Why Self Publishing Is Not A Scam

Before reading further, one important thing needs to be understood … this is the difference between self-publication and subsidy publication. Two entirely different and independent concepts that have become inseparably linked to one another but that could not be more different. With subsidy publication parading under the perceived guise of “self publication”, it has given the very word “self publication” a dirty connotation. Adjectives like “scam”, “trash”, and the like have become synonymous with the industry.

But here’s a fact you probably don’t know: companies don’t self publish books for you, and what’s more, they can’t. Subsidy publishers publish material only after they have received payment for the entire ordeal, from the author, which is essentially “vanity publication”. No traditional publisher will never place an ad in the paper calling for manuscripts, so when you see that, it’s usually a sign that a subsidy outfit’s behind it.

The PR professionals running the advertising campaigns of subsidy publishers are great: elaborate and cleverly phrased brochures are designed to make it sound like many forward thinking, revolutionary writers choose this option. They also often cite so-called “examples” where authors have apparently elected to publish with them and then gone on to be covered by dozens of papers. What they fail to mention, however, is so often the author’s own hard work in making that possible. Other times they indicate that they have in some way bettered their traditional counterparts because they have “discovered” talents that went rejected. However, these cases are more the exception as opposed to the norm. In most cases, subsidy published authors rarely profit on their investments.

Subsidy publishers, because they are profit based and earn solely from roping authors in, tend to send complimentary letters upon receipt of a new manuscript indicating that fame and money are on their way. Unfortunately, material published through subsidy publishers is often ridden with quality control issues and are said to be worse than Junior High School English students…After all, this is a business deal where “publishers” make money solely through the willingness of the writer to pay, reducing any real incentive to validate its quality before publication.

Additionally, subsidy publishers also do not undertake any marketing or advertising on behalf of the authors they publish while traditional publishers have sales teams devoted to this task and self-publishers seek specialized, niche markets. As a result, stores are not overly excited to stock these titles added to the fact that authors rarely own the rights to their own books, instead receiving “royalty” on your books. After paying for publication, you don’t even own the rights.

So yes, it is a scam but it isn’t the same thing as “self publishing”. Self publishing entails professionally edited books and well designed books, while subsidy publications are meant for those small time family memoirs, photo album sorts.

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