It's tough to make it in the tight and fiercely competitive publishing industry, particularly if you are a first-time author. Unless you have a sterling manuscript or you are preceded by your reputation, chances are you will be met by more than your fair share of rejections. This is especially true if you are gunning for a shot with major publishing houses, who happen to be very selective in their choice of which works to publish.

This is precisely the reason why self-publishing vs vanity publishing has been on the rise in the past few years. More and more authors are going it alone as a way of bringing their works out to the public without the usual hassles and aggravations associated with traditional publishing.

But it is important to underscore that despite the prevalent notion that self-publishing vs vanity publishing are one and the same, the fact of the matter is that they are not. There is actually an ocean of difference between the two.

Let's start with self-publishing. From the name itself, this process puts the author at the heart of the entire book production process. There are three reasons why any author would want to go this route. One, the author may have had his manuscript rejected because it was thought to be unmarketable or that it directly competes with another book the publisher is carrying. Two, the author may want to have greater editorial and creative control over his or her work. And three, the author may want a greater share in the book's revenues.

But whatever the reason, self-publishers give the author the chance to see his or her work published. This is done by being given ample support in terms of editing and design, all the way to the actual printing and distribution of copies. The amount the author shells out during the entire process is very minimal because he or she is charged only for the actual services rendered.

Vanity publishing operates differently. More often than not, vanity publishers make contact with writers whose manuscripts have been rejected, bait them with glowing reviews of their works, and promise them success as writers. Once they have managed to convince the writers to say yes to them, they then charge them hefty upfront fees to cover the book production process.

But despite the exorbitant money given at the outset, writers often find themselves on the losing end in this relationship. For starters, they are not given editorial or design support. Basically, vanity publishers just churn out what the writers gave them without any effort to conduct quality control in the content and design of the book. There is also no distribution support once the books are printed. In the end, authors who went through the vanity publishing route find themselves with stacks of books that they now have to distribute and market themselves.

In the battle between self-publishing vs vanity publishing, it's not difficult to see which one is the clear winner.