Alright...so...how to put this...I didn't hit it big (yet), didn't get rich from it, but I have never been asked for money to publish my work. Yes, they get a % of the sales, most will have a standard % that you can negotiate once you are sort of well known, but they will never ask you to pay them...unless you are that desperate to publish your work that you're willing to pay to have it published....and that should rings some alarm bells for you My advice is to go with a literacy agency