What Are Traditional, Hybrid, and Self-Publishing?

So, you want to get a book published. But how, exactly?

Traditional publishing? Self-publishing? Or maybe through a press that allows you to pay to publish your book?

Today’s post breaks down the three major kinds of publishing—both their advantages and drawbacks.

Traditional Publishing

A traditional publisher is a business that earns money from readers by selling books. They are incentivized to publish what readers want to read and what bookstores want to sell. An author who wants to become traditionally published typically needs the following:

1. Quality writing
2. Content readers are willing to pay for
3. A strong author platform and marketing plan (to ensure readers will pay for the book)
4. A literary agent*

Let’s break each of those down one by one!

“Quality writing” is, in one sense, self-explanatory. In another sense, it’s not explanatory at all. What do traditional publishers expect from quality writing?

Well, first, they expect to enjoy reading it. In fiction, that means descriptions that put them in a scene, characters that come to life, and a plot that hooks them from page one. In nonfiction, that means insights that intrigue them, a writing voice that fits the audience, and arguments that persuade.

Second, they expect this to be more than a rough draft. Perfect grammar and punctuation in lockstep with The Chicago Manual of Style isn’t the expectation, but professionalism is. Do you have glaring typos every other paragraph? Does your fiction manuscript head-hop? Does your nonfiction manuscript lack credible sources? If a traditional publisher sees errors like this, they will assume these problems are only the tip of the iceberg—and they won’t take your book seriously.

But even if your writing quality is high, that isn’t enough on its own. Readers have to be willing to pay for it.

Commercial fiction has genres, and genres have expectations. Readers buy romances with the expectation of a happy ending. Readers buy mysteries assuming the crime will eventually be solved. Readers buy monthly devotionals with the expectation that they can read each day’s entry in the time it takes to drink their morning coffee.

Not all expectations are this obvious. For instance, many Christian fiction publishers refuse to publish any swearing whatsoever—even if it’s true to character or a mild swear. Many publishers may also shy away from heavy content as being less marketable. Most readers prefer to read happy romances rather than the story of a woman escaping abuse or parents processing a child’s suicide.

Trends also matter to traditional publishers. Allegories (such as C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) or end-times fiction (such as Jerry B. Jenkins’s Left Behind) are no longer the topic of interest in Christian publishing. Books in those genres are still published, but it’s more of an uphill climb than it used to be.

A well-written book that breaks expectations and ignores trends can still be published—but publishers (and readers) may be less confident in giving it a shot. This is another reason why author platform is crucial.

Nowadays, traditional publishers expect authors to lead the charge in marketing. An author needs an author website, active social media, and a strong author newsletter as just the digital baseline for their author platform. Traditional publishers will help market, and they will have connections to reviewers, for instance, but you are the one expected to have a direct connection with your readers. And you need to prove that connection before the book is contracted.

Keep in mind that a “strong” platform is relative. A small traditional publisher might be thrilled with an author newsletter of 1000 active subscribers, whereas a major traditional publisher might be expecting your subscriber number to be a few digits longer.

Another difference between a large traditional publisher and a small traditional publisher is whether they require a literary agent. A literary agent is a publishing professional who serves as a mediator between authors and publishers. Most traditional publishers don’t have time to wade through every author’s manuscript, so they let literary agents sift through authors until the agent finds a book worth publishing. Then, the agent pitches that book to their traditional publishing connections.

A real literary agent will never charge an author up-front. If the agent lands the author a contract with a traditional publisher, the agent then receives 15% of the author’s royalties from the book(s) in the contract. Typically, this is well worth it, as a literary agent sets an author up for success on multiple fronts—giving the author advice on platform, getting the author “in the door” with traditional publishers, and even helping authors negotiate a favorable contract with the publisher. A literary agent only succeeds if you succeed, so they typically have your best interests at heart.

Most traditional publishers require submissions to be agented, but some, particularly smaller publishers, do accept “unsolicited” submissions directly from authors. However, even publishers who accept unsolicited manuscripts tend to look more deeply at agented manuscripts. In traditional publishing, credibility and marketability are key.

Traditional publishers take the majority of a book’s royalties—often 80-90%, leaving an author with about 15% (and the agent takes their percentage from that). While this might seem unfair, keep in mind that the traditional publisher has invested in editing, formatting, cover design, and marketing on behalf of the author. While an author may not reap all the rewards of success, they’re also protected from the financial risks of failure. The publisher’s industry expertise brings value, too.

All-in-all, traditional publishing has a lot of hoops to jump through—and sometimes, it may try to put you and your book into a box—but generally, it produces a quality product that reaches a meaningful audience.

Hybrid (and Vanity) Publishing

A hybrid publisher is a business that earns money from both authors and their books. They are incentivized to publish books that have some marketability—but they’re willing to lower that bar for more niche books because they require authors to help finance the publishing process. An author who wants to be published through a hybrid publisher typically needs the following:

1. Money
2. Quality writing (though not necessarily aligned with market expectations)
3. Content readers are willing to pay for (though it can be niche)
4. An author platform (though not necessarily a strong one)

The bar to entry is not as high in hybrid publishing because a hybrid publisher doesn’t need a book to be a smashing success to earn back its investment. The author takes on the financial risk—so the hybrid publisher can be content with modest sales.

Still, the hybrid publisher does want sales. It earns money from sales, too, and good sales boost its reputation as a publisher. So a good hybrid publisher will produce a product that can compete with traditional publishing.

