The pros and cons of hybrid publishing

Hybrid publishing sits somewhere between traditional publishing and self-publishing, combining elements of both. While a traditional publisher generates revenue through book sales, a hybrid press makes money from both book sales and the fees they charge their authors.

While you do have to pay up-front for the services of a hybrid publisher, they do a lot of the hard work you would otherwise have to do for yourself. So what are the good and bad things about publishing your manuscript via the hybrid route?

The cons of hybrid publishing

You have little control over the finished product

Unlike self-published authors, those published by a hybrid company may have little or no control over the finished book. Hybrid publishers can insist on changes to the text itself, as well as deciding on the cover, formatting and retail price.

You may lose all your rights to your manuscript

The majority of hybrid publishing houses will insist on maintaining the rights to your manuscript. This can cause all sorts of problems if you want to take your manuscript elsewhere in future or decide to republish it with a traditional publisher.

You will still have to manage the marketing on your own

Marketing and publicity are the bane of many writers’ lives, as they can be incredibly expensive and time-consuming. If you publish with a hybrid publisher, responsibility for marketing and publicity falls on your shoulders. Hybrid publishers won’t help out, so be prepared to take on this challenge.

You won’t have the widespread distribution of traditionally published books

Mainstream publishers are able to get their authors’ books widely distributed, nationally and internationally. Hybrid publishers don’t have the same clout when it comes to distribution. You may see your book sold by only a handful of bookshops in particular locations, and it may only be on sale for a limited amount of time before the unsold stock is cleared to make way for new releases.

You will have to pay upfront costs

You will, of course, have to pay for the services of a hybrid publisher. While traditionally published authors won’t have to pay a thing to see their book edited, printed and distributed, hybrid publishers will need to be paid when you hand your manuscript over to them. Because of this, the market is also susceptible to scammers.

The pros of hybrid publishing

You don’t have to worry about editing and proof-reading

Some hybrid publishers will handle all the book production aspects a self-published author would normally have to deal with, including copy editing and proof-reading. This can be a real advantage, because sourcing your own editor and proof-reader can be expensive and may take a long time.

You don’t have to come up with your own cover

As with finding editors and proof-readers, finding a professional cover designer can be difficult. Hybrid publishers take the stress out of sourcing original artwork by using their own in-house or contract cover designers.

You will have wider distribution than a self-published author

Self-published authors may find their books become lost in the thousands upon thousands of titles that are published every year. Even if they find their niche, the majority of these writers will only see small-scale distribution of their books. Hybrid authors have the advantage of physical products they can sell alongside their ebooks and audiobooks, meaning they often reach more readers.

You will have some of the prestige that comes with traditional publishing

Let’s face it, for the vast majority of authors, traditional publishing is still seen as the most prestigious and coveted route to getting a book out there. Because it sits somewhere between traditional publishing and self-publishing, hybrid publishing gives you some of the flexibility of the latter and some of the prestige of the former.

It is faster than traditional publishing

Traditional publishing houses are notoriously slow, and the time taken from a manuscript being accepted to a book hitting the shelves can be months or even years. By comparison, hybrid publishing involves fewer steps and fewer people getting involved, which inevitably means it’s faster. It may not be as quick as self-publishing, but it’s certainly an improvement on the traditional route if time is of the essence.

So there we have it. Hybrid publishing is something of an in-betweener, a balancing out of the pros and cons of both traditional publishing and self-publishing. As with any publishing route, there are trade-offs to be made and you’ll need to think carefully about whether hybrid publishing is right for you and your manuscript.

You will lose some rights and you will have to pay, but many of the time-consuming tasks such as editing will be taken care of for you, and you’ll end up with a finished product you can hold in your hands.

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