An author mill is a publisher that relies on producing large numbers of small-run books by different authors, as opposed to a smaller number of works published in larger numbers. More precisely, she has characterized VDM as "an academic author mill".
The necessary ingredients are:
- Minimal editorial gatekeeping
- Low production costs (acquiring/editing/designing the book)
- Low set-up charges for reproducing the book
- The power to set the cover price high enough to make a profit on a small number of average sales
- A relatively predictable number of sales to the author, the author's family, and the author's friends.
See also
- Accreditation mill
- Atlanta Nights
- Contract cheating
- Essay mill
- Ordination mill
- Research paper mill
- Nova Publishers
- Self-publishing
- Vanity publishing
References
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