Sunbelt Publications of San Diego has been working with authors in hybrid publishing models for over twenty years. Sunbelt has also been doing great distribution for books by indie authors for decades. It is good to see these different models gaining recognition, since many authors don't want to wait 3 to 5 years to be published but would also like to see a possible path to profitability. Cheers, Brooke!
They joined way before I started working with Sunbelt in 1999...I was at IBPA publishing university with Sunbelt in NYC in the early 2000s and got to meet Jan Nathan. We had a few Ben Franklin book award winners like Daniel Reveles' book "Tequila, Lemon and Salt."
There are a few brothers out here too. What are we, chopped liver? :-)
But I get it. I spent 30 years in a "woman's" profession, teaching, and there learned how forgotten and underappreciated women can be. So anything that gives women authors a leg up, I'm all for.
Love this post and appreciate its clarity. There is so much behind the scenes that you, Brooke, and others have done for YEARS to strengthen the hybrid business model. Thank you for believing in the model and continuously making it better.
You’ve done such a super job designing and communicating a truly hopeful and helpful model for new authors I seriously can’t imagine attempting to publish any other way. Someday NYT may catch up with you. In the meantime, we’ve got you!! With Thanks!
A thoughtful analysis of these new developments in publishing. They offer a needed alternative for authors and for readers. Thanks Brooke for spelling it out. It can be confusing for writers figuring out the publishing world.
I confess to ignorance about just what a hybrid publisher does for the author. Looking at the website for Authors Equity, for example, I'm not seeing specifics. I get that they want to work with the author to establish a specific relationship, but is the typical hybrid publisher prepared to do anything a trad publisher would do in terms of marketing, PR, copy editing, etc.?
Good question and it really depends on the hybrid publisher. All hybrid publishers have access to or refer out to professionals in their stable. Some hybrids offer the services you're talking about as part of their package or packages; for others, they're add-ons. There's not a consensus for how any of this needs to be done among hybrid publishers. So you look at each press and what their offerings are. Within hybrid transparency is critical due to the fact that there are so many predatory business models out there. Hybrid publishers who adhere to the IBPA's guidelines do have certain elements of what they do that are like traditional publishing, namely vetting, distribution, and proactive sales. Hope this is at least a start for you. . . Check out the link about (IBPA's MAP) as it as a lot of helpful info about what's what when it comes to publishing models. Thanks!
What I’ve learned is that authorial investment is significant and the fees have risen significantly in the past three years since I first started looking at She Writes. A breakdown on the costs of publishing and distribution would add transparency.
That's a fair comment that our package price has gone up in the past three years, but a lot of that is about rising costs of labor post-pandemic, and because we weren't covering costs in a lot of cases. What's not so easy to quantify is project management over the lifetime of the book, the time we spend retitling most projects, supporting authors with education and webinars and reporting, managing author data changes and inventory and general questions (ongoingly for years). We are not allowed to disclose our distributors' terms. On the hard costs, there's a wide range. Some projects are much more expensive than others due to factors beyond our control: author personalities; process going less than smoothly for so many reasons(!), etc. So it's not as easy as it may appear to be from the outside for us or any publisher to just name a single cost per line item on all the very many things involved in the process.
You're such a pioneer, Brooke. You have been out front for so long, taking heat, explaining the model, defending it, doing it with integrity. WE all know it, and we salute you! I hope they all listen!
Thank you for this. I'm considering the hybrid model now because of how much time it takes to find an agent and then a publisher. I was thrilled when my first novel was picked up by a prestige agent at a prestige house who loved it and expecting it to go to auction. And while it received lush praise from editors this "quiet book" did not find a publisher. The agent said my second book was lovely but she was passing on it, so now it's out on circulation among agents. Should I give it a year to find one, then another year or two to find a publisher, then another year or so to get to print? Or take a faster approach with hybrid? The main thing is to get it into the hands of readers, and I'm glad I have options to choose from.
No one can make this choice for you, Deborah. It’s a lot to consider and what you’re talking about is central to my TEDx talk where I talk about letting go of one dream to make room for a new dream. Has to be on your terms. Good luck.
