Sounds okay on the surface, right? Finally, PW is going to acknowledge that the tides of traditional publishing have turned, and there are merits to the self-published book. Its new quarterly supplement, PW Select, will announce self-published titles and review those they deem deserving. The listing will include the name of the author, book title and brief description, along with ordering information.

Even the $149 “processing” fee is somewhat palatable since it is offered with a six-month subscription (a $90 value, however dubious).

The processing fee does not include a guaranteed review. But ostensibly, this is because of their very high standards: “We briefly considered charging for reviews, but in the end preferred to maintain our right to review what we deemed worthy. The processing fee that guarantees a listing and the chance to be reviewed accomplishes what we want: to inform the trade of what is happening in self-publishing and to present a PW selection of what has the most merit.”

But wait: “…we’ll likely invite a few agent friends and distributors to have a look at what we’ve chosen. No promises there, just letting some publishing friends take advantage of the opportunity to see the collection.”

All right. Ick. “We’ll likely”? “No promises”? So basically this is just a way to squeeze some cash out of already bootstrapped self-publishers? I’m shocked that Publishers Weekly would sink to such a low. Are they that strapped for cash? PW Select is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to increase revenue without offering anything of real value. Call it what it is: a paid advertisement. Agents and publishers are not going to pore over these listings to find projects. And to attempt to mislead authors into believing this is the case is low. Really low.

I’m all for Publishers Weekly acknowledging that indie authors are becoming a major force in the world of publishing. But for them to do it this way leaves a real bad taste in my mouth. I can only hope that self-publishers—and I refer to those who have not gone the vanity route—will recognize this for what it is: just one more way the traditional publishing world is attempting to draw a distinction between traditional and indie publishing. And readers really don’t care who the publisher is, as long as they like what the author has to say.

Basically, the blogger writes that most proponents of self-publishing fall into one of three groups. He writes:

1)     Clueless.  These people are generally victims of a vanity press scam.  They believe that people like Stephen King pay to publish their books.  They are to be pitied more than censured, and the best thing you can do for them is to send them a book contract for them to study. It might take days, but I suspect they will eventually realize that the money flows toward the author.  Sadly, much of this is their own fault – the information necessary to avoid scams is readily available, all you have to do is make a minimum of effort.

2)     Conspiracy theorists.  These are actually a subset of number 1, people who think that editors and agents are there to keep new writers and new ideas from ever hitting the shelves.  This particular group is just as irrelevant as the first, because it shows that they haven’t done their homework.  Or maybe it’s just easier to believe that there’s a conspiracy than to accept the sad truth: the writing you are subbing just isn’t good enough for public consumption.  Not liking the options (get better or get out), these people went the self-publishing route.

3)     Economists.  It’s better to keep all the profits yourself, right?  Why pay these editors, copy-editors, formatting people and especially artists, when I already have a great book – my first draft! – and I can format it myself, and use a cover design made by my niece, which is just as good.  And who needs publishers when I can upload it to my kindle.  And if I go the print route, I’ll sell them myself, after all, authors have to be great salesmen, don’t they?  I’ll make a fortune.  All I can say here is: probably not, and your cover art is making my eyes bleed. 

To which I respond that he is forgetting a fourth category of self-publishers—the savvy ones who realize they need to have their manuscript professionally edited and their interior and cover designed by an artist who knows book design. These are primarily professionals who have an important message to get out there. Often they are in a niche market and regardless of the quality of their writing, most publishers have to pass because these books will probably not become bestsellers. Even some novelists are taking their own destiny in their hands by self-publishing. These “indie” publishers want to maintain complete control over their work from a creative standpoint (you don’t always have that option with a traditional publisher)—and some of them just enjoy the business aspect of publishing.

Does getting hundreds of rejection letters from publishers somehow make a writer more noble? Does it make him or her a better writer? Authors who self-publish the right way—by making sure they are putting out a top-notch book, both from an editorial and design standpoint—have accomplished something of which they can be proud. I think anyone who believes there is some sort of high standard to which traditional publishers are held today is kidding him- or herself. Sadly, it is no longer about the writing.  It’s all about whether or not a publisher believes a book will make money or not.

Going through a vanity or subsidy press is not self-publishing. It is paying another company to publish your work. It is very different from true self-publishing wherein the author/publisher has his or her own company imprint on the book and owns the ISBN. I agree that the only appropriate use for a vanity press is to publish a few books for posterity or for family archives.

