Those dogs are mutts, not hybrids. And proud of it. A Prius, on the other hand, is a hybrid.
I think the key differentiator here is the emotional commitment. The incentive of firms that get paid to publish for authors (previously known as a vanity press) is to do the work and move on. It's a pay-for-service model, and doing a good job on the service gets you paid. But doing a good job is not the same as being focused, committed and driven.
AE is actually more committed than most publishers that pay advances. It's not just because the model forces you to focus on the outcomes, it's because of the people on your team.
In 40 years of publishing, I've never worked with a group that was more consistently and persistently committed to the craft, and as aligned with the authors as you are.
As someone who has worked on both extremes (self-publishing without a “hybrid firm” and traditional publishing with the big dogs), my experience with Author’s Equity has been everything I hoped publishing would be. I agree with Seth that I’ve never worked with a more committed team. I’m constantly telling my agent how much I love you guys.
I am a hybrid publisher and advocate of the hybrid model, and I spend a lot of time trying to educate people about hybrid because (unfortunately) there are so many companies out there calling themselves hybrid when they don't meet the criteria established by the Independent Book Publishers Association. So, for anyone curious about the hybrid space, this is something that exists to help people figure out what's what (https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/hybridpublisher) and there are legitimate hybrids out here doing good work for authors (and selling lots of books) who are not "half-in, half-out." Any publisher who really cares about their authors and their books is all in.
There are other kinds publishers, like university presses, that don't or don't often give advances. We don't call university presses "hybrids" because this wouldn't be accurate. And while they do much of the academic publishing, many university presses have vibrant creative work, too. But an author would never pay a university press to publish their book. I'm sure that there are other differentiators between what they're doing and what you're doing, but the two models are more similar than either is to hybrid publishing.
You make a good point and I sympathise. However, what do you do with books that will never sell enough to cover even a small amount of your costs but would still be an important contribution? Do you just not do them? Do you treat them as loss leaders?
Publishing is a business, not a charity, (although it may be a lottery!) and why should authors not expect to have to pay for professional services as they do for every other aspect of life. Just asking.
Thank you for the interesting read. I've always heard the term used in the context of an author (like myself) having works published both traditionally and independently. For example, one series published traditionally and another series independently published.
I've read, esp lately, about this definition of hybrid yet so many pay to play describe themselves as hybrids in publishing presentations it gets muddled. Maybe you can invent a new term?
Those dogs are mutts, not hybrids. And proud of it. A Prius, on the other hand, is a hybrid.
I think the key differentiator here is the emotional commitment. The incentive of firms that get paid to publish for authors (previously known as a vanity press) is to do the work and move on. It's a pay-for-service model, and doing a good job on the service gets you paid. But doing a good job is not the same as being focused, committed and driven.
AE is actually more committed than most publishers that pay advances. It's not just because the model forces you to focus on the outcomes, it's because of the people on your team.
In 40 years of publishing, I've never worked with a group that was more consistently and persistently committed to the craft, and as aligned with the authors as you are.
And you have mutts.
These dogs are also ham(s), so they’re willing to tolerate the mischaracterization for their moment in the spotlight. Ah, the cost of fame.
And truly — working with people like you makes it impossible not to be all-in. We are very lucky.
As someone who has worked on both extremes (self-publishing without a “hybrid firm” and traditional publishing with the big dogs), my experience with Author’s Equity has been everything I hoped publishing would be. I agree with Seth that I’ve never worked with a more committed team. I’m constantly telling my agent how much I love you guys.
And we're just gettin' started, Kyle!
I am a hybrid publisher and advocate of the hybrid model, and I spend a lot of time trying to educate people about hybrid because (unfortunately) there are so many companies out there calling themselves hybrid when they don't meet the criteria established by the Independent Book Publishers Association. So, for anyone curious about the hybrid space, this is something that exists to help people figure out what's what (https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/hybridpublisher) and there are legitimate hybrids out here doing good work for authors (and selling lots of books) who are not "half-in, half-out." Any publisher who really cares about their authors and their books is all in.
We need more models like this!
I love this model but my agent does not seem interested. I'll send her this column and see if it tickles her fancy. Thanks for writing it.
Wouldn’t it likely be counter-intuitive to use a “legacy” agent with this new concept?
But they require an agent for submission.
There are other kinds publishers, like university presses, that don't or don't often give advances. We don't call university presses "hybrids" because this wouldn't be accurate. And while they do much of the academic publishing, many university presses have vibrant creative work, too. But an author would never pay a university press to publish their book. I'm sure that there are other differentiators between what they're doing and what you're doing, but the two models are more similar than either is to hybrid publishing.
You make a good point and I sympathise. However, what do you do with books that will never sell enough to cover even a small amount of your costs but would still be an important contribution? Do you just not do them? Do you treat them as loss leaders?
Publishing is a business, not a charity, (although it may be a lottery!) and why should authors not expect to have to pay for professional services as they do for every other aspect of life. Just asking.
I don't like the term 'hybrid' either.
Thank you for the interesting read. I've always heard the term used in the context of an author (like myself) having works published both traditionally and independently. For example, one series published traditionally and another series independently published.
So this is another interesting view.
I've read, esp lately, about this definition of hybrid yet so many pay to play describe themselves as hybrids in publishing presentations it gets muddled. Maybe you can invent a new term?
A hybrid because you don’t pay advances? Would that this really was the definition.
Any other companies you know working similarly? Any publishing for kids / graphic novels?
Do you take fiction other than romance?
Is this Madeline McIntosh’s company? I know she was focused on audiobooks but has perhaps expanded into this valuable enterprise.