A War is Waging Right Now.

I'm not talking a about Iraq or Afghanistan, but rather, one that's happening right here in the US: the war on publishing.

Twenty-five years ago, authors had two choices. They could either query a traditional publisher or break down and publish with a vanity press. With the advent of self-publishing, all that has changed. Unfortunately, the industry hasn't kept up with defining the terms of various options available today. The industry still wants to take any publishing company that is not traditional and cram it into the category of vanity publishing.

The time has come to rise up and take a firm stand against this unfair action.
Some publishers have progressed to call themselves independent presses or hybrid publishers, but they still don't fall neatly into the two, already established categories of traditional vs. vanity publishing.

I propose we introduce a third category: alternative publishing. All of the other publishing models will have a name to fall under. There will be three types of publishing available today--traditional, vanity, and alternative.

As an alternative publisher, we are able to offer a new platform to our authors who deserve better choices than the confining (and often unobtainable) limits
of traditional publishers or the fraudulent schemes of vanity publishing.

Why We Are Different From A Vanity Press

I'd be happy to explain the differences:

1) A vanity press will publish anything for your money. Unlike them, we are extremely selective in what we will publish. We may lose a lot of authors that way, but I don't want my name associated with junk. I've worked hard the past 23 years to achieve an untarnished reputation as a professional writer/editor, before expanding into publishing.

2) Many of the vanity presses sacrifice quality to save money. They offer minimal editing (often by unqualified individuals), and there have been complaints about the quality of the books. I searched meticulously for the finest editors. They are all required to pass a skills test, and some have scored a perfect 100%. My contracted printer has invested in a multi-million-dollar piece of equipment (the only one in the new England area), and his quality is unmatched.

3) I spoke to many authors before writing my e-book, "No-Hassle Publishing: A Guide to Today's Changing Industry." Many complained about the lack of customer service and the inability to understand offshore personnel. We offer unlimited emails and domestic phone calls and have made our accessibility a priority. My Production Manager will answer any technical questions authors may have.

4) In doing my research, I discovered many vanity presses have been charged with fraud and have not delivered on services promises. They are paying punitive damages for misleading claims. Basically, they are operating as scams. I warn new authors to investigate carefully to avoid falling into this trap and being scammed themselves.

5) We saw a need for a legitimate and credible service for authors interested in self-publishing who don't know where to begin. We have the highest quality designers, illustrators, proofreaders, and formatters--along with our talented editors--to ensure a product that is worthy of distribution.

We haven't cut corners, skimped on quality, or misled our authors to get their money. We saw a need for a legitimate service based on sound business ethics, and that's why we are here.

Here's a great, enlightening article entitled, "Don't Call It Vanity Press," which appeared in Time Magazine:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1617545,00.html

Link to My Radio Interview

Here's the link to my recent (short) interview with Michael Dresser, host of Dresser After Dark, a nationally syndicated program on blogtakradio.com:

https://rcpt.yousendit.com/787970356/93cddc13cc23c6568d31b2096643f2cb

A lot is happening!

After launching the self-publishing division on September 25th, we signed our first author on November 30th. Author Susan Ronne is writing an imaginative children's book soon to be edited by our own Jane Mackay. We are working with a second children's author and compiling her stories into one manuscript.

Genesis Magazine will feature us in their January edition, which will focus on my e-book, "No-Hassle Publishing." We are preparing the book for print to be sold in online bookstores.

I was invited as a guest on blogtalkradio's nationally syndicated program, Dresser After Dark and was interviewed by well-known host, Michael Ray Dresser. Funny guy.

Jim Farrell, owner of PR First, has invited me as a guest to appear on his cable television program (in the Hanover, MA area) in March.

My printer, Ernie Foster, says, "You're on a roll!" I guess I'll keep rolling along...