De-bunking Subsidy Publishing Horror Myths © 2004 M. LaVora PerryYou are free to forward this article in email or reproduce it on on your Web site or in your e-zine provided that
author information at conclusion of article remains. A notice of such use is appreciated to lavora@fortunechildbooks.com. Reproduction in print requires permission from author.
Subsidy publishing companies are those that require an author to pay to produce her or his book. These companies are also known as co-publishers, or pejoratively, "the vanity press."
Some of these companies make unreasonable promises about how their services lead to books becoming instant, phenomenal best-sellers, or engage in other unscrupulous business practices. However, legitimate subsidy publishers do exist.
In this article, I'll explain 6 factors that led me to choose subsidy publishing company with which I partnered to publish my children's book, Taneesha's Treasures of Heart.
First, let me say that whether one self-publishes solo or uses a subsidy publisher, expense of paying to publish can be high. Publishing print-on-demand (POD) is a form of subsidy publishing that can greatly reduce this expense. However, this article will cover conventional subsidy publishing in which a certain number of books are printed in anticipation of orders being placed.
If you can afford it, and you do your homework and footwork, partnering with a subsidy publisher can have its advantages. In my case, factors that influenced me to select company I chose were:
1.) I pay a one-time, flat fee that includes free reprints for duration of my two-year contract, and I will not pay for reprints if I renew my contract. My intention all along was to produce a top-selling book. I invest book promotion hours and effort it takes to make this happen. As a result, my book was published in June of 2003 and I'm presently into my 3rd free printing; books are being sold both nationwide and internationally.