The blogger also writes:  “Then, after the thing is written, someoene [sic] who knows how to select the best work will choose what gets seen, and someone who knows how to edit will edit, and someone who knows how to market will market!”

I also want to point out that traditional publishers do very little to market the books of their midlist authors. Writers who think that their work is done once they sign the contract and send in a completed manuscript are naive. You’ll earn a spot in the publisher’s catalog and on their website, but beyond that, the onus of marketing is firmly resting on the author. I can attest to this first-hand as I worked for a trade publisher and I’ve recently been published by a trade publisher. My co-author and I are the ones who came up with a marketing plan–and we are the ones who are implementing it.

I realize that self-publishing can be looked down upon because far too many books have been done poorly — badly designed, dubiously edited ego pieces. But the fact of the matter is, self-publishing is going to continue to be a viable option for authors who are tired of slush piles and gate keepers.  And I really don’t get how this hurts “real” writers? They should be grateful for the increased lack of competition, right?

But the more I thought about it, the more annoyed I got. His condescending and disparaging view of “self-publishers” started to tick me off. First and foremost, the “self-publishers” to which he is referring are really authors who are going the vanity press route. And those pay-to-publish authors have been mostly scorned from the very beginning. Clearly, Keillor does not understand the traditional self-publishing model, wherein authors start up their own imprint and spend quite a bit of time and money to make sure the book they produce is top notch. These authors often hire companies that provide author services (note that this is quite different from pay-to-publish) to ensure their manuscripts are well edited and their books well designed. (Shameless plug opp: Yes, services such as Self-Publishing Resources.)

Second, he is clearly assuming that all self-published authors go that route because they were not “good enough” for the trads. Nope. There are many good reasons to self-publish, including maintaining creative control, making more money (yup, making more money), and producing the book more quickly, to name a few. And heck—you’re going to have to market and promote your own book anyway (the trads won’t do it for you!)…you might as well be in charge of the whole process and pocket all of the profits from your efforts.

Is a manuscript better just because you “mailed it to a New York publisher in a big manila envelope with actual postage stamps on it”? Because you typed it on a typewriter? Because you enjoy an “aura of martyrdom”?  All that sounds kind of romantic, but the past is the past.

I do agree that there is a lot of crap out there right now, but most of it falls within the subsidy press category. Once people begin to understand the difference between vanity publishing and independent publishing, I think (I hope!) that will begin to change and we will see more thoughtfully produced books. As more and more book review sites begin to cater to self-published authors (whether they are pay to publish or truly self-published), even if they are not the New York Times, I believe honest reviews will start to separate the wheat from the chaff. One thing I do know: Self-publishing is not going anywhere. Neither is the Internet. Or the cell phone. Or the microwave.

And does anyone else find it pretty ironic and kind of hilarious that Keillor’s article is surrounded by ads about self-publishing??!!

 Authors: Joe Gregory and Debbie Jenkins

 Publishing Academy, 2009

Back cover synopsis: Renegade publishers, Debbie Jenkins and Joe Gregory, share their hard-won experience to show you exactly how to make a fast and impressive income as a non-fiction author in six easy-to-follow steps. This book obliterates the outdated “truths” of the publishing business and shows you what it really takes to succeed in the new publishing economy. Whether you’re a budding author looking for your first break or a published author wanting to take your sales, profile, and income to the next level, you’ll love what you’re going to learn when you read this book.

Traditionally published and self-published authors alike will benefit from this handy guide. It provides a realistic plan for authors who truly want to sell books and make money. I enjoyed the irreverent tone of this easy-to-read book.

Divided into six practical steps, the first three cover coming up with a winning book idea and then getting it down on paper. Even those with a book already in hand will benefit from the tips on creativity, including the WWWD (What Would Walt Disney Do) approach. Word association and Mind-Mapping are also discussed at length. If you don’t already have a finished manuscript but just an idea, this chapter will help you determine whether or not it has bestseller potential.

Step four thrashes out the options for getting your book published. The authors go over the pros and cons of traditional publishing, self-publishing, and subsidy/vanity publishing. (I think my favorite line in the whole book is “I’d basically said, ‘Vanity presses are a complete waste of space!’”) They weigh-in highly in favor of self-publishing for nonfiction books, and they explain why—basically because authors retain intellectual control and they have the potential to make a lot more money this way. The practicalities of self-publishing are also covered, such as obtaining an ISBN, using Lightning Source as a printer, and getting distribution.

