What Is a Subsidy Publishing Company?

Subsidy publishers differ from vanity publishers in many ways. Like vanity presses, subsidy presses charge a certain investment amount from the author in order for the book to be published. Under subsidy publishers, part of the author's investment is distributed to a variety of services such as editing, graphic design, printing and marketing. A list of subsidy publishers is included in the Resources section below.

Investments

An author must make an investment, but the investment amount is determined by the publishing company.

Royalties

Subsidy publishers pay their authors through royalties. Royalty rates are predetermined by the publisher and are stated in the contract.

Printing

Books are kept by the publisher until book buyers buy copies or the books are sold online. Subsidy presses are not print-on-demand.

Extraneous Fees

With subsidy publishers, extra fees are often not required outside of the author's investment. It is the author's choice whether she wants to buy promotional materials for the book.

Copyrights

The author is the sole owner of the copyright of the book during and after production. Under no circumstance is the copyright of the book given to the publisher.

Resources

• Tate Publishing
• Xlibris Publishing Company
• Vantage Press