My office is surrounded by sharks. No kidding, I live and work on an island in the Atlantic Ocean, and the waters just off shore are teeming with sharks.    

Well, I've never actually seen one swimming in the surf, although my wife, Sarah, who walks three miles on the beach every morning, has seen a few small hammerheads. And the people fishing off the pier in the village are catching lots of them all the time. Some are two feet long! 

For sure, the waters around this little island are full of sharks. At least, that's what I tell our out-of-town guests as we head for the beach.

Why am I rambling on like this about sharks, you're probably wondering. Because in the June issue of The Write Stuff I said, "Watch out for the sharks!" But I wasn't talking about real sharks. I was referring to some dangerous predators in the subsidy publishing industry. I'll explain what I mean below. If you're thinking about writing and publishing a book, you'll want to pay close attention so you won't get eaten alive.

Subsidy publishing can be a good option for some aspiring authors.

The turnkey book production services that subsidy publishers offer can be helpful to authors who do not want to invest the time and energy to learn about the self-publishing process. And because subsidy publishers underwrite (subsidize) a significant portion of the production costs (e.g., for cover design, interior layout, and printing), authors need less upfront cash to get their books in print. Many subsidy publishers also have distribution networks and marketing programs that can be helpful to self-published authors.  

Subsidy publishers offer aspiring authors some advantages over traditional publishers, too. They readily accept manuscripts for publication, they pay author royalties at higher percentage rates, and they generally bring books to market faster.

It's easy to see why some authors are attracted to subsidy publishing. However, if you are considering this option, you should be aware of the disadvantages, the deceptions, and the dangers.

Important facts to know when considering subsidy publishing:

• A few subsidy publishers try to present themselves as traditional publishers by saying they only "accept" a few manuscripts a year, when in fact they accept manuscripts from pretty much any author who puts up the money.

• Some subsidy publishers produce books of inferior quality using standard templates and sloppy workmanship. Then they refuse to fix the problems they've created. Recently the owner of a company that provides cover design and book layout services told me he gets about two calls a month from authors who want him to straighten out messes created by subsidy publishers. In most cases he has to start from scratch, so the author essentially ends up paying for the same services twice.

• Aspects of the subsidy publishing process may be out of your control. For instance, the publisher frequently establishes the book's selling price. If the price is set too high for effective sales, you are the one who suffers.

• If you want copies of your book to sell at speaking engagements or for other purposes, you must buy them from the subsidy publisher at prices considerably in excess of printing costs. Sales of books back to authors are a major source of revenue for subsidy publishers.  

• Although many subsidy publishers will promise to sell your book to the general public, the results may be disappointing. Often their marketing services are cookie-cutter approaches that are less effective than custom services you could arrange on your own.

• After enticing aspiring authors to pursue their dreams with promises about marketing and other services, a few subsidy publishers will pull a bit of a "bait and switch" by adding additional costs to the project and reneging on some promises.

• The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) assigned to your book will belong to the subsidy publisher, not to you. If you want to change publishers, you will need to get a new ISBN. Changing ISBNs can cause confusion, which in turn can hurt sales.

• If you're unhappy with the publisher you've chosen, the terms of your contract may make it difficult for you to go elsewhere. To further lock authors in, some publishers put watermarks on every page of the PDF files so they're not useable by others, and they refuse to release artwork.

Joel Friedlander, president of The Book Designer, has recently written two excellent blog articles that you should read if you're thinking about using a subsidy publisher. They are Subsidy Publishing: Proceed with Caution and The Subsidy Author's Bill of Rights. You might also want to read Subsidy Publishing: Managing the Minefield by Jennifer Tribe and Ross Slater at High Spot.

I also recommend reading The Fine Art of Self-Publishing by Mark Levine. He groups forty-five subsidy publishers into four categories: Outstanding, Pretty Good, OK, and Publishers to Avoid. The latter group contains some familiar names, like Author House, iUniverse, and Xlibris.

Consider self-publishing.

If you have between $5,000 and $15,000 available to pay for the production and distribution costs of your book, you might want to consider self-publishing instead of subsidy publishing. You will need to pay more on the front end, but over time you will almost always come out ahead.

What if you want to self-publish, but you don't want to invest the time and effort to learn about the self-publishing process? I suggest engaging the services of a book packager or book shepherd. You can get the benefit of a turnkey process, but unlike subsidy publishing, you'll be in full control. I provide book packaging services for my ghostwriting clients who desire them, and companies like the Jenkins Group provide them for numerous authors.

In conclusion, subsidy publishing can be a good option, but watch out for the sharks!

Speaking of sharks, it's a good day for a swim. I think I'll head for the beach.