Final chapters get into the specifics of “selling loads of books.” There are a lot of lists (the authors seem to favor these and they are peppered throughout the book), such as “3 Reasons Why Brick and Mortar Stores Aren’t Worth It,” “5 Reasons Why Self-Publishers Should Focus On Selling Through Online Bookstores Instead,” and “44 High Impact Book Marketing Tactics That Work.”

Final sections of the book list useful publishing and promotion links, as well as a bibliography. Although the table of contents is quite extensive, that does not take the place of an index, which the book doesn’t have. I am a strong proponent of all nonfiction books having an index.

This book should be on the shelf of every author who wants to make money instead of mistakes.

So you self-publish your book but then what? Just because you’ve built it, they won’t come. High street bookstores are unlikely to pick it up, and Amazon will take it for a few bucks but won’t highlight it unless it miraculously becomes a best seller. Most good journalists won’t review it (trust me, journalists don’t take self-published books seriously) and unless you’re a marketing or PR guru, it’ll be very difficult to promote it well.

Actually, if you publish traditionally, you are still going to be expected to promote your book. And in fact, you will likely not get signed on with a traditional publisher if you don’t already have a strong author platform with lots of potential buyers. When I was managing editor for a trade publisher, almost every single author we signed on was shocked to learn they were expected to promote their books. But the truth is, the bulk of our marketing was to plop the book into a catalog and send out a few news releases in hopes of getting a review or two. Anything beyond that—well, there just wasn’t a budget for it. Granted, that was a smaller press but even if you do manage to snag one of the major players, they are not likely going to spend their marketing bucks on a new author (like advances, marketing budgets continue to shrink). They’ll spend their money promoting whoever their current James Patterson is—and you will likely be lumped in with the rest of the midlist authors who enjoy little or no marketing budget.  

In addition, if you self-publish properly—start up your own imprint, purchase your own block of ISBNs, and have the book well edited and well designed—as opposed to going the subsidy route (often incorrectly called “self-publishing”), reviewers should have no idea you are self-published. Your book is simply a title from a new independent publisher. And there is no stigma there.

The next hurdle is trust. Sadly, self-published books have a bit of a grim rep. Whether it’s because people associate them with their Aunt Bettie’s History of Littlehampton book with its funny photoshopped front cover, or because they’ve read a self-pubbed book chock-a-block full of mistakes (which, sadly, most self-pubbed books have due to the lack of a decent editor and proof-reader), there’s not a great deal of respect for self-published books despite there being some decent ones out there.

See my point above about putting out a top-quality book. It should look just as sharp as any other book put out by one of the big houses. And again, done right—there is no way readers can tell if a book is self-published or not.

This is why self-published books on average sell dozens (if you’re lucky hundreds) whereas traditional publishers tend to sell in the thousands.

This is true of subsidy published books; these are often called self-published but in reality they are pay-to-publish vanity pieces. They sell few copies because they are often poorly done—and they are usually not priced competitively because authors are forced to purchase the books from the subsidy at an inflated price. In order to make any kind of profit, the books are priced too high—and they don’t sell.

Authors who self-publish in the true sense of the meaning are able to price their books competitively, and if they have a solid promotions plan, they tend to sell books in the thousands—sometimes tens of thousands.

Now if you’re one of those writers who doesn’t care about book sales and it’s all about the love of writing, then self-publishing is worth a shot.

To this I say—if book sales and profits don’t mean anything, by all means, go with the subsidy presses such as Outskirts, iUniverse, and Author House. If you want to make money—self-publish the true way.

But consider this: you’ve spent a year or so writing your book, maybe more, maybe less. So why not try to get paid for your hard work, rather then pay, as you would with self-publishing. Just give it a try, you know? For a start, most reputable traditional publishers will pay an advance (usually in the thousands if through a larger publisher). Then you’ll get royalties for every book you sell (once you make back your advance).

It’s pretty common knowledge that advances from traditional publishers have gotten smaller in recent years.  You’ll still fare much better by self-publishing and keeping all of the profits rather than just 10 percent or so since you have to promote the book anyway. Yes, there will be editing and production costs, but with print-on-demand, you won’t have to lay out a bunch of cash for printing. (And remember, you’ll want to hire a professional editor before sending your manuscript to any agent or publisher, even if you are publishing the traditional route—so that expense, along with promoting, is also a given.)