Thanks for this. A good commentary and some helpful history. I read on a forum recently - okay, it was Reddit - that traditional publishers treat readers as their customers, while hybrid publishers treat the author as the customer, selling products and services to the author. That's not as flattering as your account, but there is some truth in it, no? I'm really trying to understand.
I suppose it’s a little more nuanced than this and depends on a given publisher’s approach. Are my authors my customers? I don’t think of them that way. I think of them as my partners, but they know that we (their publisher) is bringing industry knowledge and expertise to the table. We have the same goal - to try to sell as many books as possible. So in that regard I see hybrid as more author friendly than traditional. Reputable hybrids are transparent with authors and realize that we benefit from authors’ passion and understanding of their own books. Traditional publishing’s worst offense is that they discount the importance of the author’s role in the journey. Unless it’s a celebrity author, of course. I think all publishers see readers as customers, but hybrid publishers are making money up front, so they can afford (acknowledging author subsidizing here) to take risks that trad publishing can’t or won’t.
Does anyone have a good list of reputable hybrid publishers? I've heard of Abuzz Press (the hybrid division of BookLocker) and TCK Press, which seem legitimate. However, one will also find publishers who are less favorably reviewed (e.g., Austin Macauley). Many thanks!
Lenny, we work with many Hybrid publishers. Including the brilliant Brooke Warner and She Writes Press. However, do Check with IBPA for a list of or feel free to contact me and I can certainly offer my suggestions. (Jane@BedsideReading.com).
Sunbelt Publications of San Diego has been working with authors in hybrid publishing models for over twenty years. Sunbelt has also been doing great distribution for books by indie authors for decades. It is good to see these different models gaining recognition, since many authors don't want to wait 3 to 5 years to be published but would also like to see a possible path to profitability. Cheers, Brooke!
I'm not familiar with them—which goes to show how disconnected the industry can be. Good for them! I hope they'll join IBPA.
They joined way before I started working with Sunbelt in 1999...I was at IBPA publishing university with Sunbelt in NYC in the early 2000s and got to meet Jan Nathan. We had a few Ben Franklin book award winners like Daniel Reveles' book "Tequila, Lemon and Salt."
Love this, Jennifer. I will reach out and introduce myself. I like to know the OGs! ♥️♥️
YOU hold the torch, Brooke, and don't you forget it! We love you!
And I love you and my sisters back. Couldn’t / wouldn’t do it without all of you.
There are a few brothers out here too. What are we, chopped liver? :-)
But I get it. I spent 30 years in a "woman's" profession, teaching, and there learned how forgotten and underappreciated women can be. So anything that gives women authors a leg up, I'm all for.
Love this post and appreciate its clarity. There is so much behind the scenes that you, Brooke, and others have done for YEARS to strengthen the hybrid business model. Thank you for believing in the model and continuously making it better.
Thank you, Brooke. You continue to take us behind the scenes and shed light on the often difficult-to-understand evolution of hybrid publishing.
This all confirms the choice that I made. I'm eager to see how it all plays out. So far, I have complete confidence in Brooke and her transparency.
You’ve done such a super job designing and communicating a truly hopeful and helpful model for new authors I seriously can’t imagine attempting to publish any other way. Someday NYT may catch up with you. In the meantime, we’ve got you!! With Thanks!
I find your posts so informative and helpful. Thank you.
A thoughtful analysis of these new developments in publishing. They offer a needed alternative for authors and for readers. Thanks Brooke for spelling it out. It can be confusing for writers figuring out the publishing world.
Thank you for writing this! I read the news this week and was wondering-- hoping-- you'd have something to say. Great piece!
I confess to ignorance about just what a hybrid publisher does for the author. Looking at the website for Authors Equity, for example, I'm not seeing specifics. I get that they want to work with the author to establish a specific relationship, but is the typical hybrid publisher prepared to do anything a trad publisher would do in terms of marketing, PR, copy editing, etc.?
