Most publishers that print and bind a book at the authors expense follow the vanity model in terms of pricing and selection, thus building profit into their fees.

Some book publishing companies model themselves as part vanity, part, traditional (commercial), and part self-publishing. These are usually called Subsidy, Cooperative or On-demand Publishing Services. The author pays for the bookmaking, buys print-on demand books at a low price and earns royalties on the sales that the publisher makes for him. There is usually some degree of distribution when you sign up with an On-demand Publishing Service company through their own on-line book-selling store and a listing with major book wholesalers. These wholesalers, usually Ingram and Amazon, make the book available for special order, but this does not mean that bookstores will stock it. The on-demand publisher may also include some basic promotional services such as press releases and bulk e-mailings.

The Self-publishing services provider helps you to be both the author and the publisher of your book. While you do not need an ISBN number for your book (it is not the same as a copyright) the ISBN number is necessary if you wish to sell your book through wholesale, retail and Internet stores. Ownership of the ISBN number of your book determines who the publisher is, and if you do not buy your own ISBN number yourself, directly from RR Bowker, you do not own the publishing rights for your book. When you own the ISBN for your book, you are an Independent Publisher, you can change printers, distributors, wholesalers or retailers. You cannot do any of these things if the ISBN number in your book is not yours.

A Self-publishing services company provides all the necessary services for authors to make their book: professional copy-editing and proof reading; choice of layout and design; in-house cover design; and quality book printing. Many make low-priced print-on-demand copies of the author's books available to them after the book is made. The author/publisher owns the book, sets its price and keeps all the profits from its sales as his own. Aachanon Publishing is a self-publishing services provider.