There are three kinds of publishing: traditional (or trade) publishing, self publishing, and vanity publishing.

VANITY PUBLISHING

In the past there were only two kinds of publishing, traditional and vanity, and they were easy to tell apart. Traditional publishers paid the authors. Authors paid the vanity publishers.

Today the water is muddied by self publishing. Many vanity publishers masquerade as "self publishing companies." If you search for self publishing on Google, nearly EVERY company that comes up is a vanity publisher. They make their money by selling expensive packages of services to people who want to self publish. At one level there's nothing wrong with that. People need help, and they provide it. Issues arise when they lead authors to expect more than they actually receive.

Other vanity publishers masquerade as traditional publishers. They claim to accept only a percentage of what's submitted to them (which is true -- 100% is a percentage). They claim that you pay no upfront costs and instead receive royalties, just like a traditional publisher. But you'll find they require you (or push you very hard) to buy lots of copies of your priced-too-high-to-sell book. You'll also find that they spend a lot of effort marketing to AUTHORS, not to readers, because YOU are the one paying their bills.

Avoid vanity publishers. Completely.

Determine if a company is a vanity publisher BEFORE you reach out to them in any way. Once you reach out, they will woo you like the scam artists they are. Their promises will inflame your dreams of being published, and it will be very difficult to say no.

To determine whether a company is a vanity publisher:

--Search for the company's name and "scam." Vanity publishers almost always have a LOT of complaints from unhappy authors.

--Ask in the Industry Insiders club here on Wattpad. There are professionals there who will be happy to check the company out.

--Check the Preditors & Editors list (http://pred-ed.com/).

--Check the "Bewares, Recommendations & Background Check" board (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=22) on Absolute Write.

Truly, if a company is a vanity publisher, run. You won't be an exception. You'll be a victim.

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Did this chapter answer a question you had? It would be great if you would press that little star graphic in the top right corner. If not, just carry on reading and vote for one you find more helpful. Oh, I'd be happy to answer your questions in the comments below, as well. --XG