which I heeded, especially as she’s a published author herself.
Prospective authors should be firm and not accept an offer based on providing an initial financial contribution. While there is the expectation that self-publishing comes with its own costs, a traditional publisher would not ask for money up-front. Instead, they assess your work, offer a (typically) low four-figure advance, and then invest their own money in a book they believe will sell once it hits the shelves. The publisher gets their advance back once copies are sold, the writer sees their book on the shelf, and gets around a 10% cut on each one that’s sold.
Of course, reading the words, 'Our Board truly did enjoy your work and wish to see it published' did make the heart skip a beat. That's largely down to how often I have read the contrary, words to the effect of, 'Not for me'. Likening vanity publishers to vultures seems a little easy, but inevitable nonetheless. They tend to circle around prospective authors as a route of last resort after they have been worn down by so many disappointing responses.
The glowing review, the contract awaiting your signature, and the promise of being published. Therein lies the danger: without a meeting, a consultation, or a phone call, they will take your money to produce poor-quality copies of your beloved manuscript. Sure, it's great to think that your book is out there as you hand copies to friends and family, yet it's not really what a prospective author wants. Not after years of hard work only to be without adequate support and promotion to jump over the final hurdle. Once you have signed away the rights to your work, it’s difficult to get them back.
The Long Game
Having spent the best part of six years on the manuscript, to have it taken over the line by a vanity publisher looks like a waste of effort. If it means showing a bit more patience and endeavour to get my book through the right people, then so be it.
I remain hopeful that by sticking to my guns, I should find the right publisher. Call it destiny, call it fate, call it what you will, yet I am prepared to play the long game. There is hope with one publisher at the moment, to the extent that I’ve seen the details of a contract but am still awaiting the thoughts of someone who’s currently on holiday.
Perhaps it means simply going back to the ‘Submissions’ spreadsheet and retrying every publisher and literary agent in a few months. After transcribing (what I hope is) the final interview, the manuscript is in a good enough place. It simply needs the right people to see it over the line and onto shelves, not a vanity publisher.