There is a moment some authors have that I would not wish on anyone. It is the moment they go to update their own book, or move it to a different retailer, or collect their royalties, and they realize they cannot. Because technically, the book with their name on the cover does not belong to them.
Let's make sure that is never you.
What vanity publishing really is
The old name for this was vanity publishing. A company charges you to publish your book, and in exchange for your money, they publish it, stamp their imprint on it, and quietly keep some meaningful piece of it for themselves. The rights. The ISBN. A cut of every sale, forever. Sometimes all three.
The name has mostly gone out of style, but the model has not. These days it often shows up in nicer clothes, called hybrid, or partnership, or a "publishing package." Now, some of those companies are perfectly reputable and worth every dollar. Others are the same old arrangement with a fresh coat of paint. The label on the door does not tell you which one you are dealing with. The contract does.
The four questions that tell you the truth
So here is how you actually tell the difference, no matter what a company calls itself. Ask these four questions, and do not accept a fuzzy answer to any of them:
Who owns the rights to my book? The answer you want is: you do, fully.
Who owns the ISBN, and whose name is the book published under? The answer you want is: yours.
What percentage of royalties do I keep? The answer you want is: all of them.
Do I get the final production files? The answer you want is: yes, and they are mine to keep.
If a company gets cagey on any of those four, you have your answer, and it is time to walk.
There is a cleaner way
The way we work is simple. You pay us for the work, the writing if you need it, the design, the formatting, the production. And then you keep everything. Your book is published under your own accounts. You own the rights, you own the files, and you keep 100 percent of your royalties. We do the work, you own the asset. That is the entire arrangement.
If you paid to publish it, you should own it. Full stop.
This is not a technicality. Your book is an asset. It can sell for years, open doors for years, and earn for years. Signing away the rights to it to save a little money up front is like renting out a house you already bought, from the person who just sold it to you. Please do not do it.
The question was never who published your book. The question is who owns it. Make sure the answer is you.
Want to publish a book you actually own? See how we work, or book a call.