Good question and it really depends on the hybrid publisher. All hybrid publishers have access to or refer out to professionals in their stable. Some hybrids offer the services you're talking about as part of their package or packages; for others, they're add-ons. There's not a consensus for how any of this needs to be done among hybrid publishers. So you look at each press and what their offerings are. Within hybrid transparency is critical due to the fact that there are so many predatory business models out there. Hybrid publishers who adhere to the IBPA's guidelines do have certain elements of what they do that are like traditional publishing, namely vetting, distribution, and proactive sales. Hope this is at least a start for you. . . Check out the link about (IBPA's MAP) as it as a lot of helpful info about what's what when it comes to publishing models. Thanks!
What I’ve learned is that authorial investment is significant and the fees have risen significantly in the past three years since I first started looking at She Writes. A breakdown on the costs of publishing and distribution would add transparency.
That's a fair comment that our package price has gone up in the past three years, but a lot of that is about rising costs of labor post-pandemic, and because we weren't covering costs in a lot of cases. What's not so easy to quantify is project management over the lifetime of the book, the time we spend retitling most projects, supporting authors with education and webinars and reporting, managing author data changes and inventory and general questions (ongoingly for years). We are not allowed to disclose our distributors' terms. On the hard costs, there's a wide range. Some projects are much more expensive than others due to factors beyond our control: author personalities; process going less than smoothly for so many reasons(!), etc. So it's not as easy as it may appear to be from the outside for us or any publisher to just name a single cost per line item on all the very many things involved in the process.
Thank you for your candidness. It doesn’t seem really possible to price per project
You're such a pioneer, Brooke. You have been out front for so long, taking heat, explaining the model, defending it, doing it with integrity. WE all know it, and we salute you! I hope they all listen!
Thank you for this. I'm considering the hybrid model now because of how much time it takes to find an agent and then a publisher. I was thrilled when my first novel was picked up by a prestige agent at a prestige house who loved it and expecting it to go to auction. And while it received lush praise from editors this "quiet book" did not find a publisher. The agent said my second book was lovely but she was passing on it, so now it's out on circulation among agents. Should I give it a year to find one, then another year or two to find a publisher, then another year or so to get to print? Or take a faster approach with hybrid? The main thing is to get it into the hands of readers, and I'm glad I have options to choose from.
No one can make this choice for you, Deborah. It’s a lot to consider and what you’re talking about is central to my TEDx talk where I talk about letting go of one dream to make room for a new dream. Has to be on your terms. Good luck.
Thanks for this. A good commentary and some helpful history. I read on a forum recently - okay, it was Reddit - that traditional publishers treat readers as their customers, while hybrid publishers treat the author as the customer, selling products and services to the author. That's not as flattering as your account, but there is some truth in it, no? I'm really trying to understand.
I suppose it’s a little more nuanced than this and depends on a given publisher’s approach. Are my authors my customers? I don’t think of them that way. I think of them as my partners, but they know that we (their publisher) is bringing industry knowledge and expertise to the table. We have the same goal - to try to sell as many books as possible. So in that regard I see hybrid as more author friendly than traditional. Reputable hybrids are transparent with authors and realize that we benefit from authors’ passion and understanding of their own books. Traditional publishing’s worst offense is that they discount the importance of the author’s role in the journey. Unless it’s a celebrity author, of course. I think all publishers see readers as customers, but hybrid publishers are making money up front, so they can afford (acknowledging author subsidizing here) to take risks that trad publishing can’t or won’t.
Honest and helpful, thanks
I so value your push for publishers’ transparency. Tell the truth and let authors and readers make their choice.
Does anyone have a good list of reputable hybrid publishers? I've heard of Abuzz Press (the hybrid division of BookLocker) and TCK Press, which seem legitimate. However, one will also find publishers who are less favorably reviewed (e.g., Austin Macauley). Many thanks!
Lenny, we work with many Hybrid publishers. Including the brilliant Brooke Warner and She Writes Press. However, do Check with IBPA for a list of or feel free to contact me and I can certainly offer my suggestions. (Jane@BedsideReading.com).
Many thanks, Jane. I shall contact you shortly.
This is huge!