Discreet Vanity Publishers?

First I want you to understand that writing is my hobby, I don’t see myself as the next blockbuster author, or even being good enough to get published traditionally. But my financial situation is more then solid, and I would like to see my novel in print.

The problem is I don’t want all my friends knowing I self published. Are there any vanity publishers that are discreet?

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Well, there are always pseudonyms to handle discretion issues. But if part of your desire is to see your very own name on the front cover and all you want is a couple of copies to sit on your shelf (and don't care whether or not they sell to the public), then you'd be well served to use a PRINTER, rather than a publisher. This accomplishes two things: 1) The book is formatted and in your hands with relatively little fuss, muss or expense, and 2) The book is not actually PUBLISHED. This means that if you're wrong, and happen to be a very GOOD writer who could get published traditionally, then your masterpiece isn't tied up with a company who can do it no good.

There are several pay-to-play printers, such as lulu.com or diggory.com who people here on this board have good things to say about. You can check out this same forum for more details about either company. They have multiple threads which discuss prices and pros/cons.

Good luck!

Lulu's not pay to play in this context - you'd have to buy a copy of the book of course, but you don't need any of the ISBN or other paid stuff if that's all you want to get your hands on.

Well, I'm sure you'll find one, but I've got to ask: why? A purpose in life is fine, but if you immediately try to cloak it with smoke and mirrors, it seems...as if that would be pretty unfulfilling. Moreover, when you do finally sell a book, and you've already burned up most of the prestige of it by going vanity, surely it's going to get a pretty underwhelming reaction.

"I sold my book!"
"Another one? That's nice, dear. Muffin?"

Still, there's plenty out there - iUniverse, AuthorHouse or the smaller ones. They'll be quite happy to take your money, if that's what you really want.

Well, fair enough. You'll certainly have no trouble finding someone willing to do you print-on-demand without the clouds of bad publicity surrounding PublishAmerica - look up subsidy publishers rather than vanity publishers. It's the same thing, but it sounds better to potential customers (the authors, I mean).

Bedo said:

Let me put it this way, I have enough money to never have to work again, but what my life lacks is an answer to the question of what I do for a living. I want that answer to be that I’m a novelist. I write everyday and do dream of getting published by a regular house, but honestly if that happens it will be years down the road.

What I want is to be able to tell people I’m a published novelist, and where they can order my work if they are so inclined.

Lulu looks very promising, the only problem is they can jump on the internet and see they are simply a POD printer with ease.

I want someone that looks, smells, and feels like the real deal. Bear in mind I’m not looking for some bogus item to mention in agent query letter, just a place that my friends and family will think is a small publishing house that liked and reproduced my work.

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Many vanity presses have one other trouble - you're going to have a horrible time getting your work into a bookstore. If one of your relatives goes into a bookstore to find your work, they run the risk of being told, "Oh, we don't stock POD books, but we can order one for you." Or worse, if they have something like PA's abysmal 5% discount.

Perhaps a better method might be to tell your friends, "Oh, I'm working on my novel. But I've got a few bound draft copies if you'd like to have a look at what I have so far."

Well, I do understand the timing issue, since publication with a traditional house can take a year or two. But it's not like you've waited too long to start or anything. I didn't start writing until I was 35. I'm now 44 and have on the shelf or in stages of production SIX novels with a New York house. It CAN be done, but it does take time.

I guess if the purpose is "See, I told you I could." to him before he leaves, does it really matter what the rest of the family or friends think? If you REALLY want to be a published novelist, then wait until you can say that with a song in your heart -- when it's the truth.

Because really - would he be more impressed with a real offer from a real publisher, even if the book won't be on the shelf until after he dies, or is the "book in the hand" thing the most important, even if it's not the truth? The reason I ask is that there are lots of small presses out there that are indeed "real" publishers, but you'd be in line with the rest of the authors, waiting to come out.

I guess if money is no object, and time is critical, then it really doesn't matter. But please at least do choose a subsidy press that will treat you fairly and doesn't have a poor impression in the industry.

By the way, what's your genre? Sometimes that makes a difference on the publisher.
Good luck with it!

Aventine Press--I think they also allow an 'own label' release, one of the PODs does... so it will show any logo on the spine that you want.

Bedo, please forgive my bluntness. Is this project for your father or for yourself? I ask because, in view of his advice to you years ago, he seems more likely to be gratified by your having built up the family business so well that it sold for multiple millions than by your having a published novel. Showing him the book sounds like a way of telling him he was wrong about you.

Bedo said:

You make a very good point Richard, and it compels me to share the whole truth.

I’m 42 years old, and all my life I wanted to be a novelist. My father told me it was a waste of time, and encuraged me to follow in his footsteps, and work in the family business. When I started it was successful, but not remarkably so. It has now been twenty-one years since I first started there, and last week it sold, my share is over eleven million dollars.

The sad part of the story is my father has terminal cancer and doctors say he won’t last the year. Before he dies I want to be able to hand him my published novel.

As far as lessoning the excitement if and when I’m every really published, I have to agree it would. Writing this I realize that I’m insecure when it comes to my abilities, and if I was totally truthful with myself don’t believe I will ever have a published work by any other means.

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Do you want to hand him this novel to make him proud of you, or to show him that he was wrong?

Eleven million dollars can buy a lot of things, but it can't make you a writer, and neither can self-publishing. If you can write a novel that's really any good, you don;t need to self-publish, and if you can't, then self-publishing won;t make it read one bit better.

It sounds like you;re wanting to be a pretend writer, not a real one. Real writers are made by sitting down each and every day and working your *** off. You read every day, you write every day, and over enough time you get better and better until you have a novel that's worth publishing. Real writers write two, or five, or ten novels. They write as many novels as it takes to learn how to write well, how to tell a story well, how to build real characters, etc.

Pretend writers write one novel, and when no real publisher wants it, they self-publish. Pretend writers think first efforts are good enough for the world to see, and can't understand why no real publisher wants horribly written first efforts.

If you really want your dad to be proud of you, tell him he was right, and that you did choose the right path through his guidance.

Bedo, you have no idea how surprised and pleased I am at your response. My efforts to influence people toward a moral course, with some variant of "Honesty is the best policy," seldom have an effect.

We can't know whether your decision at age 21 was "right." The results of any alternative decisions are hypothetical and not available for review. Look at it this way, though: you created the wealth that now enables you to devote yourself to writing. At 42, there's still time for the learning and practice necessary to become a real novelist.

I have the impression that your father was demanding and insensitive, for reasons that existed long before you were born. Most likely, nothing you could have done would have drawn a show of pride out of him. And if he'd known more about writing, he wouldn't have framed your situation as an either/or choice. Most writers have day jobs, especially when they're young.

Your story has potential as a plot.

I have been self-publishing for years and no-one knows it but me and my immediate family. I first did it by starting my own publishing house by buying a string of isbns and getting a printer to print offset for me. However this was a pain in the butt and a lot of hard work (although I was lucky and made good money on all my books.) Now I have found a much easier way - after trying out a few other pod companies like lulu and antony rowe, I now print pod by using Diggory Press, whose set up fee is tiny (similar to lulu but unlike lulu you don't have to have their name on the book). They also do all my distribution for me. I request that their name appear nowhere on my book and ask that my author name is not listed on their website and I use my own publishing house name. So still no one knows I am self published (apart from you guys, that is) or that Diggory is involved anywhere in the process Best of both worlds, and my books are still making me money despite being pod.