Pathways to Publishing: Unveiling a New Guide for 2024 and Beyond

Why It Matters To Be in the Know about the Ever-Changing Publishing Landscape—and an Invitation to Join the Independent Book Publishers Association's Zoom Party/Conversation on January 10

Publishing is a confusing morass, there’s no question about it. I’ve presented the topic of pathways to publishing for years, virtually and in person, and for the sake of simplicity, I’ve always kept it to three paths—traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing.

But that’s not sufficient anymore, in part because there are so many variations on how things work within each of these three silos, and in part because it’s largely left to the publishing company/entity to self-define. In other words, there’s no regulator or policer in this space to tell a given company that they quality as traditional or indie or a small press or hybrid. Thus, it falls to individuals to decide for themselves if a given publishing company is what it says it is.

Enter the absolute necessity, therefore, for educators and guides. For years, Jane Friedman has been publishing a valuable chart called the Key Book Publishing Paths. I’ve been grateful for this resource, as it puts parameters around the various ways that writers get their work published. Her 2023-24 chart showcases two subcategories each that fall under three umbrella categories:

1)        traditional (advance-based) models, which include the Big Five and other traditional publishing;
2)        not advance-based models, which include small presses and assisted publishing and hybrid models; and
3)        indie or self-publishing, which include Indie/DIY and social publishing paths.

Included with permission © Jane Friedman

To kick off the new year, the Independent Book Publishers Association is launching its own much-anticipated Guide to Publishing Models and Author Pathways, which will be an interactive and comprehensive resource for publishers and authors, not to mention for the industry at large. IBPA’s guide has identified eight categories:

1)        Corporate trade publishers (Big Five)
2)        Corporate higher education and academic publishers
3)        University presses
4)        Independent publishers and small presses
5)        Hybrid publishers
6)        Service providers
7)        Author publisher
8)        Association, society, and non-profit publishers

The reason I’m writing about this is twofold: 1) I’m excited about this resource and commend the IBPA for its efforts to codify and support publishers and authors alike to make sense of what is an already—and ever more so—complicated space to navigate; and 2) I’ve been invited to present this new guide to the interested public ahead of its official release. So please join me on January 10 at 10am PT/1pm ET!

There’s nothing I love more than a collaborative effort, and IBPA is an incredibly collaborative organization that listens to its members and understands the merit of people having a voice at the table. (I’m a former Board member and Chairperson, and forever champion of this organization.) One of the many benefits to publishers and authors of being part of an association is to have these kinds of conversations, where the publishing public is invited to ask questions. To weigh in. To recommend particular publishers that fall into various categories. The January 10 webinar will be hivemind in action, and I invite and encourage to attend anyone who’s invested in publishing—and that should be all writers who plan to get published and all published authors.

If you read my stuff, it’s likely because you’re in the industry or you’re a writer or an author. I spend a lot of effort on author education because I know from experience that the most successful authors are the most in-the-know, the ones who tend to the business side of publishing in addition to the writing side. Codifying this Guide to Publishing Models and Author Pathways is an important effort because the publishing landscape is ever-changing and sometimes obsure. And there are plenty of entities out there that do not have would-be authors’ best interest at heart. The more you know, the better equipped you will be to partner with companies that align with your interests and values and to avoid scams and other pitfalls.

Also, importantly, no single publishing path is “right” for every author. I’ve said this a thousand times, but it bears repeating here. An author who gets an advance from a Big Five publisher is not guaranteed to have a better publishing experience than an author publisher who goes full DIY. In fact, many indie authors are so sold on the indie experience that they’ve shut the door on traditional publishing forever. I count myself among them. There are also free agents—authors who dabble in traditional and non-traditional spaces depending on the project and what opportunities and partnerships make sense for a given book. Knowing what is out there supports you to know your options. Plus, there’s the added social benefit of being able to speak confidently about the pathways to publishing at your next book club or author event or writers’ conference or cocktail/dinner party.

Join me on January 10 for Introducing the IBPA Guide to Publishing Models and Author Pathways. Come geek out. Contribute. Take it in. Be in the know. Hope to see you there!