Getting your book written is only the first step. Getting your work published is next, and it’s often the most difficult one. Publishing can be a cut-throat industry, and it’s challenging to navigate even for experienced authors. There are more options than ever, with self-publishing options, e-books, limited runs, small press publishers, and publishers. Do you self-publish your first book? Hope to find a traditional publisher who will take a chance on you? The best fit for many first time authors is hybrid book publishing.  It combines the best features of both traditional and self-publishing.

What Is Hybrid Book Publishing?

Hybrid book publishers combine the freedom of self-publishing with the professional guidance and resources of traditional publishing houses. Writers have access to professional graphic designers, editors, printing services, marketing experts, distribution services, and more, but they don’t give up control of their book. They retain a great deal of control of their manuscript, and they work closely with their team throughout the publishing process.

Why Is It Better Than Traditional Publishing?

If you’ve pitched your book to traditional publishers, you probably already have a stack of rejection letters. That doesn’t mean you don’t have a book worth publishing. It means you don’t have a book they can be bothered with. A hybrid publisher may recognize your book has value or that it fits a niche. They will be more willing to work with you to get it ready for publication.

There is lower overhead with hybrid book publishing. These are smaller publishing houses and as the author, you work closely with them throughout the editing and design process. As a result, you will end up with higher royalties than you would receive from a traditional publisher. You will also get them sooner, as traditional publishing is a famously slow and tedious process. It can take up to two years to get from acceptance to print with a traditional publishing house. Not so with a hybrid publisher.

How is Hybrid Publishing Better than Self-Publishing?

Self-published books give you total control, but you are doing it alone and at your own expense. You have to find someone to print it. You’ll need to find someone to edit it (or take the chance on editing yourself), design a cover, or pay someone to design it, pay for a print run…you get the idea. It is expensive, and it all has to be paid upfront with no guarantee you’ll sell any books.

Hybrid book publishing allows you the control and immediacy of self-publishing without having to invest as much of your own money upfront and do all of the work yourself. The risks are shared between you and your publisher. It’s a powerful incentive for your publisher to take an interest in your book every step of the way.

You also won’t have to do all the marketing and leg work yourself without the benefit of connections and expertise. Hybrid publishers work closely with their authors, tailoring different promotional and marketing options to the needs of individual writers. Distribution assistance is also available so you don’t have to drive around in with a carload of books from state to state visiting every bookstore you can find, hoping they will stock your title.

Hybrid publishing gives you the best of both worlds – the expertise of traditional publishing with the creative freedom of self-publishing. You benefit from the resources available through conventional publishing but have the advantage of quicker payments and higher royalties with hybrid book publishing. If you have any questions about how hybrid book publishing can help you, contact Dudley Court Press at info@dudleycourtpress.com.