Comments on: Should Authors who Self-Publish be Considered Vanity Press? http://www.mlvwrites.com/2008/04/self-publish-pod-vanity-press.html Monica Valentinelli Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:40:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: April L. Hamilton http://www.mlvwrites.com/2008/04/self-publish-pod-vanity-press.html#comment-444 April L. Hamilton Fri, 30 May 2008 19:48:23 +0000 http://www.mlvwrites.com/2008/04/self-publish-pod-vanity-press.html#comment-444 I totally agree with Atilla from Wheatmark. I've elected to go indie rather than seek some kind of perceived status with a mainstream publisher who wants total control of my work and career, yet offers scarcely anything of value in return. No reader gets pulled into a book by jacket copy or reading an excerpt, only to flip over to the spine and throw the book down, exclaiming in horror, "Why, this was published by Joe-Bob's Bait Shop, Falafel Hut and Press, not a REAL publisher at all!" In the end, it all comes down to the writing. However, since indie books have to look at least as good as mainstream books to be taken seriously, and promotion isn't generally something that comes naturally to authors, I've documented my indie authorship experiences and skills in a how-to reference book, The IndieAuthor Guide. I hope the book will give more authors the knowledge and confidence they need to stop begging for crumbs at the tables of big publishers and take their careers into their own hands. http://www.aprillhamilton.com I totally agree with Atilla from Wheatmark. I’ve elected to go indie rather than seek some kind of perceived status with a mainstream publisher who wants total control of my work and career, yet offers scarcely anything of value in return. No reader gets pulled into a book by jacket copy or reading an excerpt, only to flip over to the spine and throw the book down, exclaiming in horror, “Why, this was published by Joe-Bob’s Bait Shop, Falafel Hut and Press, not a REAL publisher at all!” In the end, it all comes down to the writing. However, since indie books have to look at least as good as mainstream books to be taken seriously, and promotion isn’t generally something that comes naturally to authors, I’ve documented my indie authorship experiences and skills in a how-to reference book, The IndieAuthor Guide. I hope the book will give more authors the knowledge and confidence they need to stop begging for crumbs at the tables of big publishers and take their careers into their own hands.
http://www.aprillhamilton.com

]]> By: Monica Valentinelli http://www.mlvwrites.com/2008/04/self-publish-pod-vanity-press.html#comment-352 Monica Valentinelli Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:14:19 +0000 http://www.mlvwrites.com/2008/04/self-publish-pod-vanity-press.html#comment-352 Thank you to everyone who commented on my blog. Yvonne: There has been a lot of chatter about the Amazon fiasco, and I believe they handled it pretty poorly. They claimed today in this press release that it was about the speed of shipping. You can read the press release here, on their <a href="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-printondemand" target="_new" rel="nofollow">site</a>. I had blogged about it earlier, but in the end I think that Amazon is making a big mistake. They FORGOT that the very people they are making demands to, are also customers of Amazon. Personally, I think they could have gone about this a different way, instead they will suffer from the effects of a justified blogstorm. Atilla: I think that you bring up a good point, but the disconnect for me is that I am writing to put my work out there to sell copies. Simply, even though I write because I love to do it, I view the craft to be a business. I feel that the term "vanity" is applicable in many cases, because there is such a thing as the writer's ego. The sad thing is, I couldn't afford to put food on my table if I wrote full-time, and I don't think many authors can either. Sometimes writers arm themselves with vanity so they can continue to motivate themselves, to believe that one day maybe, just maybe, they'll succeed. Thank you to everyone who commented on my blog.

Yvonne: There has been a lot of chatter about the Amazon fiasco, and I believe they handled it pretty poorly. They claimed today in this press release that it was about the speed of shipping. You can read the press release here, on their site. I had blogged about it earlier, but in the end I think that Amazon is making a big mistake. They FORGOT that the very people they are making demands to, are also customers of Amazon. Personally, I think they could have gone about this a different way, instead they will suffer from the effects of a justified blogstorm.

