# copyright length **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 5, 2016, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-length/765111 "2016-09-05T18:12:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-length/765111/81 "2016-09-09T12:01:22Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Then you will have no problem elucidating those differences, will you - because to many, if not most people, they are nearly the exact same thing. Sure. To my mind, a vanity press is publishing something with a tiny circulation (maybe not much beyond friends/family); it’s really more about saying “See, I had something published in an actual book! I can do authoring!”. Self-publishing, IMO, is where the author believes the work warrants a wider audience but for whatever reason (niche subject, for example) can’t get a more traditional publisher on board and thus arranges for it to be published themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-length/765111/82 "2016-09-09T12:53:25Z")
It’s a false distinction. Vanity press is printing whatever the hell you want in whatever quantity you want. The only difference between that and electronic self-publishing is that one is a treebook and one is an e-book. Having a third party that evaluates quality to some extent makes a big difference. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-length/765111/83 "2016-09-09T20:54:29Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Sure. To my mind, a vanity press is publishing something with a tiny circulation (maybe not much beyond friends/family); it’s really more about saying “See, I had something published in an actual book! I can do authoring!”. Self-publishing, IMO, is where the author believes the work warrants a wider audience but for whatever reason (niche subject, for example) can’t get a more traditional publisher on board and thus arranges for it to be published themselves. No. It’s not a question of the size of the print run, it’s a question of where the publisher’s profit comes from. [QUOTE=Merriam-Webster] Vanity press : a publishing house that publishes books at the author’s expense. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-length/765111/84 "2016-09-09T21:04:33Z")
> [@Cartoonacy](#): > > No. It’s not a question of the size of the print run, it’s a question of where the publisher’s profit comes from. I dunno. I think there’s a difference too, but I don’t think Amazon’s self-publishing for Kindle is a “vanity press” even though they take a percentage of the sale price. One difference is that Amazon supports publicity, via author pages, which a full-bore vanity press does not. They print 'em, and from that point you’re all on your own. Amazon gives you some additional support. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-length/765111/85 "2016-09-09T22:59:03Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > Mary Bono representative of the state of California… Like I said. And what screen name is she posting under in this thread? Either I missed her, or it’s a strawman. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-length/765111.md?page=4)