Publishers

Avoid Vanity Publishers - Publisher Indexes - Book Publishers - Self-Publishing (Print-on-Demand)

Introduction

Publishers: What to Look for in a Publisher

The use of a publisher for your work has obvious benefits, including the editing and other pre-publication processing. You should always check to ensure that the publisher is legitimate and that they are in a position to complete the publication of your manuscript in a market that it will sell.

Do yourself a favour and view the other types of works being published by that company. A publisher will seldom publish a newcomer's work in a field that is unusual for them.

You should be prepared to invest time and money in promoting your own book. A literary agent can help in promoting you and your work, but is not essential. Many agents are unwilling to take on clients that have yet to publish. You will find a listing of Canadian literary agents in our The Canadian Writer's Guide Thirteenth Edition.

The publishers listed here are not necessarily endorsed by the Canadian Authors Association. These links are provided only for your convenience. You may want to review any contract before you sign.

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Avoid Vanity and Subsidy Presses

Beware of the vanity and subsidy publishers because in most cases you will not recover the cost of publication. In the worst cases you may not even receive the books you've paid for. Check the following steps to check the validity of a publisher:

Check the Writer Beware and Preditors & Editors lists of current problem publishing houses.
Read about Subsidy and Vanity Publishers for good definitions and examples of publishers that have not fulfilled the best interest of the writer or the industry.
Check your local Better Business Bureau for lists of publishers with complaints.
Check with your local CAA Branch to see if they have experienced problems with a particular publisher and if they can recommend one that will take a look at your particular type of writing.
Check other writing associations for hints about obtaining a publisher.

Support Those That Help You

Please consider that most writing organizations are run by volunteers or minimal staff and may not have the resources to help you. Consider supporting them by paying their membership dues if you would like their assistance and have determined what organization or set of organizations can provide that for you.

Learn from Others' Experience

If these steps seem overly negative to you, they were placed here for your protection after receiving many e-mails from writers who lost thousands of dollars when Commonwealth Publications failed to fulfill their contract. We are not suggesting that you not use a publisher, merely that you use good business sense when choosing one.

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Book Publishers Index Sites

Association of Canadian Publishers.
http://www.publishers.ca

Canadian Publisher's Council.
http://www.pubcouncil.ca

Canadian Publisher's Council - Publishing Links.
http://www.pubcouncil.ca/general.htm

Online Guide to Canadian Writing: Publishers in Canada.
http://www.track0.com/ogwc/resources/canpublishers.html

The Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia Information page provides guidelines on writing, getting published, ISBN, copyright and more.
http://www.books.bc.ca/bookpublishing.php

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Canadian Book Publishers

Coach House Books.
http://www.chbooks.com

Cumulus Press.
http://www.cumuluspress.com

Fitzhenry & Whiteside Publishing - Publishers of The Canadian Writer's Guide, Thirteenth Edition.
http://www.fitzhenry.ca

(m)Other Tongue Press.
http://www.mothertonguepress.com

Orca Book Publishers - publishers of books for children and young adults.
http://www.orcabook.com

Penguin Books Canada includes a page on Getting Published.
http://www.penguin.ca

The Porcupine's Quill has been described in the Toronto Star as "one of Canada's best small presses."
http://www.sentex.net/~pql

Porthole Press is a Canadian publisher of fine cookbooks, directories, and various titles offering an unique perspective of a new world.
http://members.tripod.com/Porthole

Sono Nis Press.
http://www.sononis.com

Sonotek Publishing Ltd. publishes British Columbia outdoors guidebooks, histories and historical biographies.
http://www.sonotek.com

The Canadian Small Presses listing by The Danforth Review includes interviews with those presses.
http://www.danforthreview.com/features/smallpresses/smallpresses.htm

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Self-Publishers

Self-publishing is different than a vanity press. The characteristic that separates them is that a self-publisher will be up-front with the actual costs of producing your book and you may shop elsewhere for the various components of the process. They can help with cover design and editing like a regular publisher, except you are paying the entire bill.

Trafford Publishing offers an on-demand publishing service.
http://www.trafford.com

MOCA Book Design has a great deal of information about the technology of book design including bindings, paper, internal layout and more.
http://www.mocabookdesign.com/more.html

An Incomplete Guide to Print-on-Demand Publishers compares a significant number of print-on-demand publishers and will give you a good overview of the industry.
http://www.booksandtales.com/podframe.htm

Self-Publishing Resources

Go Publish Yourself.com. Their goal is to provide you with the best self-publishing resources the Internet has to offer.
http://www.go-publish-yourself.com

Publishing Basics is a monthly newsletter for the small press and independent self-publisher.
http://www.publishingbasics.com

Para Publishing - Dan Poynter offers a number of resources and several free documents including a cover layout template.
http://parapublishing.com

Related Information

You might wish to look at the following pages on this site for additional information:

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