Trawling the internet, I find...
Another 'Publishing Company' that appears to be more about making money from Authors than it is from Readers.
I know a few people that have taken the Assisted Publishing route to getting their book published, and not all have been satisfied. Of course, not all parts of all contracts have been completed yet, so I have a few friends that are still optimistic. It's not my place to tell them "DON'T DO IT!" because they are all adults and all capable of doing research on the companies they look at to help in their quest to become published.
I know exactly why they go down the Assisted Publishing route. It's because, with a big name behind them, they look more legit, more professional and somehow, that adds credibility to their work.
Just to point out something here, I cannot blame the author for believing that, it is true in most cases, unfortunately - readers DO judge a book by its cover (and by its publisher)
I have a friend, the very friend who pointed me in the direction of Steemit, to be honest. She looked at going down the Assisted Publishing route, and while this is her story, I'll gloss over a few facts for the point of my article here.
She researched how much it would cost to publish her novel under assisted publishing. To balance out the cost of each book, along with how many she believed she could sell. She estimated between £6,000 and £8,000 to get it published and have enough books to sell to friends and followers on her social media platform at an affordable price. That part is important because a lot of people find their assisted publishing books can cost three and four times as much to buy as a Trad-Pub book.
She and her husband took advice and decided to go it alone. She published her book under her own Publishing House and once she had that first print in her hands, she knew the value of assisted publishing - IF DONE CORRECTLY AND ETHICALLY and how much joy could be spread to other authors.
Now, the publishing house she runs is not a money-maker, she runs it more like a hobby, unlike, it would seem, the publishing house mentioned in the article below.
As ever, do your research. If it looks like it cannot be true, it most likely isn't.
http://accrispin.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/questions-for-vanity-publisher-austin.html
Good Advice - It is easier to publish in Amazon, which is also safer.. then you begin to market the product to learn the processes for your next book and how to increase sales.
It is easier to do it yourself if you can, but some of the authors I come into contact with have no idea how. I work with one lady, she's 74 and has limited dexterity in her hands. Using the computer to write is almost beyond her now, publishing is beyond her.
I can see how such people could be taken for a ride by the wrong sort of publishers.
There is a reason why copyright was invented as a tool for publishers to recoup their investment, not as a tool for writers to earn money.
Internet hat turned it round in many way though.
https://falkvinge.net/2017/01/17/modern-copyright-built-assumption-internet-reversed/
Not really relevant to this article, I think.
I published my first poetry book through "assisted publishing" - and while I thought it was the best route for me at the time (I had just had to leave a job I loved through medical disability and was wading through two years of hell trying to qualify for Federal disability benefits), it's not something I will repeat. Ever. I never expected to make a lot of money (which is a good thing, because I haven't, lol); but I was far out of my depths and without practical knowledge - for me, going that route was a compromise that I believed gave me at least some control over the process. I'm not far along enough with my other projects to know where or when - or how - they will be published. But I can guarantee I'll be doing it differently next time.
It can be a horrible experience, I know it's a big 'ocean' of authors, but there are so many sharks.