Have you thrown your hands in the air or tugged at your hair, wondering which self-publishing path to choose?
You’re not alone!
Unless you do everything yourself, writing, editing, illustrations, cover, formatting, design, building the book, and uploading to publish, you’ll need help.
But what type of help is available, and how much do you need?
Let’s go over the three most common types of self-publishing options. Each has its own pros and cons.
- VANITY PUBLISHING
This type of service promises to publish your book, and it will publish it no matter what the condition of your manuscript or illustrations (if you provide your own).
They don’t care about the quality of your book because they are compensated by YOU. It doesn’t matter to them if you sell any books.
What Vanity Presses Offer
-The promise to publish your book
-Manuscript editing
-Illustration service (discuss who will own the illustrations)
-Book cover design
-Book formatting and typesetting
-ISBNs
-They publish the book under their own imprint
-They use their own Amazon or IngramSpark account
-Print-ready files
-Uploading to the distributor for publication
-Basic distribution
-Royalties
-Marketing packages
Sounds great. Right?
Well, keep in mind that this type of service is in the game to make as much profit as possible. In order to do this, the quality of the services they provide is often lacking in skill and professionalism. And since they use their own ISBNs, they will be listed as the publisher of your book.
To find out why this isn’t a good thing, read:
Self-Publishing: Why Use Your Own ISBNs
Typically, upfront costs range from $1,500 to $5000. And the timeline is six months to a year.
Cons of the Vanity Publishing Model
-You pay upfront
-They have nothing vested in your book’s success
-They publish just about anything—no quality control
-Typically, they retain rights to the book
-Locked-in contracts can be detrimental to authors
-Lacking in professional writing, illustrations, and marketing services
-They use their ISBNs, so they’re listed as the publisher of record
-Can be very costly
-Author royalties can be from 30 to 100% of net sales
-Authors usually don’t recoup their investment
What Can Go Wrong?
Over the years, I’ve had a few clients use these services after I ghostwrote or rewrote their manuscripts.
One client paid over $10,000 for a package that included illustrations and a book cover. It took many reviews and revisions of the illustrations to get them up to par.
To keep costs down, these services use less-qualified illustrators. This means you need to CAREFULLY check character and scene consistency, proportions between all elements in the scenes, and text-to-illustration accuracy.
Another client used one of these services to publish and allowed them to edit the ghostwritten manuscript. It was obvious that the writer wasn’t a professional or a children’s writer. The client had me re-edit it.
I have so many horror stories, including marketing. The marketing services are most often ineffective and unprofessional. One client’s website had ineffective copy with lots of grammatical mistakes. Another client used a service that subcontracted the work to an unqualified service that didn’t know a thing about marketing children’s authors or their books.
And these types of unqualified and unprofessional services are becoming more and more prevalent.
Final note: Enter the vanity publishing realm with eyes wide open. A large percentage of this industry uses high-pressure sales tactics and is considered to be predatory. And some present themselves as ‘hybrid’ publishers.
- HYBRID PUBLISHING
Legitimate hybrid publishing is a cross between traditional and self-publishing. It’s actually a partnership between the author and the publishing service. The difference between traditional and self-publishing is the speed of publication, the advance, and the royalty rate.
The most significant difference, though, is that you foot the bill. But these services still usually care whether your book is successful because they get a percentage of book sales.
Typically, upfront costs can range from $5,000 to $20,000. And the timeline is usually six months to a year.
What Legitimate Hybrid Publishers Offer
-Author retains ownership of the book
-Not all manuscripts are accepted—quality control
-Manuscript editing
-Illustration service (discuss who will own the illustrations)
-Book cover design
-Book formatting, typesetting
-The author buys their own ISBNs (currently $250 for a pack of 10)
-Print-ready files
-The book is usually published under the author’s imprint
-Usually, the author uses their own account to publish (KDP, etc.)
-Uploading files to the distributor for publication
-Royalties
-Produce quality books
-Marketing packages
Publishing a book through a ‘legitimate’ hybrid publisher is usually a seamless process, and you are usually afforded creative input (book title, cover design, etc.). You pay for their expertise.
