tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5749059681475538860.post8901258803505302456..comments2023-06-01T12:02:03.935-04:00Comments on Poets.net: Forum Thread: What is the Difference (if any) Between Self-Publishing and Vanity Publishing?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5749059681475538860.post-45079218466243307992008-03-31T21:44:00.000-04:002008-03-31T21:44:00.000-04:00Getting published is where you submit, rewrite, re...Getting published is where you submit, rewrite, rehash and resubmit until a publisher finally accepts what you've written and pays you for it. A vanity publisher will want you to pay him instead. Self-publishing is where you know you're going to pay for everything pretty much from the start.<BR/><BR/>With self-publishing the author can choose to pay very little by using photocopy services, staples and hand folding a pamphlet up to hiring a bindery to print and bind his manuscript.<BR/><BR/>A vanity publisher is going to try to make you believe your book or whatever is the next runaway best seller, charge you a large fee and send you several cases of books for you to do as you please.<BR/><BR/>Then there's self publishing on the internet by using a blog, webboard or maybe a dedicated website.<BR/><BR/>Since I run a web hosting company and assist people who choose to "publish" on the web you could consider me a vanity publisher of sorts.<BR/><BR/>Well, I'm not going to tell a client their writing is outstanding and they should make millions but I'm not going to discourage a client with a good idea either.<BR/><BR/>Nice thing about web publishing is you can easily revise your writing. Bad thing about publishing is you can easily revise your writing.<BR/><BR/>On the web your audience knows revisions will probably happen. This isn't really good for fictional works as the reader may see a early version that then gets revised to the point of being a total different work. But web publishing might be great for a chapter or two of a book in pre-release form.<BR/><BR/>If you have a lot to say in a changing venue or market though, web publishing might be the way to go. If you have a local guide or informational product that will fit the pamphlet format self publishing might work for you.<BR/><BR/>If you're willing to take a large risk with a novel or a book of poems and can't find a publisher you might want a vanity publisher to take the printing binding tasks off your shoulders. You can then do the distribution yourself.<BR/><BR/>The risks are fairly large but lots of best sellers started life as self published works. The Christmas Box started out as a self published work for the authors family and friends at the urging of his family.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com