noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˌvænɪti ˈpɹɛs/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˌvænəti ˈpɹɛs/
General-American:[-ɾi-]
rhymes with -ɛs
1
noun
Meaning 1
A book publisher that lets the author pay the expenses of publishing up front, leaving the risk of financial failure with the author.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: derogatory
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: subsidy publisher, vanity publisher
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From vanity + press, so called because such a press may be used by otherwise unpublishable authors who want to see their work in print.
Across languages
Translations
10 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Chinese Mandarin:
自費出版 /自费出版
(zìfèichūbǎn)
— book publisher that lets the author pay the expenses of publishing up front, leaving the risk of financial failure with the author
Finnish:
turhakekustantamo
— book publisher that lets the author pay the expenses of publishing up front, leaving the risk of financial failure with the author
French:
édition à compte d'auteur
— book publisher that lets the author pay the expenses of publishing up front, leaving the risk of financial failure with the author
German:
Bezahlverlag
— book publisher that lets the author pay the expenses of publishing up front, leaving the risk of financial failure with the author
German:
Selbstkostenverlag
— book publisher that lets the author pay the expenses of publishing up front, leaving the risk of financial failure with the author
German:
Selbstzahlerverlag
— book publisher that lets the author pay the expenses of publishing up front, leaving the risk of financial failure with the author
Greek:
εκδόσεις επί πληρωμή
(ekdóseis epí pliromí)
— book publisher that lets the author pay the expenses of publishing up front, leaving the risk of financial failure with the author
Hindi:
वैनिटी प्रेस
(vainiṭī pres)
— book publisher that lets the author pay the expenses of publishing up front, leaving the risk of financial failure with the author
Italian:
editoria a pagamento
— book publisher that lets the author pay the expenses of publishing up front, leaving the risk of financial failure with the author
Japanese:
自費出版
(jihishuppan)
— book publisher that lets the author pay the expenses of publishing up front, leaving the risk of financial failure with the author
