A little over a year ago, I moderated a panel discussion, "Why Authors Should Seriously Consider Self-Publishing," at the Kirkwood Public Library (DE). The panelists responded to many questions, from me and the audience, and one of the questions dealt with hybrid publishing. I must confess, I've not had experience with this, and I recently asked writer, publisher, and good friend Austin Camacho to educate me on the process. Austin currently operates Audecyn Books, which caters to writers exploring hybrid publishing. (Austin is also the primary organizer of the annual Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity Conference held in Columbia, MD.)
If you're interested in hybrid publishing, consider Austin's following explanations and advice.
How would you define hybrid publishing?
Hybrid publishing is a publishing model that includes all the elements of traditional publishing, with the significant difference that authors pay the cost of publishing and do not receive an advance on royalties. You could call it self-publishing with assistance.
How does it differ from vanity presses?
Vanity presses publish books for anyone willing to pay. They are not selective about what they publish and don't really care whether the book is successful. They take their money and run. In contrast, a hybrid publisher has quality publication standards and will:
- Have a vested interest in producing a high-quality book.
- Be selective about which books they will publish.
- Offer quality distribution and marketing services.
- Foster professional author/publisher relationships.
- Be transparent about publishing costs and fees.
What are the advantages for writers?
Once a writer decides to self-publish, he or she faces some challenging choices. One option is to do it all themselves. This involves a steep learning curve, and a great deal of time invested. And amateur work often looks like amateur work. Or the writer can seek out experts who already have the skills and knowledge needed. But finding and vetting book designers, cover designers, editors, proofreaders, etc., can still take a lot of time. An experienced and reputable hybrid publisher can give you a quality product without a huge time investment.
What is the downside (or things to watch out for)?
One downside to hybrid publishing is that, like traditional publishing, the author must place considerable faith in the publisher. Like any form of self-publishing, it is a gamble with no guarantee of sales. As with many specialists (editors and cover artists), pricing is inconsistent, with no reliable correlation between cost and quality. Like other small presses, hybrid publishers generally don't have the distribution strength of the major publishers. And finally, you must scrutinize the contract to ensure the publisher offers all the things I mentioned in my answer to the second question. There are vanity presses out there selling themselves as hybrid publishers.
What should writers expect from the process?
Writers should expect a clear timeline covering the entire process. They should expect the publisher's best advice at every step of the process, but since this IS self-publishing, the writer has the right to final consent at every stage. That includes the cover, of course, but also the size and price of the book, things like font size, genre description, target audience, etc. The author should be kept up to date as work progresses and receive a galley proof to go over before the book is finally published.
Tell us about Audecyn Books.
The team running Audecyn Books is the same team that ran Intrigue Publishing for 10 years. Intrigue was one of the many small presses that died during the pandemic. We shifted to this model because we wanted to stay in the business and saw some publishers charging what we thought were outrageous amounts to help authors self-publish (as much as 10 times what we now charge).
During our publishing career, we collaborated with many professionals and made good friends in the business. I tell authors working with us that we serve the same function as a general contractor. We have the connections to bring in the right designer, cover artist, editor, proofreader, marketer, and so on for a particular book project, and can do it close to what it would cost the author to hire them all themselves. By dealing with ISBNs, distribution, and other details, we free authors to spend their time writing. All the details are on our website, https://www.audecynbooks.com/
Thanks, Austin, that's very helpful. I'm looking forward to C3 this year, as always!
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