Thursday, September 19, 2013

Oh the Vanity of Publishing

Sometimes looking for markets can be very disheartening.  I ran across this anthology call from Goose River Press today and boy do they have a way with words.  Like this "authors receive royalties on all sales they generate".  Yep, you only get paid for what you sell even though the company distributes through multiple markets.  Or this "No purchase is required and nothing is required of the author for publication."  Hmmm.  If you don't buy copies and sell them how do you make money?  Oh yes, and that $1 a page reading fee they charge should cover the publishing costs.

Checking out the site was a real eye-opener.  They charge a $30 reading fee for manuscript submissions.  And reading those testimonials brought home the fact that this was a pay your own way publisher.  This from a 22 year old who submitted her novelette, "Goose River Press was accepting of my budget..."

Nowhere on the site does it say they're a vanity press, or that they charge for their services, but all the signs are there if you read carefully and know what you're looking for.  Always be cautious out there.

2 comments:

Thomas Pluck said...

Great name for a vanity press. Sign with them and your goose is cooked.

sandra seamans said...

Good one, Thomas!