Atilla: I think that you bring up a good point, but the disconnect for me is that I am writing to put my work out there to sell copies. Simply, even though I write because I love to do it, I view the craft to be a business.

I feel that the term “vanity” is applicable in many cases, because there is such a thing as the writer’s ego. The sad thing is, I couldn’t afford to put food on my table if I wrote full-time, and I don’t think many authors can either. Sometimes writers arm themselves with vanity so they can continue to motivate themselves, to believe that one day maybe, just maybe, they’ll succeed.

]]> By: Atilla Vékony http://www.mlvwrites.com/2008/04/self-publish-pod-vanity-press.html#comment-348 Atilla Vékony Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:41:29 +0000 http://www.mlvwrites.com/2008/04/self-publish-pod-vanity-press.html#comment-348 Monica, you mention a couple of authors who are holding out for agents and refuse to publish their books on their own. Contrast that with a savvy, entrepreneurial author who believes in his or her book enough to want to invest in its success, get higher royalties, and keep all rights to the book. The question that's begging to be asked is, Which one of them is in it for vanity's sake? The one who self-publishes or the one who is holding out for traditional "recognition" (so much that they're willing to give up their rights)? I am just trying to show that there's enough <a href="http://www.wheatmark.com/blog/2007/07/taking-vanity-out-of-publishing.cfm" rel="nofollow">vanity in publishing</a> to be spread around, although I'd venture to say there's more vanity in the creators and propagators of the phrase "vanity publishing." Atilla Vékony Wheatmark, Inc. <a href="http://www.wheatmark.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.wheatmark.com</a> Monica,

you mention a couple of authors who are holding out for agents and refuse to publish their books on their own. Contrast that with a savvy, entrepreneurial author who believes in his or her book enough to want to invest in its success, get higher royalties, and keep all rights to the book.

The question that’s begging to be asked is, Which one of them is in it for vanity’s sake? The one who self-publishes or the one who is holding out for traditional “recognition” (so much that they’re willing to give up their rights)?

I am just trying to show that there’s enough vanity in publishing to be spread around, although I’d venture to say there’s more vanity in the creators and propagators of the phrase “vanity publishing.”

Atilla Vékony
Wheatmark, Inc.
http://www.wheatmark.com

]]> By: Yvonne DiVita http://www.mlvwrites.com/2008/04/self-publish-pod-vanity-press.html#comment-343 Yvonne DiVita Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:06:34 +0000 http://www.mlvwrites.com/2008/04/self-publish-pod-vanity-press.html#comment-343 Hi Julie and Monica, I agree with both of you. We're an author services company using Print-on-demand and we are very hard on ourselves to produce quality work that authors can be proud of. Then, we do our best to help our authors market and sell their work. We believe in full support, and yes, we do ask for payment for the production of the book... but we try very hard to then support the authors with blogs and other social media, as well as traditional marketing tactics. We also recommend authors hire a publicist, if they do not have time to do it themselves. Over at Beneath the Cover, I wrote a post about traditional publishers looking at self-published books for possible publication - and was roundly and rudely criticized by one Lee Goldberg, a screenwrite, who said -- over and over - that anyone who couldn't get a book in a traditional house was a crappy writer. And, that NO ONE should ever self-publish or, heaven forbid, pay an author services company. Well, he was rude and unpleasant, but in the end, the truth is here, on this blog. Thanks for making it clear. Are you aware of the Amazon fiasco? They are insisting all POD publishers now use BookSurge, their POD division...instead of whatever printer they have now, but especially if they use Lightning Source. Any comment on that? Hi Julie and Monica, I agree with both of you. We’re an author services company using Print-on-demand and we are very hard on ourselves to produce quality work that authors can be proud of. Then, we do our best to help our authors market and sell their work. We believe in full support, and yes, we do ask for payment for the production of the book… but we try very hard to then support the authors with blogs and other social media, as well as traditional marketing tactics. We also recommend authors hire a publicist, if they do not have time to do it themselves.

