Vanity presses are a particularly odious subset of leech. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but a family friend got taken to the cleaners by a vanity press a few years ago. Oh, they published her book (her autobiography)...but only after she took classes on how to write a book, how to edit a book, how to market a book, etc. etc. Classes that the "publisher" provided, of course, and charged a pretty penny for. And then of course she had to pay handsomely for the "full publication package" or whatever they called it.
All in all, if I remember correctly (it's been a while), they squeezed something like $15k out of her over the course of a year or two. And for all that, her autobiography only sold maybe a half-dozen copies (no surprise, since she hasn't really done anything particularly noteworthy). She was PISSED when she learned that not only had I sold multiple short stories and hadn't paid Raconteur Press a dime to get them in print, but each anthology I was in has outsold her "masterpiece" by several orders of magnitude.
She doesn't talk to us much anymore. Refuses to believe she'd been had, and is convinced that I somehow "cheated."
Thank you for posting. I dodged the Vanity Press bullet about eight years ago. I had a Sci-Fi/Fantasy MS that needed editing, but I couldn't afford what freelance editors were charging. I heard an ad on the radio about "a publisher seeking authors." Editing was included, so I called and sent them my MS at their request. A couple of weeks later, they called me back and told me that out of the seventy-five manuscripts they read, mine was the best. At that point, red flags went up. They were stroking my ego (a common Vanity Press tactic), I already knew my MS wasn't ready to publish and needed editing (badly). There was no way it was better than seventy-five other manuscripts! I did more research and discovered this "publisher," who advertised on a nationally syndicated radio show, was among a species of parasites called Vanity Presses.
I agree that IN THEORY a small House could offer ah la carte services like various types of editing, covers, et al. I know folks who do each of those freelance and do good work.
I also know several small, indy Houses (and have friends connected to larger ones). It's darn near universal that they have pushed their schedules to the breaking point and are trying to find a way to shoehorn in 'just one more title'. Their resources are at their limit.
This doesn't leave much room for ah la carte work...
So I too can accept the THEORY of a 'hybrid house' offering such services (and even like it as a concept), but seriously doubt it as a reality.
Once I hit some kind of critical mass of name in books / promotions, etm, I would up attracting many of the kinds of folks Ian mentions (and others, like 'best selling authors' with 107 followers and want to be my Friend). They circle over all writer's heads like vultures and should be an open ticket 'nuisance species'...
The one time I did my old presentation on how to self-pub at LTUE, I had a couple of folks talking to me about how they'd been screwed and could I help. I've dealt with a few who should have known better as well, because they were experienced tradpub authors now on their own.
Not sure if this vid will load, but I found it therapeutic for someone to spend an hour jacking with a scam "publishing" house.
https://youtu.be/jFpAPrYKGlc?si=12HAphV07ObzcPFc
I <3 this SO MUCH.
Too painful. Though it was a masterwork of torture on someone who deserved it, it made me squeamish. Only made it halfway through.
Vanity presses are a particularly odious subset of leech. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but a family friend got taken to the cleaners by a vanity press a few years ago. Oh, they published her book (her autobiography)...but only after she took classes on how to write a book, how to edit a book, how to market a book, etc. etc. Classes that the "publisher" provided, of course, and charged a pretty penny for. And then of course she had to pay handsomely for the "full publication package" or whatever they called it.
All in all, if I remember correctly (it's been a while), they squeezed something like $15k out of her over the course of a year or two. And for all that, her autobiography only sold maybe a half-dozen copies (no surprise, since she hasn't really done anything particularly noteworthy). She was PISSED when she learned that not only had I sold multiple short stories and hadn't paid Raconteur Press a dime to get them in print, but each anthology I was in has outsold her "masterpiece" by several orders of magnitude.
She doesn't talk to us much anymore. Refuses to believe she'd been had, and is convinced that I somehow "cheated."
Grr.
Thank you for posting. I dodged the Vanity Press bullet about eight years ago. I had a Sci-Fi/Fantasy MS that needed editing, but I couldn't afford what freelance editors were charging. I heard an ad on the radio about "a publisher seeking authors." Editing was included, so I called and sent them my MS at their request. A couple of weeks later, they called me back and told me that out of the seventy-five manuscripts they read, mine was the best. At that point, red flags went up. They were stroking my ego (a common Vanity Press tactic), I already knew my MS wasn't ready to publish and needed editing (badly). There was no way it was better than seventy-five other manuscripts! I did more research and discovered this "publisher," who advertised on a nationally syndicated radio show, was among a species of parasites called Vanity Presses.
I agree that IN THEORY a small House could offer ah la carte services like various types of editing, covers, et al. I know folks who do each of those freelance and do good work.
I also know several small, indy Houses (and have friends connected to larger ones). It's darn near universal that they have pushed their schedules to the breaking point and are trying to find a way to shoehorn in 'just one more title'. Their resources are at their limit.
This doesn't leave much room for ah la carte work...
So I too can accept the THEORY of a 'hybrid house' offering such services (and even like it as a concept), but seriously doubt it as a reality.
Once I hit some kind of critical mass of name in books / promotions, etm, I would up attracting many of the kinds of folks Ian mentions (and others, like 'best selling authors' with 107 followers and want to be my Friend). They circle over all writer's heads like vultures and should be an open ticket 'nuisance species'...
The one time I did my old presentation on how to self-pub at LTUE, I had a couple of folks talking to me about how they'd been screwed and could I help. I've dealt with a few who should have known better as well, because they were experienced tradpub authors now on their own.
drives me nuts
Run, screaming...
I don't run. Beyond that I'm not saying on a public platform.
AI also parasitizes writers. And artists.