Article for Experts 1-2-3

Don't Get Scammed by a Vanity Press
Donna Erickson · June 11, 2010

Lots of new authors are opting to self-publish their books because it's quicker and easier than traditional publishing. Self-publishing allows the author to have more control--especially in the areas of cover design and publication title. When new authors begin exploring their options, they often conduct a search online for self-publishing companies, which leads us to this critical question: Are the most popular listings for self-publishing companies on the Internet necessarily the best?

The answer to that question is "no." The companies on the top of the list have simply paid the most to appear there. These companies pay top-dollar to pay-per-click search engines to get to the top of the list. Does that make them better than the others? Absolutely not! They are just paying more money per click to have you visit their site.

In fact, some of these companies have been sued for not delivering what was promised. Others are outsourcing customer service to offshore affiliates, and customers are complaining about the inferior service. Lulu.com outsources to India, Authorhouse has affiliates in the Phillipines, and customers are reporting they cannot understand their questions and neither are knowledgeable or highly accessible.

Authorhouse, Xlibris, and iUniverse are all owned by the same company, Author Solutions. Accusations have been made that both Authorhouse and Xlibris have added additional fees to list books on amazon.com--after assuring their authors there would be no fees. In addition, Authorhouse lost a libel suit, after claiming they did not publish a book that was indeed published by them, and was charged a hefty amount in punitive damages.

Before you give any money to a publisher, make sure you research their background and policies--especially on contracts and refunds. Don't become the next victim with a "nightmare story" to share about vanity presses.