Publisher	VirtualBookworm	Llumina Press	PageFree	Aventine Press
Manuscript Selection	Yes	Yes	No	Limited (basic quality standards)
Kind of Contract	Non-Exclusive	Non-Exclusive	Non-Exclusive	Non-Exclusive
2+2=5	none	none	none	none
Distribution	Through their site and on-line retailers mostly.	Through their site and on-line retailers mostly.	Through their site and on-line retailers mostly.	Through on-line retailers mostly.
Price Range*: Paperback	$360.00 plus extras (or minus $100.00)	$599.00 plus extras	$299.00/$419.00 depending on the manuscript's word count plus extras.	$349.00 plus extras.
Price Range*: Hardcover	$430.00 plus extras (or minus $100.00)	$659.00 plus extras	$449.00/$569.00 plus extras	Not clearly defined. A $249.00 additional fee for a hardcover adds up to $598.00 plus extras, but it is not clear whether this refers to a hardcover only or a combo.
Price Range*: Combo	$590.00 plus extras (or minus $100.00)	$799.00 plus extras	$599.00/$719.00 plus extras
Maintenance fee	$14.00 a year (per version) from the third year on.	none?	$15.00 a year per version.	none as long as your book sells at least 30 copies a year.
Royalties	50% of net receipts	10-30% of retail price on wholesale & direct sales respectively	75% of net receipts.	80% of net receipts.
Author's Discount	30%	30%	Authors can buy their books paying little more than printing costs.	Authors can buy their books paying printing costs plus 10%.
Breakeven point	Less than 200 copies (paperback)	Between 400 and 500 copies (paperback, could go even higher for authors who chose a discount lower than 55%)	Depends on word count. Less than 200 copies (average length paperback, may be affected by author's choice of retail price)	Less than 200 copies (paperback)
Basic retail price	Competitive	Competitive	Competitive	Competitive
Author's input in retail price	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Distributor/bookstore discount	30%	55%	Up to the author	55%
Choice of trim size	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Color publishing	$625.00 plus extras	No	$489.00 plus a 25 copies order and extras	No
Interior Layout	They format your book for you or you can supply your own layout for a $50.00 rebate (subject to approval).	They format your book for you.	Your choice from a number of templates.	They format your book for you, but you can choose a template.
Graphics & Tables	15 graphics are included with the basic package, more can be added for an additional fee (or if you are providing your own layout).	Up to seven graphics are included in the basic setup fee. More can be added for an additional fee.	Three graphics are included in their basic setup fee. Additional images and tables are extra.	Available as extras only.
Cover Options	They provide you with one, or you can supply your own for a $50.00 rebate (subject to approval).	They design one for you with your input.	They provide you with one or you can supply your own.	They provide you with one (though you have a choice from a number of templates), or you can supply your own.
Contradictions	none	none	none	none

* The prices listed here represent the least expensive option by each one of these publishers. More expensive packages may or may not be available.

This is a *personal* attempt at describing the pros and cons of the top four beyond their basic characteristics that may help you decide which one is best for your specific needs:

VirtualBookworm screens manuscripts, allows you to get involved in most aspects of book production, you can supply your own cover and --if you have the expertise and the appropriate software-- you can even supply your own interior layout,though that is subject to approval and their setup fee is reasonable. This flexibility makes it possible for you to release a book with such complex requirements that wouldn't even viable under most circumstances in an affordable fashion. One potential downside, of all the publishers that made it to the top four this is the one that offers the lowest bookstore discount. This may hamper your sales in some instances (to which degree it's not clear since there are too many variables that make it all but impossible to compare the impact of this situation in the success rate of two different books). Keep in mind that this may be a rather ambiguous disadvantage because it also means that their royalties come out a lot higher than they seem at first glance. Another problem has to do with their author's discount, which can be described as average to poor.

Llumina Press is the most expensive one of the publishers that made the top four but their bookstore discount is good and that may help boost sales somewhat. Another advantage has to do with the fact that their royalties represent a fixed percentage of retail price. This means that this is the most straight forward of the four deals in this regard, though not necessarily the best deal in terms of money. They give you less freedom when it comes to taking control of your project than some of the other publishers featured here but they do screen manuscripts. One aspect that may be an advantage or a disadvantage has to do with their policy when it comes to editing: They may demand that you have your book professionally edited. While this is great to ensure the quality of their releases it may also add thousands of dollars to your expenses. Another problem has to do with their author's discount, which can be described as average to poor.

PageFree offers a lot of flexibility when it comes to marketing and also when it comes to design (though providing your own layout is not an option). One interesting characteristic has to do with the fact that authors can choose the bookstore discount they are willing to offer. They pay good royalties (in fact you have a say in determining them) and allow authors to purchase their books paying little more than printing costs. Their fee structure is based on the book's word count rather than on a flat fee and their basic package may be a little too bare bones for some authors who may find themselves paying quite a bit more. On the other hand this bare bones basic package, and the number of extras they offer, mean that authors are not likely to have to pay for services they don't require.

Aventine Press does not screen manuscripts, doesn't offer much in the way of flexibility (though you can supply your own cover) and doesn't even have an option for readers to purchase the book directly from the publisher. On a positive note they are fairly affordable, pay good royalties, have a good bookstore discount and you can purchase copies of your own book paying little more than your printing costs, a situation that makes this a very attractive option if you believe that a significant percentage of your sales are likely to be direct sales.