I always go by the adage that if the company is not haranguing you for information on publishing your work, they are less likely to illegitimate. So when looking for a publisher, look for one that does not ask for a sign up fee.
Avoid companies that do not answer query letters that would supply you for information on the cost involved and avoid companies that call each time with another agent trying to get you to finish your book. They are not your agents and are not interested in the creative process what they want is your money plain and simple and you should be the one to decide who you will go with.
It is sometimes difficult to know if the publisher will work in earnest. In Italy I visited a small publisher at his home office who told me of the few thousand dollars he would need to get a certain number of books out on the market but he mentioned distribution problems. I found packages of books on his floor that had not yet been distributed and they had nothing to do with the fictional market that I wanted to break into. So I questioned whether he was the right outlet for me and I questioned what kind of distribution problems he had. It was clear that there was a third party to deal with, newsstand in this case and that newsstand owners had a preference for the kinds of books they would carry and when they would receive new orders.
Another small book publisher in Canada, mentioned in the early 90's that I should have at least 400 people to break into the market. At that time I was looking to pick up ideas about the popularity of certain titles. This publisher was working on another biography of Trudeau and experience told him that this was a guaranteed sale because there was sure to be more than 400 readers for a topic that already had a following. The late Prime Minister was a charismatic man he was in the focus f the news while leading the country and also created a following of admirers along the way so the publisher knew he would have less difficulty advertising this book as opposed to advertising a book about a less appealing subject.
Avoid the editing houses that send you letters on how your poem has been considered for publication because of its outstanding form and content. The company will likely be sending you a form to fill out for the purchase of an anthology and you would have to pay for your own work to get in there. Here is where the company is not only making money on the distribution of your poems but the author is not getting any royalties on that. If the writer wants to send his poem to be included without purchasing the anthology, to get his name out, that is his business.
Be aware of forwarding material to publishing companies that only issue magazines seasonally especially if you are looking for a regular income. It would be best to balance this time of work with other publishing firms that would complement that schedule. Also keep abreast of what the journal or university review publishes so that you eliminate one cause of rejection and that would be writing for a market the company does not touch.
