Publishing and printing companies and agents can make money if an author is successful with his works. Publishers usually ask for the fees after the sales or upfront. Also, the agents get their cut or commission following the royalties that came in on the author’s sold books. In any case that they were both able to do a great job, they both deserve to earn whatever they make. However, there are publishers and agents who do not practice the right ethics given this scenario.
There are some legitimate publishers who ask for money upfront if they are providing services that include professional editing, production of a good quality product and promotion. These services must already be included in the total amount of books that the author had agreed to buy. If by any chance, the editing that they provided is limited to spelling check, then you have to watch out. Publishers, in almost all cases, provide a professional editor who will align and coordinate with the author in order to improve and error-proof the work. Such editing service is always a part of the package and not provided for an additional charge. As mentioned, a publisher is always either paid upfront or after the books had undergone printing and had been sold.
A publishing and printing company who does not provide thorough editing can be considered as a vanity publisher. They simply provide a small number of books for a higher price for people who want to see their works published in a book – flaws and all.
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