Have you heard about hybrid publishing? What is that?

Traditional publishing means the publisher takes on all the costs of producing your book and usually gives the author some upfront money (an advance). As the book sells, the the author starts receiving royalties (small percentage of sales) ONLY after sales compensate the publisher for that advance money.

In hybrid publishing, the author pays the publisher to produce the book but the author then immediately earns a much larger royalty from book sales. It costs a lot of money to edit, format interior, and design a cover so hybrid publishing can cost the author a lot of money - about what it costs a self-publisher to manage on their own IF they want their book to look and read as good as a traditionally published book.

Either way, traditional or hybrid, the author does not have to be concerned  with the work of producing the book - what a relief! The author always owns the copyright, but the publisher owns the rights for the physical book and probably the ebook.

With hybrid publishing the author needs to "buyer beware" that they are not being excessively charged or promised great sales or sold an $$$$$ marketing package that is not worth it. Read the contract and walk into it with fully opened eyes. Jane Friedman has an article on her website about what to look for with a hybrid publisher, and why or why not you might want to work with one.

Is Hybrid Publishing Ethical? by Meghan Harvey of Girl Friday Productions

(Follow Jane Friedman on Twitter at @janefriedman or on Facebook)