A Publisher by Any Other Name?

Okay, so you've written a book and you and everyone else who has read it thinks it’s great. You know there is a need for the subject matter and that people would buy it, but you can't persuade a traditional publisher to acquire it. So, now you're considering investing your own money to have the book published, but when you look at advertisements about publishing you become even more confused. Many Publish Your Book ads look alike. Some are for subsidy publishers and others are for printing companies that help authors publish their work. Here are some definitions that will help you make a more constructive decision.

Traditional Publisher: A Traditional Publisher distributes books under its imprint. It purchases manuscripts from authors, and handles the cost of producing those manuscripts: editing, cover and interior design, typesetting, printing, marketing, distribution, etc. The author is not expected to pay any of these costs. The books are owned by the publisher and remain in the publisher's possession until sold; the author receives a portion of sales in the form of royalties. More and more, there are no advances given and the marketing and PR dollars aren’t there for the new author.

Independent Publisher: An Independent Publisher pays for all costs associated with designing, printing, and distributing a book. Frequently, an author forms and registers a publishing imprint. Independently published books are the property of the author and/or publisher and usually remain in the author's possession; all sales proceeds belong to the author as well as all of the money to produce the book.

Co-Publisher: A Co-Publisher works with the author or ghostwriter to create, print, market and distribute the book project. In co-publishing ventures, all of the people involved bring something to the table. The publisher brings the knowledge about the publishing industry as well as the hands-on creation and distribution of the project, and the author brings the manuscript and money to help produce the books. A contract will set down exactly what all parties to the co-publishing venture are responsible for and the division of the funds from the sale of the books.

Printer, Book Shepherd/Producer, or Packager: A Printer, Book Shepherd or Packager is a firm that works with small, independent or self-publishing authors to produce professional quality books. Some printers call themselves publishers, but are not publishers in the traditional sense of the word. Instead, they offer a range of book production services (such as editing, illustration, design, typesetting, and printing), and may also offer marketing, distribution, warehousing and fulfillment services. Work is done “for hire” and all rights to the book remain with the author or publisher.

Subsidy or Vanity Publisher: A Subsidy Publisher distributes books under its imprint often stigmatizing a book because the project is viewed as strictly a vanity project. They do not purchase manuscripts; instead, they ask authors to pay for the cost of everything from editing and creative to printing and marketing. Any publisher that requests a fee from the author is considered a subsidy or vanity publisher. As with traditional publishers, the books are owned by the publisher and remain in the publisher's possession; authors receive royalties.

Self-Publishing: I am sure that you have heard of this type of publisher if you are at all interested in publishing a book. The term Self-Publisher is now being used differently than it has been in previous years. Up until the last few years, a Self-Publisher was any small press that wanted to publish trade quality books under their own imprint. However, with the encroachment of print-on-demand book printers as well as small publishers using the POD technology, the term Self-Publishers today is used mainly to denote a class of publishers who strictly use POD technology to keep inventory at a minimum.