Authors from both sides of the publishing spectrum are getting fed up of the whole “traditional versus self-publishing” debate, with extra emphasis being put on the “versus” section. This is because the “versus” shouldn’t exist. As President Jack Nicholson says in Mars Attacks: “Can’t we all just get along?”
One of the ways that authors have learned to get over the frankly boring traditional/self-publishing back-and-forth is by utilising both sides, which in recent months has become increasingly popular as traditional publishers have come to realise the power and reach that self-publishing has. They have also come to realise that if their authors use both forms of publishing for a variety of different projects, they could stand to make more profits as a result as their clients’ book sales benefit as a result.
The most famous case of a self-published author crossing over and traditionally publishing their works as well is Hugh Howey, author of the Wool series and co-creator of the Author Earnings report. He has maintained the digital rights to his self-published works, yet has signed a deal with publishers Random House for hardcopy distribution. This is a clear-cut sign that the two forms of publishing are blending together.
What is a Hybrid Author?
A popular term in the publishing industry over the last couple of years has been “hybrid authors”. These are authors who have had their genes spliced with animals to create super-beings that can crush cities with their novels… Okay, that was a lie. Hybrid authors are the guys who are tired of listening to the “self-publishing isn’t legitimate” and “traditional publishers are too slow and won’t do my Twitter for me” chat and have opted to use both sides of the industry for the good of their own writing careers, rather than sitting back and listening to experts talk about what should and shouldn’t be done.
The truth is: It’s your work you’re putting out there, so you should be able to make the choice that works best for your novel. The reason that hybrid publishing has come into prominence recently is because it gives every piece of work created by the author a chance to get some air and find an audience.
For example, a horror author who has a manuscript for a children’s picture book might not get the go-ahead from their publishing house to release it (for obvious reasons). But the author could choose to self-publish it under a pseudonym. A less extreme version of that could be that the same author might want to release short stories from that world. These could be published on the author’s website and downloaded in the form of eBooks. The options are certainly there for authors to consider.
Read more:
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Case Study: Becoming a Hybrid Author
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The Dilemma of the Hybrid Author: Which Publishing Route to Choose Next?
The Advantages of Switching up Your Publishing Plans
Authors know that the more they diversify their writing plans – including having a series of books rather than a one-off, having more than one title in the Amazon marketplace and writing for different genres and forms – the wider the reach of their works. Putting all of your eggs in one basket can be lucrative, but you stand a better chance of making it big if you branch out and look for multiple ways to find an audience.
For example, a paranormal romance novelist could try their hands at adapting their novel into a screenplay, radio play or stage production. They could make connections with graphic novelists and web designers to create a new media comic book experience version of their work, which will well and truly bring the novel to life.
On the other hand, traditionally published authors with a manuscript that has been turned down multiple times because it has been deemed “uncommercial” or too difficult to market for can aim to self-publish the work, if only for the sheer fact that it is better for it to find a tiny audience than to gather dust in a draw or sit on a Hard Drive.
Alternatively, you could use GoodReads giveaways to find an audience for their less-commercial project, or use a print-on-demand service to readers who fancy taking a chance on something less commercial than the usual fare.
The advantages to switching up publishing plans goes a lot further than diversification. It can also be used to help other writers. For example, Chuck Wendig – a champion of hybrid publishing who has written for various forms alongside his books – recently published his book The Kick Ass Writer through Writers Digest. The book is a collection of all the helpful advice he has dished out over the years on his blog, edited and including added features.
Authors who keep their own blogs and are marketing savvy will appreciate how important having a blog can be for bringing in new readers via newsletters and by giving away free eBooks via their website. These are all muscles you should be looking to flex as an author and writer.
Read more:
- Use Guest Blogging to Build Readership for Your Self-Published Works
- Building a Nonfiction Author Platform for the Indie Self-publisher to Maximize Success
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The Pros and Cons of Selling your eBook on Amazon for $0
Conclusion
Self-publishing can be a first option for authors, but the hybrid publishing option has highlighted that the traditionally published route shouldn’t be bypassed altogether, and that one should not be chosen over the other. Writers learn so much from having their hearts broken, and it all feeds into your experience and makes receiving feedback and rejection letters from publishers as integral to authors as being published itself.
Keep sending those query letters out and printing off those manuscripts, and don’t forget the traditional publishing route. There is real scope for authors to mix self-publishing and the might of the publishers to get what the results they crave from this writing game.
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