When dealing with any publisher whom charges for their servies, I suggest to do the following. I got taken by one publisher in a huge way, however my current is great. If I followed my own advice I do not think I would have had such a horrible first experience. Ask for Author references. Ask for a local bank reference. Look them up on amazon. Ask for samples of their printing / binding. Look for an office you can go into. type their name into google followed by PROBLEMS Ask for samples of book cover designs. Ask if they use template. If they do RUN AWAY. Ask for store references where they have books at. These are some basics. If they pass this muster than you are pretty safe in my opinion.
it would be helpful to many here to know the name of your 'great' self-publishing house, janus... i would add that the first thing anyone should do when considering a publisher [or agent] is check them out at p&e: http://www.invirtuo.cc/prededitors/
Sorry, but that is NOT okay. That would constitute promotion of that publisher, in violation of the site rules against advertising.
sorry about that, cog... i thought it would be ok, since it's often done, for just information purposes... i'm not asking for a tout, just a name, so we can check it out for ourselves... is that really not ok?
You'd be surprised the lengths some people will go to to slide an ad in under the rules. Therefore, we take a hard line in order to keep the site spam free.
Tcol... I think templates of any kind are terrible. No matter how much, or how little you pay one should get something unique to their book. That cover will be the thing that readers initially identify with, so it should be unique.
