: Re: How to identify whether a publisher is genuine or not? Despite an identical title: This question is in no means duplicate of this question. In my local area, there have been various ads running

@Moriarity138

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A publisher that primarily makes money from authors, not from sales, is called a "vanity press." These are generally not considered real or legitimate publishers in the industry. However they do serve a niche --for writers who just want to see their work in print, who aren't looking for the prestige of a "real" publisher, who don't want to do the work themselves to self-publish, who don't expect or care about any further outcome, who know not to expect outside sales, and who are willing to pay a steep upcharge in order to make it into print.

Where these groups cross the line into being unethical is when they promise fame, fortune and prestige to writers for "just a small initial investment," despite the fact that most vanity press books never sell any copies (except to the author's friends and family), that next to no customers of these presses ever make their money back, and that the prestige of being published by one is nil (since it's always open to anyone willing to pay for it.)

It's worth noting, however, that a new trend in publishing is cooperative presses, where multiple authors contribute to an anthology, and then commit to selling copies to cover the cost of the printing. This is a bit of a gray area overlap with vanity presses, but the difference is that prices are not inflated to make money off the participants, and the sales pay for the printing. A setup like that is not necessarily unethical, as long as all the participants are very clear about the terms of their participation (although -- not unlike Girl Scout cookies, or other direct sales ventures -- it does tend to put an extra burden on the writers' friends and family members).

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