Don’t forget too that once you sign that contract with a traditional publisher, you lose a certain amount of control. They may change the title. They may edit drastically. They may come up with a cover you hate. They may delay your publication date. But you’re probably stuck with their decision.

Even Kevin Weiss, CEO of a huge self-publishing company in the US (Author Solutions), admits 80 per cent of their authors fail to break even whereas traditionally published authors always do as they never had to fork out in the first place.

Author Solutions is a subsidy publisher—you can’t have someone else “self” publish for you—but I agree that those are some pretty grim sales statistics. Sadly, they are all too true.

And then there’s being able to tell people you’re a published author. Most savvy people will not accept you are one if you’ve paid to have your book published because, as I’ve said before, anyone anyone anyone can self-publish.

Yes, anyone can self-publish, but what you are talking about here is subsidy publishing, or vanity publishing. True self-publishing is a complicated process, and if it’s done well, it generally garners nothing but respect for those who have been through it.

As for the idea that your amazingly successful self-pubbed book will garner the attention of traditional publishers, this does happen but not often. Your chances of getting an agent and then publisher are higher.

I would have to disagree with this point as well—unless you’ve already got a well established platform and a large following, your chances of getting an agent and then a publisher are very small. Very small. You are much better off self-publishing (doing it well) and establishing a track record of sales with which to approach a traditional publisher. That, of course, is if you want to at that point. You’ll likely make more money if you keep it as a self-published title.

So what I’m saying is, give traditional publishing a chance first. Don’t let people tell you traditional publishing is a pipe dream; that getting an agent is impossible; that self-publishing is the first and best option. It isn’t. The fact is, if you write a damn good book, someone will take notice and maybe you’ll get published and maybe you’ll make money.

I agree with this—only when it comes to fiction. As far as nonfiction titles, however, self-publishing is often the best and fastest route to publication. By the time authors wait around for umpteen rejection letters from traditional publishers, self-publishers could have been reaping the rewards of their published books for months…even years. This doesn’t mean self-publishing is right for everyone; but it is most certainly a viable option for those who want to maintain control and keep all of the profits.

The reality is that using a “self-publishing company” (which, in actuality, is a subsidy/vanity publisher calling themselves a self-publishing company) is a “kiss of death,” according to many industry professionals, including publishing expert Pete Masterson. Pete is principal of Aeonix Publishing Group and author of Book Design and Production: A Guide for Authors and Publishers. He has graciously allowed me to reprint here a response gave to an author in a self-publishing discussion group. It clearly addresses not only the typical breakdown of discounts offered to retailers, wholesalers, and distributors, but it also shows how thing might not add up when authors go the subsidy publishing route.

________________________________________________________________________

Pete wrote:

…When you publish using Lulu or another of the “self publishing companies,” your book may not be widely available through the distribution process and if it is available, it may not have the “normal” discounts expected.

In publishing, everything is based on the list price of the book. The typical breakdown is as follows:

Retailer receives a 40% discount off the list price. They may set any price they wish to sell the book at, but they pay 60% of the list price to whomever they purchased it from—usually a wholesaler or distributor.

Wholesaler (this would be Ingram or Baker & Taylor, usually) receives a 55% discount off the list price. They pay the publisher (or distributor) 45% of the list price. The wholesaler then sells to retailers at 40% off—so they keep 15% to pay their costs, etc. There are certain incentives and other deals where a retailer may receive up to 48% off list price—but that’s between the wholesaler and the retailer. (Wholesalers do almost no marketing to retailers to promote purchase of specific titles.)

Distributor (could be one of many smaller firms) sells directly to retailers at a 40% off list price discount and sells to wholesalers at a 55% off list price discount. Distributors fees tend to be complex and may vary depending on the specifics of the services they provide to the publishers. Distributors may have a sales force or use other means to generate sales with retailers. Larger distributors usually will not accept single book publishers and, in reality, can’t do much for one anyway. Some fulfillment services have expanded into distribution (in recent years) offering “distribution” to Ingram and (sometimes) Baker & Taylor. These fulfillment service/distributors often are less expensive than a full distributor if your goal is simply to get listed by Ingram. Since prices vary, it’s hard to say exactly what it costs —but typically, the publisher will “give up” 10 to 15% of the list price to the distributor.

Fulfillment services tend to charge for the services rendered. The fulfillment service takes care of work that is normally the responsibility of the publisher (shipping books to wholesalers, retailers, and the public). Some offer order-taking telephone services. Charges vary and it is well worth shopping around.

