Aventine Press

Hey thread, wake up.

It seems to me that the "vanity press" route is an alternative way to play the publishing game. It has many drawbacks, but the main benefit is that the writer (read "artist") is not subject to orthodox views of what good writing is and what is required to be a "real writer".

Consider this a bit of rebellion. While I respect the skills of professional writers, editors and publishers, I resent the fact that this tiny minority so narrowly decides who is worthy to be in print. An often cited and widely accepted fact here on this site is that there are thousands of truly great authors who never get pulished. If this is true, something is horribly wrong. If this is true, then too many people are complacent in the face of tegedy.

You bring up a good point, Paolo. But consider this:

I don't think it's complacency so much as acknowledging that what is going to sell in downtown New York may not be the same that sells in Wichita, Kansas, or Seattle, Washington.

A publisher is only part of the book chain. Ultimately, what is being published now reflects what has been purchased by consumers in the near past, so it's a "known quantity." The distributors and wholesalers follow the market closely and will stock those books which are likely to make them money. Few large publishers are willing to financially back a book that distributors/wholesalers are unwilling to purchase, based on their market research.

Small presses are more willing, but are unable to get the books into every bookstore, and that's required to make it a major success.

Unfortunately, the consumer's tastes are finicky and it's hard to throw thousands of dollars into the wind with the HOPE that the consumers will like a book. So, like most things in life, publishers take the easy road. That's not necessarily the BEST road, or the most FAIR road to many writers.

It seems to me that the "vanity press" route is an alternative way to play the publishing game

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As I've said before on other threads, there are occasions where subsidy (or "vanity", but I REALLY hate that name!) publishing has uses. It is an alternative if you only plan to write one book, and your only goal is to hold a bound copy of it in your hands. However, making a career of writing (replacing your day job and living comfortably from the income from your book) isn't likely, because -- as you say -- it has many drawbacks. More than the benefits.

I am the market.

Paolo said:

I am the market.

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In which case, you and vanity publishing should get along just fine.

Most authors, however, have a larger target readership in mind.

Granted, there are some very good books that probably have never been published by commercial publishers. BUT there are also even more very bad books that have found their way to the vanity house. Books no one should be subjected to. Not that their story is bad, but because they need a heavy dose of editing, both for content and grammar.

Read part of a publisher's slush pile one day, and you'll see why most self publishing is a Very Bad Idea. If your book is one of the good ones, it deserves the money and distribution that a commercial publisher can give it. And if it needs work, well, then, it will be better for it, and you'll thank yourself that you didn't rush it.

I have a book I wrote for Nano last year. It didn't win my publishers contest to be published, but my readers said it was a pretty good story. Looking over it, it's probably not commercial material. It was fun to write, and it has its good points. But it's out of my genre and pretty much a throwaway book. I think I'm going to make it available through Lulu so that friends who want to can get a copy and read it. It's really quite a lark. But that's the only reason I would ever consider a vanity press.

Paolo said:

I am the market.

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With all due respect, you are just a very small portion of the market. As is any one individual (me included). Editors and agents (reputable ones) have tons of experience in recognizing what will sell to large or relatively large markets as it is their job to make money for their publishing companies and/or clients (the writers). It is not they who dictate what will sell, but rather these much larger markets of readers out there. That's just the reality of the publishing world. Whether a writer likes it or not matters little in the grand scheme of things--if he or she wants to "make it" in this market then it helps to be as savvy about the business angle as possible, imo.

It is a little dull that every thread becaome yet another pro- or anti- vanity debate.

*If* someone has decided to self-published there are two main full service option. Pay up front, or pay through royalty share. Aventine are a pay up front company but one of the better ones.

Five years after the last post on this company I came looking for info because of an ad I saw on the back of a mystery anthology magazine. Not an ad for the company, but for a novel.

My first thought was, "I wonder how much an ad like that costs?"

Second thought was, "This looks self-published. An expensive bit of advertising for self-pub."

I thought self-pub because things were a little - off. Book title was too long and unwieldy, copy was not enticing. And no mention of who the publisher was.

Amazon revealed the publisher to be Aventine, pub date May 2011. One customer review, the omnipresent 5-star "fabulous, couldn't put it down!" by someone who has only reviewed this one item.

Aventine Press website says:
Aventine Press makes self publishing fast, easy and affordable for today's author. Aventine Press has helped authors with books that have been accepted by traditional presses. Our technology allows you to get your book into print quickly, while distributing through Ingram and making it available for sale as well as achieving high sales ranks with the world's leading booksellers ...

The part in red made me think, "Umm, what? If the book has been accepted by a "traditional press" then why would someone need a self-pub service?"

Here's what they do:
We offer professional self publishing services that include the formatting of your book for publication; interior page layout, book cover design, indexing and advanced marketing tools like website design. These services are individually priced, and you can choose to use them or not at your own discretion or level of publishing experience.

... We store your finished book electronically, then print any number of copies as you need them or as they sell. This method, called "print on demand" (POD), is both affordable and well suited to introducing your book to a worldwide audience or even to just printing a few for family, friends, or colleague's.

... Aventine Press is a relatively small publishing house but because we partner with LightningSource Inc., a subsidiary of Ingram Industries Inc., we can offer our authors delivery channels to more than 90% of all retail bookstore outlets in the USA. Our print on demand titles are listed on Ingram databases and are ordered by booksellers through the same methods they usually use – electronic ordering, telephone, fax, and mail.

Ok, so they don't do any editing but just help get your manuscript in proper order for market. And then print-on-demand any books that sell through retailers. The author pays for each piece of service used. Ok. That's upfront.

And there's the usual push for authors to purchase copies of their own books
Author Discount: Most self-publishing authors purchase numerous copies of their own book for marketing giveaways, reviews, to sell or to distribute to friends and family. Our authors pay only the actual printing and shipping cost plus 10% - with no quantity restrictions and no minimum purchase requirements and also receive printing discounts with orders of 25 or more copies.

They keep 20% of any non-author sales, but they refer to the 80% that goes to the author as "royalties," which, it seems to me, is trying to put a "traditional publishing" spin to their process, rather than saying, "We keep 20% of any future sales to pay for the printing costs."

I can see a legitimate need for companies that offer services to people who want to self-publish. I would probably use a company like that, if I went that route. I don't have the time or desire to put all the pieces together myself. I'd want input into the process, but would leave all the assembly to someone else. Probably a good sign that they're still in business after 10 years or so.