In the vanity press business, there are a few honorable exceptions to the belief that it's fraught with peril; for far too many authors, though, the experience mirrors that of the authors who filed more than 800 complaints against Tate Publishing and Music. Tate Publishing closed its doors some time ago amid economic woes and vocal outcry on social media from their victims, but … [Read more...] about Tate Publishing Execs Arrested for Fraud, Extortion
vanity press
Predators Ripping Off Authors Are Worse than Ever
Imagine building a company slowly, one that is intended to give authors a place to sell and distribute their own ebooks. You grow that company into a household name in the publishing industry and enjoy a measure of success that goes with it. You even publish a few very helpful ebooks on your site--Smashwords, incidentally--so authors can benefit from years of industry insight … [Read more...] about Predators Ripping Off Authors Are Worse than Ever
Tate Publishing Crooks Receive 20 Years, Nearly $1M in Restitution
In a victory for indie authors, the founder and CEO of vanity press Tate Publishing and his son who worked with him have been sentenced to a total of about twenty years in prison for taking money from authors for services they never provided. The jail sentences for a variety of charges have been suspended, meaning Richard and Ryan Tate will not have to serve that time as long … [Read more...] about Tate Publishing Crooks Receive 20 Years, Nearly $1M in Restitution
Now that Anyone Can Publish, Anyone Can Be a Publisher, Too
The publishing industry--and certain commentary articles--have spent the last few years bashing the quality of self-published novels, taking out their ire on the authors themselves. But what is not so often exposed is the number of "publishers" who've sprung up almost overnight to utilize the same exact tools that are available to authors, but do so under the guise of being a … [Read more...] about Now that Anyone Can Publish, Anyone Can Be a Publisher, Too
Self-Publishing Platforms Hit Hard by DIY Authors
In all of the industry talk aimed at the futile and (some say) abusive treatment of authors by traditional publishers, one often overlooked casualty of the availability of self-publishing options is the vanity press. While many would bid good riddance to the companies that charge authors thousands of dollars and hand them hundreds of copies of their print books to then sell … [Read more...] about Self-Publishing Platforms Hit Hard by DIY Authors
Penguin’s Vanity Press Still Under Fire
Ask an indie author about self-publishing platform Author Solutions, and you'd better have some time to listen to the ranting. The company name has become synonymous with all that's wrong with the current publishing revolution, namely, accusations that they take authors' money and provide little in return. Purchased by Big Six publisher Penguin last summer for a reported … [Read more...] about Penguin’s Vanity Press Still Under Fire
Authors Suing Penguin’s Self-Publishing Platform
As if Penguin's legal battles in the Department of Justice anti-trust lawsuit involving several major publishing houses and Apple wasn't bothersome enough, a whole new litigation has cropped up. Three self-published authors are suing the publisher over the business practices of its self-publishing platform Author Solutions. According to an article in Courthouse News Service, … [Read more...] about Authors Suing Penguin’s Self-Publishing Platform
Authors Warned Away from eBook-Only Imprints
A number of blogs and news sites posted uncharacteristically wary responses to this week's announcements coming out in the world of self-publishing and ebook-only imprints. On the first front, a press release stated that self-publishing solutions provider Lulu has teamed up with vanity press Author Solutions (ASI) to promote high-priced packages to would-be authors; at the same … [Read more...] about Authors Warned Away from eBook-Only Imprints
BookBaby Brings New Services to Indie Authors
GoodEReader has covered news and interviews with BookBabyin the past because they have shown themselves to be a company to watch in self- and digital publishing. With both print and ebook packages, as well as several other branches of the company that work in music distribution, website hosting, and more, they seem to be quietly seeking to be an all-encompassing provider for … [Read more...] about BookBaby Brings New Services to Indie Authors