Now, what does this leave for the publisher? If you can sell through a primary wholesaler, then you “get” 45% of the list price for each book sold. If you use a distributor, you receive 30 to 35% of list price for each book sold.

At this point, you will begin to see the problem. Lulu (and other subsidy publishers) “take” a cut on the sale of every book. Your cost per copy may well be above what you will receive upon paying for the printing and profit to the subsidy publisher. The solution (which is no solution) is to raise the price of the book. That makes books over-priced, and then they do not sell.

Or Lulu has set you up with a “short” discount through Lightning Source, Inc. (that is who prints the books in “global distribution”). If Lulu established a discount below the “standard”55%, then the bookseller would not receive the 40% discount—and then they will not order the book. (Amazon will list the book, because they list everything.) Also, if you have not arranged to have the books “returnable” then the bookstores will, again, not order your book.

________________________________________________________________________

It’s a crazy business like none other, this thing called publishing. But authors who have stars in their eyes about seeing themselves in print and decide to go the low-cost subsidy route need to have realistic expectations about potential profits (if any). They may not pay upfront as they would if they were truly self-publishing, but they will likely pay in the long run.

Sometimes the numbers just don’t add up.

There is the obvious: No company can self-publish books for you. So let’s take a look at subsidy publishing, which is really what the blogger in question was referring to.

A subsidy publisher puts out books only when the author underwrites the entire venture. Vanity fare feeds the ego. Just remember that no traditional publisher advertises for manuscripts. When you see a headline such as “Manuscripts Wanted,” it’s always a tip-off that its source is a subsidy outfit.

The advertising copywriters hired by subsidy publishers are the best in the business. Brochures are cleverly worded to portray Utopia. Self-publishing successes are made to sound like subsidy accomplishments with statements such as, “It will probably surprise you to know that many prominent authors found it necessary to finance their entries into the literary world.” You’ll be led to believe that many dynamic leaders opt for this alternative.

Another blurb says, “An Associated Press feature about the author and her book ran in hundreds of newspapers from coast to coast. Yes, imaginative and aggressive promotion paid off for the author of this book.” But nowhere does it say they generated this AP spread. It could very well have resulted from the author’s own efforts. Further, they allude to outsmarting the conventional trade houses when telling how an obscure businessman, whose work was rejected nine times, published his book through them and achieved sales of almost 100,000 copies. These are not typical results. Instead, most subsidy-published authors never recoup their investments.

If you send your manuscript to a subsidy publisher, expect to receive a glowing letter in return. This letter will probably also imply that wealth and fame are just around the corner. There are those who say that subsidy publishers often praise writing that couldn’t earn a passing grade in a junior high school English class. There is no question that quality control is missing in many of these publishing houses. They make their money up front when writers pay to have their books printed, reducing incentive for producing well-written material, and for that matter, for selling it.

A major drawback to subsidy publishing is the lack of promotion. Book reviewers shun these titles. Most reviewers admit to tossing them into the trash when they come in.

While the conventional trade publisher employs sales representatives or has developed a national chain of distribution, and the self-publisher seeks out specialized markets and uses creative publicity to generate attention and sales, the subsidy publisher does virtually none of these things. Oh, maybe he adds the book to his catalog and runs what is known in the industry as a “tombstone” ad (where dozens of titles are lumped together and read like a laundry list). Anticipating books to move from this kind of advertising would be like expecting a mechanic to overhaul a diesel rig with jeweler’s tools.

Bookstores are not anxious to stock these titles. One subsidy published author received copies of invoices for a grand total of 64 books sold over a two-year period. In most cases, after paying thousands of dollars to print them, you don’t own your books. You will be doled out a “royalty’” on each copy sold.

“Scam”? In most cases, yes. “Self-publishing”? Nope. If you intend to make a profit from your book, I highly recommend you go the publishing your own book route where you, the author, self-publish books that are well edited and well designed. Leave the subsidy publishing to those who want to give a book to friends and family for Christmas or who simply want to preserve a relative’s writing for posterity.

The blog wasn’t cooperating with my comment addition, however, so I’m going to put it right here:

“…the industry is now experiencing a “true self-publishing” movement that argues a “real” self-published author is one who eschews the use of services like AuthorSolutions.

“I find the distinction to be nonsensical and elitist. It’s like saying you should never hire an expert or contractor to do your taxes, fix your car, or repair your plumbing.”

