[Sca-cooks] vanity press vs. self publishing

[Daniel Phelps]

Was written:

So, what is the difference between self publishing and a "vanity
press" job? In both cases you are sending off a manuscript (or today,
a computer file) to a printing house and paying for them to print and
then, probably, bind it. Although today, sometimes self published
means a bound photocopy rather than offset printing.

Actually there is quite a continuum of possibilities at the non-traditional
end of the spectrum these days.  There is the traditional vanity press,
there is self publishing as described above, there are small press runs and
there are various sites where manuscripts reside on line where in individual
copies of various works can be viewed in part or in toto and copies ordered
either as hard copy or, if I am not mistaken, electronically.  This would
be, I presume, on demand publishing?  I'm sure there are other wrinkles as
well.  My book "The Lucet Book" is printed in relatively small print runs by
www.spanishpeacock.com and distributed by them to as far away as Australia.

Daniel