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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/48168
License name: CC BY-SA 4.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/48168
License name: CC BY-SA 4.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Anthologies are often different from other publishing. It is common for small publishers or even individuals to put together a call for an anthology to include any short work: comics, artwork, poems, short stories, essays, even novellas. The author never pays the publisher for this. It is normal for the publisher to offer a flat payment (usually token) or a royalty on net profits. It's also normal to be paid in nothing but a free copy or two (usually one gets free e-books at least).

Small anthologies may use Kickstarter or similar programs to raise the capital needed to print the books. Even e-books may have fixed costs. Authors could contribute to these, but wouldn't be expected to.

What you're describing though isn't just anthologies. You talk about books being published. And a fee to the publisher for doing so.

This is called a [vanity press](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanity_press) or [author services](https://www.forbes.com/sites/suwcharmananderson/2013/06/21/an-introduction-to-author-services-part-1/#7b0286e144ee), depending what they're doing. Nowadays we also have [print-on-demand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Print_on_demand) publishers. In each case, the author is self-publishing but doing so with the help of a business. These businesses can be completely legitimate (or not, like with any type of business). But that doesn't mean you want to use them.

The companies you're coming across might be providing slightly different services and might be a cross between a vanity press and a small press (which is a traditional publisher who is just small), or they could be a vanity press pretending to be a publisher.

You have two separate tasks here:

1. Figure out what the business claims to do, with what financial arrangement, and if that's something you want.
2. Figure out if the individual business does what they claim (if they're a scam or not).

If you want a traditional publisher, then these aren't it. If you want to self-publish but with some professional assistance, then a company like these might be helpful (but research them thoroughly).

Original score: 20