Publisher types explained
Most publishing horror stories start with an author who didn’t know which kind of company they were signing with. Here’s the short version.
The question worth asking
Who is paying, and does acceptance mean anything? A trade publisher buys rights and pays for production. A self-publishing service sells you production and says so plainly. Both are ordinary ways to put a book into the world, and for plenty of authors the second is the better one.
What should worry you is a company that charges a fee while presenting it as an editorial offer. Not because paying is wrong, but because if everyone who pays gets accepted, being accepted tells you nothing about your book.
The types
Trade publisher
Publisher-fundedPublisher-funded. Acquires rights, pays for production, and usually offers an advance against royalties.
Browse trade publishersIndependent press
Publisher-fundedPublisher-funded. Operates outside the major conglomerates, often genre or mission focused.
Browse independent presssSmall press
Publisher-fundedPublisher-funded. Independent and low volume, usually with a modest advance or none.
Browse small presssUniversity press
Publisher-fundedPublisher-funded, rarely with an advance. Peer-reviewed scholarly publishing.
Browse university presssLiterary agency
Publisher-fundedPaid out of your earnings, as a commission on what they sell. Established practice is no reading fee and nothing charged upfront.
Browse literary agencysBook packager
Publisher-fundedDevelops and produces books, often work for hire. Usually paid as a fee rather than a royalty, and you may not keep the rights.
Browse book packagersHybrid publisher
Author-fundedAuthor-funded, with selection. You contribute to production costs and usually keep a higher royalty. Worth asking what the total comes to and what the acceptance process actually involves.
Browse hybrid publishersSelf-publishing service
Author-fundedAuthor-funded by design. You are the publisher and they are the supplier: you pay for services, keep your rights, and keep the revenue. A well-run one is a straightforward contractor relationship.
Browse self-publishing servicesAuthor-pays publisher
Author-fundedAuthor-funded, without selection. Everyone who pays is published, so acceptance is not a judgement on the book. That can still be the right deal if production is what you want.
Browse author-pays publishersContract red flags
None of these are automatically disqualifying, but every one of them deserves a direct question before you sign.
A reading fee, or any fee to consider your manuscript
Legitimate publishers and agents make money when your book sells, not when you submit it.
Acceptance within days, with enthusiasm but no editorial notes
Real acquisition involves people reading the whole book and arguing about it. Speed plus flattery usually means the money comes from you.
The offer arrives attached to a payment schedule
Ask directly: what will this cost me in total? If the answer keeps moving, walk.
An option clause covering your "next work" in any genre
That can tie up years of your career. Narrow it to the same genre and a fixed window, or strike it.
No rights reversion clause
You need a defined way to get your rights back when the book stops selling. Without one, the grant can effectively be permanent.
Vague distribution promises like "available in all major bookstores"
Orderable is not the same as stocked. Ask how many copies they expect to place, and where.
Paid "bestseller campaigns" or guaranteed reviews
Nobody can guarantee a bestseller list, and paid-for reviews violate most retailers' terms.
This is general information written for authors, not legal advice. A publishing contract is a long-term transfer of valuable rights, so have a literary agent or a lawyer who works in publishing read it before you sign.