There IS a distinction between self-publishing and subsidy publishing, which is what Author Solutions provides. And it’s neither nonsensical nor elitist. True self-published authors work hard to ensure their book is a quality product that is virtually indistinguishable from others on the bookshelf that have been produced by traditional publishers. Subsidy published books tend to be of lower quality–both from an editorial and design standpoint–and sell fewer than 100 copies.

Truly self-published authors–and by that I mean they start up their own publishing imprint and purchase their own ISBNs–frequently DO hire experts to help them through the process. But lumping subsidy publishers such as Author Solutions together with those who provide services to authors who are truly self-publishing misleads authors who do not understand what they are getting into with subsidy publishing.

I don’t believe Author Solutions and the like are evil; but I sure wish they would stop calling themselves “self-publishing companies.” They are pay-to-publish services–ie, vanity presses.

http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/03/think-hard-before-self-publishing.html

from a literary agent, who basically thinks self-publishing is a bad idea for the vast majority of authors. Because I disagree with so much of what she says–from the standpoint of authors who are truly self-published (and this is an important distinction!)–and wrote a lengthy comment to the post, I thought I would post it here as well.

Here’s my comment to her blog post:

I have to disagree with much of this article from the standpoint of truly self-published authors. And by that, I mean authors who start up their own publishing company imprint, obtain their own ISBN prefix, and oversee that all aspects of editing and design are done professionally. Books published in this way cannot readily be identified as “self-published.” They are “independently” published. For authors who go the Lulu or iUniverse route—yes, much of this article is true; these books really don’t have a chance in the book marketplace, and they sell very few copies.

Self-published authors who do it correctly CAN get into traditional distribution channels. Through membership in such groups as IBPA, independent publishers are able to work with Baker and Taylor, for instance. Of course, it is up to the publisher/author to create demand for their books from the consumer level because distributors/wholesalers do little to market books. Marketing and promotions by the author are key—whether books are self- or traditionally published. (It usually comes as a shock to traditionally published authors that publishers do little to market most of their titles.)

As far as promotions publishers have access to—“purchasing space on front and center tables in Barnes & Noble—how many of their authors are getting this? The James Pattersons of the publishing world will get this treatment; the average midlist author likely will not anyway.

I would also venture to say that the odds of any published book becoming a NYT bestseller are staggeringly slim. Most authors—whether self- or traditionally published—should have more realistic goals. And there are certainly plenty of other “bestseller lists” to which they can aspire.

As far as selling a self-pubbed book becoming a full-time job—well, wouldn’t this be true for any book that needs to be marketed? Again, most publishers do little to promote the majority of the books on their list, focusing on the few moneymakers; it is primarily left up to the authors.

I do agree with the recommendation for authors to self-publish if they have some decent channels through which to sell books—and if they’ve got a good platform already established. (Of course, platform is becoming more and more important to traditional publishers as well.)

As someone who has worked with self-publishing authors for more than a decade (and who was involved in trade publishing for a decade before that), I am truly bothered by the fact that POD “self-publishing” is now being lumped together with true self-publishers. They are not one and the same—no matter how many times these “subsidy” presses say it is so. Paying to publish and publishing by starting one’s own publishing company are two different things. I work with authors who are doing the latter; these authors make thoughtful decisions about all aspects of production of their books, and these books stand up to any other on the bookstore shelf—because yes, their books are available in brick and mortar bookstores.

As self-publishing continues to grow in popularity (and I believe it will), we must educate people so they understand the POD digital publishers are really just vanity publishers masquerading as self-publishers. Unfortunately, they are also trading on the respectable reputation legitimate self-publishers have created.

My comments:

I find it amazing that Publishers Weekly still doesn’t understand the difference between self-publishing and subsidy/vanity publishing.

When authors are “self” published, they start up a publishing company; they obtain an ISBN prefix; they handle and make decisions about editing, interior and cover design, and printing (often paying subcontractors to handle these items for them); and they are responsible for marketing and promotion of their title. Period. This is the *only* way authors can truly self-publish. It’s pretty simple.

Companies such as AuthorHouse are vanity publishers calling themselves “self-publishing” or “self-publishing POD” companies. They are trading on the good name of self-publishing to make their companies appear to be a legitimate option for authors.

You ought to be embarrassed, Publishers Weekly, for not doing your research and perpetuating this misinformation.