Lately on the blog we’ve talked a lot about Hybrid Publishing. We’ve shown the differences between Hybrid and Traditional publishing, given the Hybrid Publishing red flags, and explained the Hybrid Publishing criteria as laid out by the IBPA.
And we hope that all of that information has been helpful for you. But what if something still doesn’t feel right? What if Hybrid Publishing just isn’t for you?
Or
What if you’re still not sure if it’s for you or not?
Don’t worry, we’ll help you figure it out!
Hybrid Publishing might not be right for you if:
1. You do not feel comfortable paying out of pocket
Hybrid Publishing is an author subsidized publishing model. That means the author pays for the service. For Meraki authors, there are a few packages to choose from or an a la carte option where they can mix and match. While Meraki’s prices aren’t out of this world, they may still be a little too high for some people. We try our best to offer payment plans and work with our authors to make their dreams come true.
If paying doesn’t sound like something you’re interested in, Traditional publishing might be the way for you. Traditional publishers offer an advance to authors, paying them in the beginning. The downside is that Traditionally published authors have a lower royalty rate than Hybrid published and Self published authors
2. You want your book to hit the market in less than a year.
At Meraki, we offer year-long contracts. Typically, it takes the full year for us to get your book publish-ready. If you are looking for a quicker publishing timeline, Self-publishing may be the route for you.
In self-publishing, you are able to create your own timeline and get your book out into the market as quick or as slow as you want. The downside is that you may feel the temptation to cut a few corners this way. Perhaps skip a step in the editing process, or not focus on marketing long enough to create a buzz around your book.
3. You don’t want to do any marketing
If the idea of promoting your book online or in person makes you break out in a sweat, Hybrid publishing might not be for you. Hybrid publishers do what they can to promote your book, but it’s up to authors to help spread the word and find their ideal readers. The author has to take the initiative sometimes to get their books into stores, or find readers online.
If you would rather have an agent or publisher handle all that for you, Traditional publishing may be the way to go. Traditional publishers have entire teams dedicated to promoting books. They also have deals with a wide variety of bookstores and libraries. Although, even Traditionally published authors like to promote their own books sometimes, too.
4. You want the highest royalty payout possible
You’ve heard about those sweet, sweet, royalty checks and you want in on them. What you might not know is that Traditional publishers only pay up to 15% in royalties to their authors. Hybrid publishers are a little better, paying around 20% to 35% in royalties. Sometimes more, if you’re lucky. But Self-publishing is where the true gold lies in terms of royalty checks.
If you choose to Self-publish, you can receive up to 70% royalties on your books. The only cost removed is the printing cost and the vendor’s cut.
5. You want to retain ALL rights to your book forever
If the idea of signing away the distribution, audiobook creation, and other rights makes you uncomfortable, Self-publishing may be right for you.
While at Meraki, we allow authors to maintain full copyrights of their work, we do still hold publication, distribution, selling rights and more. It is just how the industry works.
All three publishing options are valid. They all have pros and cons. It is up to you and your unique author journey to decide which path is right. Of course, we at Meraki Press would be honored to work with you in making your author dreams come alive.
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