Cons of the Hybrid Publishing Model
-Significant monetary investment—no guarantees of recouping
-Author is paid royalties, even though paying to publish
-Many services are vanity presses disguised as hybrids
-Must ensure the service is a legitimate hybrid
-Quality of writing and design may be unprofessional
-Share control of the book with the service
-After publication, marketing support may be limited
-Limited distribution to physical bookstores
Final note: the hybrid publishing service charges an upfront fee for publishing your book. While they do make a percentage of sales, they have no risk if your book doesn’t sell.
A helpful way to ensure a hybrid publisher is legitimate is to review the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) checklist:
https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/standards-checklist-download
Basically, the book should be professionally edited and designed, and it should meet industry standards in all aspects. It should also have appropriate metadata for Bowker’s ISBNs.
- SELF-PUBLISHING SERVICE
I’ve seen this publishing model referred to as “assisted self-publishing” and “supported self-publishing.” As a provider, I prefer the term self-publishing service.
This model comes in different shapes and sizes: some simply walk the author through the process, others do some of the work but not all of it, and still others provide full service, getting in the trenches and doing it all for the author. So, you will need to know how little or how much help you’ll need when choosing a service.
Typically, upfront costs range from $1,600 to $10,000, depending on whether children’s illustrations are needed and the type chosen. Pricing also depends on the book category (picture book, chapter book, etc.). The timeline is usually four to six months.
What Self-Publishing Service Providers Offer
I can’t speak for all service types in this model, so I’ll use my service, Writers on the Move SP Service, as an example. If an item ends with an asterisk, it means most services do it the same way.
-Author retains ownership of the book*
-Author receives 100% of net book sales*
-Not all manuscripts are accepted—quality control
-Entire process is one-on-one / all questions answered
-Manuscript editing
-Illustration service (author owns illustrations)
-Book cover design
-Book formatting, typesetting
-Author buys their own ISBNs (currently $250 for a pack of 10)*
-Author can use the publishing accounts’ free ISBNs (not advisable)*
-Author Bowker account and assignment of ISBNs, including metadata
-Author KDP and/or IngramSpark publishing accounts
-Input metadata, pricing, etc. to publishing account/s*
-Full review and management of all aspects of the project
-Author is kept in the loop throughout the process
-Print-ready files*
-The book is published under the author’s imprint if ISBNs were purchased
-Upload files for publication
-Produce quality books
-Marketing advice
Cons of Self-Publishing Services
-Monetary investment—no guarantees of recouping
-Must ensure the service is legitimate
-Quality of writing and design may be unprofessional
-Limited distribution to physical bookstores
Even if you DIY the project, outsourcing the various elements, you will spend at least $1000 without illustrations.
Final note: as with the hybrid model, the book should be professionally edited and designed, and it should meet industry standards in all aspects. It should also have appropriate metadata for Bowker’s ISBNs. And the service should review all illustrations and the cover for quality.
SUMMING IT UP
Self-publishing a children’s book can feel overwhelming, but there is help. Decide whether you want a vanity publisher, a hybrid publisher, or a self-publishing service. Then, research services within that group.
The only publishing path that you don’t pay anything to get your children’s book published is traditional publishing. The publishing company will give you a contract and pay you royalties (typically around 10%) for net book sales.
Take your time and be aware that many self-publishing companies aren’t legitimate. Thorough research is essential.
14 Features of a Children’s Book Self-Publishing Service
So, What Can Go Wrong With Children’s Books Illustrations?
Hidden Risks of AI-Generated Children’s Books
I’m a working children’s writer, editor, and self-publishing specialist. I help turn your idea, outline, or manuscript into a book you’ll be proud to call your own—and provide hands-on guidance through every step of the self-publishing process.
OTHER HELP I OFFER:
HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN'S FICTION BOOK
A 200+ page book that will help you write your own children’s book.
FICTION WRITING FOR CHILDREN eCOURSE
4, 8, or 12 Weeks / 9 Sections / Instructor Guided Self-Study Program
WRITERS ON THE MOVE SELF-PUBLISHING SERVICE
Self-publishing help for children’s authors (picture books and chapter books)
