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When I was looking out for blogs to feature on my Friday Roundup    https://steviet3.wordpress.com/2016/07/08/friday-roundup-8th-july/     I came across this one by Anna Dobritt which had been re-blogged by Don Massenzio, bringing it to my attention.

https://amdobritt.com/2016/07/07/self-publishing-tip-11/

I started out on my author journey by writing a non-fiction book under my real name in 2009, and knew not my arse from my elbow, so to speak. A consultant doctor friend at work suggested using one of the publishers which seems to have appeared on  Anna Dobritt’s list above, and so stupidly enough I did.  I had to pay over £600 for the privilege of seeing my work in print.  This fee did not include editing, formatting, or a cover; the first two were done by myself, and the cover made by my husband.

Since 2009 I have been contacted by this company on an almost weekly basis.  The book sells only one or two copies every year, and I am constantly hassled with emails and phone calls to submit more manuscripts, to buy 100 copies of my book at a discounted price, and to pay extra for the services of one of their ‘marketing managers’ who will sell the book into eternity and beyond if  only I can come up with the required fee.

When I was a bit more street wise a few years later, I re-published the book on KDP and CreateSpace, and added a sequel to it, making it two books in one.  The re-published version is priced at a lower cost than the original one, and it sells better too.  It cost me nothing to publish it.

Moral of the story:  Do not use vanity publishers!  Mark, learn, and inwardly digest the names on Anna Dobritt’s list.  Self-publish your hard work instead, and reap the rewards!