I saw it again–another discussion on another message board about the validity of self-publishing services v. subsidy press.

Please.

Signing up with a self-publishing service doth not make thee a self-publisher.

Actual self-publishers get LCCNs and P-CIPs so their books can be sold to libraries.

Actual self-publishers do, indeed, have imprints and business addresses and business licenses and resale licenses and their own block of ISBNs purchased directly from www.bowker.com.

Actual self-publishers are members of Amazon’s Advantage program and Independent Book Publishers Association and Small Presses of North America  and have book-rep and wholesaler and distributor agreements; they use traditional book manufacturers or industry-connected printers  and go to great lengths to ensure editorial accountability, find credible internal and cover designers, and pay for warehouse and fulfillment facilities.

Actual self-publishers only use POD (Print, not Publish, on Demand–it’s a type of printing, not a type of publishing) to send out advance galleys for reviews, because short-run POD printing tells the book industry you only intend to sell a few dozen copies.

Self-publishing is a full-time business that requires editorial accountability, industry registrations, and multiple-avenue distribution supported by marketing and promotion. Whether you’re releasing your own titles or someone else’s, the enterprise requires business formalities, serious time, and significant financial investment.

I’m sorry–and I know I’m fighting a losing battle along with all the other people in the traditional-publishing world–but “self-publishing” through a “service” is just another euphemism for subsidy publishing, pure and simple.