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 commercial publisher to take it. So now you're considering investing your own money to have the book published. When you look at advertisements for publishing, however, matters become confusing. While many Publish Your Book ads look alike, some are for subsidy publishers and others are for printing companies that help authors self-publish their work. Here are some definitions that will help you make the correct decision.

Commercial or Traditional Publisher— A commercial 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.

Independent or Self-Publisher— An independent or self-publisher pays for the cost of designing, printing, and distributing his/her book. Frequently, the author invents and registers a publishing imprint. Independent or self-published books are the property of the author and usually remain in the author's possession; all sales proceeds belong to the author.

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

Book Shepherd/Producer, or Packager— A 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 also distributes books under its imprint. However, it does not purchase manuscripts. Instead, it asks authors to pay for the cost of publication. With the exception of certain types of publishers such as university or scholarly presses, any publisher that requests a fee from the author is considered a subsidy publisher. As with commercial publishers, the books are owned by the publisher and remain in the publisher's possession; authors receive royalties.