This was from someone on wattpad:
I received an email today from Simon & Schuster (I've signed up for their newsletter). The email was advertising their vanity publishing--oops self-publishing services from Archway Publishing. I wonder why a reputable company like Simon & Schuster would advertise a company like this to authors.
Archway Publishing is operated by Author Solutions, one of the biggest Vanity Publishing companies out there.
Disgusting!
Archway Publishing is operated by Author Solutions, one of the biggest Vanity Publishing companies out there.
Chances are, as traditional publishing's revenues have continued to fall, the publisher is trying to buy up lesser known revenue streams to weaken the competition while also buoying their income. Thus they're likely pushing the vanity brand hoping to target a separate market (i.e. newbie authors too naïve to realize they're making a monumental blunder!)
For most vanity presses, their customers are the authors themselves, not readers. Frankly, VPs don't care whether the books sell or not, because they make money from their 'services' and dumping an unsellable quantity of books on hopefully new authors. If ultimately, few readers ever see any indication of these questionable books, S&S is gambling that readers won't penalize them for fostering a hostile workplace for authors.
Archway Publishing is operated by Author Solutions, one of the biggest Vanity Publishing companies out there.
Disgusting!
I assume, like all traditional dead-tree publishers, they're struggling to just survive. 'Disappointing'? Yes. But I won't be critical of them for choosing a course they feel compelled to follow to survive.
I assume, like all traditional dead-tree publishers, they're struggling to just survive. 'Disappointing'? Yes. But I won't be critical of them for choosing a course they feel compelled to follow to survive.
Of course, instead of taking the low-road, they could simply get ahead of the curve and finally discount ebooks, since their production essentially costs them nothing, rather than trying to cripple their own ebook sales in order to artificially boost their more expensive paper books.
Now that is ultimately a losing strategy, because however you fight it, more people are reading ebooks almost exclusively. If they stopped trying to hold back the 21st century, they wouldn't be struggling!
Author Solutions
For what it's worth:
Alternate Business Name
Balboa Press
Westbow Press
Palibrio
Author Learning Center
Abbott Press
Inspiring Voices
Content Distributors LLC
Responder Media
Booktango
LifeRich Publishing
Partridge Singapore
Partridge Africa
Partridge India
Archway Publishing
AuthorHouse LLC
iUniverse, LLC
Xlibris, LLC.
Trafford Publishing, LLC
The email was advertising their vanity publishing--oops self-publishing services from Archway Publishing.
Sounds to me like Author Solutions is advertising in the newsletter rather than a partnership between Simon and Shuster and Author Solutions.
rather than someone who is being promoted.
Sounds to me like Author Solutions is advertising in the newsletter rather than a partnership between Simon and Shuster and Author Solutions.
I can't copy and paste it because the poster posted an image of what was in the Simon & Shuster newsletter. But it says:
Archway Publishing, from Simon & Shuster and operated by Author Solutions, offers professional supported self-publishing services that can help you share your story with avid readers.
So it says: "Archway Publishing, from Simon & Shuster"
It's not Archway Publishing advertising in S&S's newsletter. It's S&S selling services through Archway Publishing which is through Author Solutions.
It's not Archway Publishing advertising in S&S's newsletter. It's S&S selling services through Archway Publishing which is through Author Solutions.
Looks to me that S&S are telling the person "Don't call us, we'll call you - maybe. You should try these people and not us."
BTW The S&S Canada site lists Archway as a Self Publishing option in their corporate section of their website.
Their main website says:
Simon & Schuster does not review, retain or return unsolicited materials or artwork. We suggest that prospective authors and illustrators submit their manuscripts through a professional literary agent.
So they don't communicate with people who just want to publish through them.
So they don't communicate with people who just want to publish through them.
None of the Big-5 do. It actually makes sense.
As an IT hiring manager, I used head-hunters to find qualified people. I didn't have the time to go through unsolicited resumes (manuscripts or query letters in publishing). So the head-hunter (literary agent in publishing) did the vetting and then tried to sell the candidate to me (publisher in publishing).
This self-publishing thing is different. They're saying they don't want to publish your novel, even after you pay for editing and other services.
None of the Big-5 do. It actually makes sense.
I disagree. It shows that the big 4/5/6 have grown too bloated to function efficiently.
My experience of using headhunters for IT staff is that you end up overpaying for second-rate performers. Perhaps if you're desperate to fill a post quickly, but word of mouth and advertising in the right places gets you better quality candidates.
AJ
Now I'm wondering whether this is a trend. Just how many major publishing firms have bought out their own hand-picked venture publishers just to keep author inquiries at bay (and to profit from not publishing or promoting those authors)?
It's as if the major publishers aren't happy with how angry both authors and readers are with their limited offerings as it is, they're now going out of their way to promote yet more controversy by engaging in clearly scam publishing operations on the side.
