First Penguin – now Simon & Schuster Wants Your Money

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… or how reputable publishers turn into “Vanity Publishers”
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They will not publish authors in the first place – and then they try to fleece them and charge them for “self-publishing” which is also called “Vanity Publishing”.   Simon & Schuster, four largest English-language publishers, through its Archway Publishing seeks writers who “self-publish” fiction, nonfiction, business and children’s books and let them pay for author services.

Archway Publishing will be run with help from Author Solutions and includes “editorial, design, distribution and marketing services” for authors.  The cost for these “services” range from $1,999 Author package to $14,999.   Read about their pricing / royalties in the FAQ’s.
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Their royalty samples :

Book Retail Price $17.95
– $9.87 (55% Wholesale Discount)
= $8.08 (Net after Wholesale Discount)
– $4.97 Printing costs
= $3.11 Net
x 50% (Royalty Rate)
= $1.56 Royalty Earned from a retail sale
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Book Retail Price $17.95
– $4.97 Printing costs
= $12.98 Net
x 50% (Royalty Rate)
= $6.49 Royalty Earned from their website sales
(My comment: If ever anyone buys from their un-known website)
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When do they pay royalties? After five! months… e.g. First Quarter: January 1 to March 31 (checks are mailed in late May)

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Here are more snippets from their press release:
The following services will be Archway Publishing exclusives:
Concierge Service – Authors will have the option to work with a dedicated publishing guide who will coordinate each step of the book production process.
Bookseller Catalog – Archway titles will be included in Edelweiss, the leading, industry-wide online catalog available to major retailers, wholesalers, libraries, bloggers and thousands of industry professionals.
The Archway Speakers Bureau, powered by Speakerfile, helps authors connect to a world of potential speaking “opportunities” and establish themselves as credible voices in their fields.
Premier Video Production and Distribution – Archway authors will have the “opportunity” to create high-quality videos and book trailers for distribution to major online video networks.
All these “services” can easily done by an author – they don’t need to employ a vanity publisher for it.

Another press release from Penguin tells “150K writers have used the services of Author Solutions” and sold total of 190K books, which means a little bit more than 1 book per author.  Go figure…

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Hyper Smash

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