Author mills, sometimes known as vanity presses, are publishers that publish small runs of books for many, many authors. What do they look like? (Wikipedia, 2019)
- They go for quantity rather than quality of authors; they may have thousands of authors passing in and out of their presses.
- Almost no editorial gatekeeping (i.e. editing and other quality measures)
- They only publish small runs of high-cost copies
- They expect you to buy your own copies to sell
- Once you publish with them, they own your book and the rights to it.
After getting all the rejections I've received, I'm scared that I'm vulnerable to such an approach. "Wow, someone wants to publish me!" is a powerful lure after a long, difficult, dry spell. And this is what the author mill counts on -- the starstruck desire to see one's name in print on a book cover.
Falling for an author mill because one hasn't found an agent/publisher yet is like getting into a relationship with a narcissist because one has had a dry spell in dating. Both look like they fulfill dreams, yet drain the dreamer dry with nothing in return.
The ways to guard against this?
- Value yourself and your writing
- Know the signs of an author mill
- Research before you commit.
A great source with more information on author mills can be found here.
References
Strauss, V. (2010). The perils of author mills. Available: http://www.victoriastrauss.com/advice/author-mills/ [Feb. 20, 2019].
Wikipedia (2019). Author mills. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Author_mill [Feb. 20, 2019].
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