Given the bad reputation of vanity publishing, many vanity presses are rebranding themselves as hybrids, leading to exploitation of writers. The Society of Authors (SoA) and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) have called for reform of the ‘hybrid’ / paid-for publishing sector. The trade unions, who together represent 14,800 authors, have jointly published "Is it a steal? An investigation into ‘hybrid’ / paid-for publishing services" to expose widespread bad practice among companies that charge writers to publish their work while taking their rights.
