Tag Archives: is self publishing vanity publishing

Tellwell News

The New Self-Publishing Lexicon

Oct 3,2022 / By / No Comment

Why “Vanity Publisher” Is an Outdated Misnomer

By Tim Lindsay, Founder & CEO of Tellwell

You’ve written your book! Congratulations on such a significant accomplishment. So many people start, but so few finish! Moreover, the book you’ve written is good (you don’t tell many people this, but it’s way better than you thought it would be). It’s so good, in fact, that you know you need to take the next step and find a way to publish.

If you begin researching book-publishing options online, it’s possible you’ll read about the exciting growth and accessibility of self-publishing—the “indie publishing” revolution that has democratized access to publishing. You may read about “authorpreneurs” taking control of publishing timelines, bypassing the old gatekeepers, earning higher royalty rates, and building intimate and direct relationships with readers. Exciting, right? 

But then the term “vanity publisher” also shows up in your search results, making you pause, since the term vanity carries with it pejorative connotations. Wait a second . . . should you be ashamed to self-publish? Is self-publishing “vanity publishing,” or is it legit? And if self-publishing is indeed a credible option, is it possible to get help, or must you do literally everything yourself? 

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Meet the Team

Why self-publishing is not vanity publishing

Apr 19,2022 / By / No Comment

Australian publishing consultant Despina Maclaren dispels the most common myth about self-publishing

Tell us about your role at Tellwell.

My role at Tellwell is to help authors navigate the publishing landscape, so they are able to make informed and educated decisions about the options available to them, and to guide them on what is best for their needs as well as their budget. I adore assisting authors, the day-to-day diversity of my role, and [discovering the] reasons and motivation behind what makes an author want to publish their book. It is a joy to assist them in understanding the process and expectations, offering them advice from my own years of experience in the book trade. 

Tell us about your previous publishing experience. 

I’ve been in the book industry for thirty-five years, and started out working as a bookseller at Angus & Robertsons’ flagship store in Melbourne on Elizabeth Street. I moved on to work as a bookseller across Melbourne and later became the rep there for Penguin Books. I decided to move to the UK, and worked for Penguin UK and other global and independent publishers, selling all kinds of genres, from mass-market fiction to non-fiction to children’s, education, academic, and professional books.  

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