Unfortunately, not every hybrid publisher delivers on that promise. Many publishers claim to be credible hybrid publishers, but in reality, they are vanity presses.

A vanity press is a business that earns money from authors by publishing their books. They are incentivized to publish whatever authors pay them to publish. An author who wants to become published through a vanity press typically needs the following:

1. Money

Okay, that’s a bit snarky. But it gets at a hard truth.

Publishing is a business, and money is the primary motivator. In traditional publishing, a literary agent or a traditional publisher only earns money if you sell books. In vanity publishing, the publisher doesn’t expect you to sell many books (presumably, no traditional publishers found your book marketable enough). So, the vanity press focuses on the “sure thing”—the money you’ll pay them to publish your book.

Many vanity presses hire the cheapest freelancers for each part of the publishing process to increase their profit margin. They pressure authors into unnecessary services (such as ineffective marketing packages) to milk them for more money. Sometimes their contracts are restrictive, too.

An author could easily spend $10,000 on a vanity press, receive a poor product, and lose control over the pricing of their own book. Sadly, this isn’t an anomaly. Predatory vanity presses are common.

Hybrid presses and vanity presses are convenient. Every part of the publishing process is covered, so you don’t have to manage everything. But in this model of publishing, the publisher’s incentives are not necessarily aligned with the author’s goals. That warrants extreme caution.

Some hybrid presses are legitimate. They don’t take advantage of authors, and they genuinely help quality books hit the market. But if you’re considering a hybrid press, don’t take the glowing reviews at face value.

Review the IBPA’s hybrid publisher criteria. Is this a credible hybrid publisher, or is it closer to a vanity press?

Check out some of the books they’ve published yourself. How does the cover look? Is the writing any good? What are readers saying in reviews—and are there more than five reviews (one of which is the author’s mom)? If your book was printed with that level of quality (and that size of an audience), would you be happy?

Self-Publishing

Self-publishing, in its truest sense, is when you are the publisher. An author who wants to self-publish typically needs the following:

1. Money
2. Knowledge of the different steps in the publishing process
3. The discernment to hire the appropriate freelancers for their needs

Obviously, quality writing, content readers will pay for, and author platform are all necessary for sales of a self-published book. But you could self-publish a terrible book with no marketing plan, and no one would stop you. Thus, the quality of self-published books varies widely. Everything hinges on the author.

A self-publishing author makes choices at every step in the process. Think your revised story needs a second substantive edit? Simply hire an editor for another round. Want a cheaper, minimalist cover? It’s your money and your call. Want to publish on KDP Select instead of offering your e-book in multiple markets? That’s your choice to make.

Maybe your book concept completely ignores genre conventions. Maybe it tackles a heavy topic most publishers are afraid to touch. Maybe you hate social media, and your marketing plan is too unconventional for publishers’ tastes. Great! Self-publish your book, and let the readers decide directly.

Self-publishing gives you full creative control, and you alone reap the benefits of your book sales. However, with great power comes great responsibility.

If you have bad taste in cover design, you might tank your sales before readers have even read the back cover. If your marketing plan is lackluster or unrealistic, nobody is going to call you out on it (unless you pay them to). A book that is 90% excellent can be tanked by a few rookie publishing mistakes.

Also, be warned: Self-publishing, like vanity publishing, lacks the intrinsic credibility and clout of traditional publishing. It’s often harder to land reviewers or put your books in bookstores. Possible, of course, but it may be an uphill battle.

Maybe you don’t even want to reach a broader audience, though. Maybe you simply want to put your autobiography in print for your family, or your industry insights in print for your clients, or your Bible study in print for your church’s small groups. Self-publishing is excellent for that! You don’t have to build a platform, wait for agents/publishers to ponder your pitch, or move at the speed of someone else’s publishing timeline. Those are real advantages over traditional publishing.

Why Not Both?

It’s possible for self-publishing success to lead to a traditional publishing contract. The Martian by Andy Weir was originally self-published. Now, Weir is published through Random House, and his bestselling books are being made into movies. Many authors go that same route, self-publishing, then later deciding to pursue traditional publishing.

Don’t assume you’ll have Weir’s success, though! A self-publishing failure can have the opposite effect. If your self-published book has few sales and fewer reviews, traditional publishers will see you as unmarketable. Even if you view it as a stepping stone in your growth as a writer, they may see it as a referendum on your potential. They may think you shot your best shot and missed.

You’ll have an even harder time if you’re trying to land a traditional publisher for the same book you self-published. Traditional publishers care about an author’s marketing potential—and if friends and family already bought the self-published version of the book, the author’s core audience is tapped out.

Don’t self-publish lightly. If you later decide to traditionally publish, your self-published book could haunt you. Be sure that self-publishing is the route you want to take for a book, and give it the time, effort, and financial investment it deserves!

Conclusion

Each publishing route has its strengths and weaknesses.

Traditional publishing’s many hoops lead to a quality product at no financial cost to the author. However, it also requires give-and-take in collaborating with the agent and the publisher.

Hybrid presses are convenient and can connect you with veteran publishing professionals, but they can also be financially inefficient (or even turn out to be predatory vanity presses).

Self-publishing offers full creative control, but also puts full responsibility on you as the author. You need financial commitment, knowledge of the industry, and hard work to create a product that competes with traditional publishing.

Whichever path you choose to take, choose it thoughtfully! And don’t feel the need to make a hard decision right away. Regardless of your publishing path, a quality book and a solid author platform will serve you well. Focus on those steps first.

I’m rooting for you!