Vanity publishing is when you pay a publishing company to print your finished book. When you compare vanity publishing to traditional publishing, you will see a huge difference, mostly in terms of payment. Major publishers derive their profit from the sales a published book has made. As such, they are not going to demand payments from the author and will handle all the costs related to publishing the book, from the initial stages to the final production. On the other hand, vanity publishers will charge the author a fee for their manuscripts to be accepted, edited and printed.

There are different types of vanity publishing. Some vanity publishers just print copies of an author’s work, charging the author a fee for each copy made, while other vanity publishing firms offer additional services like editing, cover design, text layout, marketing or publicity assistance and distribution, with each additional service being paid by the author. And since the author is the one making the payments, he will have greater control over each publication process, thus giving him greater independence as compared to authors with traditional publishing companies. In return for this, however, the author has to pay fees that are sometimes so expensive that they are no longer practical or worth the offered services.

Vanity publishing also carries with it an objectionable reputation that might make it hard for you to market and sell your books since there are very few bookstores that will stock books printed by these types of publishers. That is not to say all vanity publishers are scams as there are vanity publishers who have carved names for themselves in the publishing industry and have decent reputations. But a lot of vanity publishers today are involved in unethical and unprofessional practices, often promising full help and support to authors, only to disappear after they receive their payment.

As an author, you have to be very careful when signing contracts and accepting offers from vanity publishing companies. Especially since nowadays, some vanity publishers might deliberately mislead you, saying that they are a part of a major publication or they will present themselves as smaller traditional publishers and not as vanity publishing agents. But once they start asking for payment, take this as a sign and be wary. You would be better much off declining their offer and seeking other alternatives in getting your work published.

Due to the advent of technology, it is much easier now for authors to self-publish with minimal costs. You could take advantage of print-on-demand publishing if you want your books to be published traditionally. You could also publish your books digitally. Electronic publishing is one of the fastest growing types of publication today that is favored by most beginner authors, and there are a lot of authors who have already had a successful debut using e-book publishing. If you are not that tech savvy, there are great online book companies where you could submit your work, and that would publish your e-book for you without any upfront fees.