I wouldn't waste time with any of these...
These all start off with big money. 700$ for author house?
that money could be spent a whole lot better. These guys are still only using the internet to sell books. Just because it is available to retail outlets doesn't mean anything...all of the reasons why you can't get it into brick and mortar stores still apply, ie...discounts, returns and so forth.
You could get your own cover for less and sometimes free if the artist is interested in building their portfolio and wants to have credit in your book and so forth. It just takes a little digging. If you went with lulu.com you have no set up fee, its extremely easy to use and you only have to buy the copies you actually want. They can get you distribution for 150$ globally through Amazon.com, border, barnes and noble and just exactly the same deal that these vanity presses are using all through Lightning Source...or you can go through Lightning Source yourself...they're a printer for P.O.D. period and have Ingram for distribution and Bowker for listings in books in print, which is free by the way.
What are you really getting for your money with a vanity publisher?
They still won't promote you, they will sell you a load of books you don't need as the author and they all have outrageous setup fees...for the same thing LULU.com sets up for free!!!
Why waste your money? And you have to give up some rights to your book with these guys a lot of times...something you don't do with lulu or going solo with Lightning Source, and you'll get back more per book sold, by not going with a vanity press.
Its been said before on this board, but needs repeating, that vanity presses make their money by selling books to the AUTHORS, along with all of that money for setup.
Eric did you get my reply?
James