Over at Beneath the Cover, I wrote a post about traditional publishers looking at self-published books for possible publication - and was roundly and rudely criticized by one Lee Goldberg, a screenwrite, who said — over and over - that anyone who couldn’t get a book in a traditional house was a crappy writer. And, that NO ONE should ever self-publish or, heaven forbid, pay an author services company.

Well, he was rude and unpleasant, but in the end, the truth is here, on this blog. Thanks for making it clear.

Are you aware of the Amazon fiasco? They are insisting all POD publishers now use BookSurge, their POD division…instead of whatever printer they have now, but especially if they use Lightning Source. Any comment on that?

]]> By: Nocat http://www.mlvwrites.com/2008/04/self-publish-pod-vanity-press.html#comment-340 Nocat Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:12:31 +0000 http://www.mlvwrites.com/2008/04/self-publish-pod-vanity-press.html#comment-340 Many first time and repeat authors come to BRIO looking for consultation regarding their book. We have worked with first time authors that hit a home run right away and sell 5,000 and 10,000 books and we others who are still working at it. Often times people are making simple mistakes. Luckily, they have found us and we can help. Here is a post at <a href="http://blog.brioprint.com/p83/the-dos-donts-of-self-publishing/" rel="nofollow">Brioprint</a> on Some of the basic “Do’s & Don'ts”on self-publishing. Many first time and repeat authors come to BRIO looking for consultation regarding their book. We have worked with first time authors that hit a home run right away and sell 5,000 and 10,000 books and we others who are still working at it. Often times people are making simple mistakes. Luckily, they have found us and we can help. Here is a post at Brioprint on Some of the basic “Do’s & Don’ts”on self-publishing.

]]> By: Julie Trelstad http://www.mlvwrites.com/2008/04/self-publish-pod-vanity-press.html#comment-339 Julie Trelstad Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:47:57 +0000 http://www.mlvwrites.com/2008/04/self-publish-pod-vanity-press.html#comment-339 Hey Monica- Here are some stats for you. As a big-publishing-co expat and the now the owner of my small press and publishing services firm, I can tell you what big publishers are actually looking for today are pre-sold books. One agent told me there is a rule of thumb that any author who walks in the door is automatically going to bring the sale of 25,000 books with them through their own network, contacts and personal marketing efforts. Publishers determine royalty advances by how much they believe a books can earn back in 6-12 months. If an author has a track record (previously sold books) or is known to have a large media presence, that's a fairly easy calculation to make. If an author's never published before or has never appeared on in The New York Times or in major magazines, that's a really hard call, no matter how good the book might be. Keep in mind that the business people and not the editors in those companies determine which books get bought. With that said, if an author is savvy enough to sell 25,000 copies of their book, and has the resources to get the book professionally edited and produced, she's vastly better off publishing on her own! Do that math! If an author is savvy about the business of publishing it's not vanity at all. For information on how to do it, check out the excellent resources at http://www.ewomenpublishingnetwork.com/ Cheers, Julie Trelstad Publisher, Plain White Press www.plainwhitepress.com Hey Monica-

Here are some stats for you. As a big-publishing-co expat and the now the owner of my small press and publishing services firm, I can tell you what big publishers are actually looking for today are pre-sold books. One agent told me there is a rule of thumb that any author who walks in the door is automatically going to bring the sale of 25,000 books with them through their own network, contacts and personal marketing efforts. Publishers determine royalty advances by how much they believe a books can earn back in 6-12 months. If an author has a track record (previously sold books) or is known to have a large media presence, that’s a fairly easy calculation to make. If an author’s never published before or has never appeared on in The New York Times or in major magazines, that’s a really hard call, no matter how good the book might be. Keep in mind that the business people and not the editors in those companies determine which books get bought.

With that said, if an author is savvy enough to sell 25,000 copies of their book, and has the resources to get the book professionally edited and produced, she’s vastly better off publishing on her own! Do that math! If an author is savvy about the business of publishing it’s not vanity at all.

For information on how to do it, check out the excellent resources at http://www.ewomenpublishingnetwork.com/

Cheers,
Julie Trelstad
Publisher, Plain White Press
http://www.plainwhitepress.com

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