Vanity publishing
PublishingA model where the author pays the publisher to be published — to be sharply distinguished from traditional publishing and self-publishing.
Example
"We loved your text! Cost participation: €2,800." — vanity publishing.
In vanity publishing, the author finances publication: paying the publisher for production, sometimes for "promotion" services. The model is legal when transparent — it's service provision — but it is massively used to exploit authors' hopes: flattering acceptance letters, steep quotes, copies piled in a garage and nonexistent distribution.
The confusion to avoid is threefold. Traditional publishing: the publisher pays everything. Vanity publishing: the author pays an intermediary calling itself a publisher. Self-publishing: the author also pays, but remains project owner, keeping their rights and margin. At equal budget, openly assumed self-publishing almost always dominates disguised vanity publishing — it buys chosen services, not the illusion of a label.
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