Because you usually get the publishing services you pay for.
Before y’all start sending me hate mail—this is NOT a post hating on hybrid publishers. I have relationships with a few publishers that charge authors, and I know there are very good ones who’ve helped author clients reach their goals. I’ve also published this post on how to choose a hybrid publisher.
This is more of an informational post for authors who might be on the fence between project managing the publishing of their own book (which also costs money) and choosing a company to handle that for them. So let’s get into it.
1. High fees
When you pitch hybrid publishers, they’ll usually have a set package of services to offer authors, or a pricing tier that includes more services the more an author pays. This can range from about (US/CAD) $10K for the set package or anywhere between $1000 for coaching or consulting all the way up to $100,000+ for ghostwritten books.
So even if you’re looking at the basic $10K package, this might be more than what you’d spend if you did your own hiring. Freelance service providers like me can have high fees too, so you could very well be spending more than $10K on editing, formatting, cover, audiobook production (especially if you’re not doing your own narration), and marketing.
It just depends on what you need and who you hire. I always say authors should budget between $10–15K if they self-publish, and invest in editing, formatting & cover, and marketing. If you want to do an audiobook, that’ll be extra time OR money (sometimes both).
You could get a good deal with a hybrid publisher for around the same amount you would spend self-publishing, especially if they throw in some marketing services for you and your royalties are higher than the 35 to 80% you’d get self-publishing. If it’s on the high side, hybrids might also take $1–2 per copy. Always know what’s in your contract.
Hybrid publishing fees will seem high. But they might also be fair for the services you’re getting. In the end, you’re the judge of that so ask for author references and look up reviews of the publisher online. Check out this post I did on how to avoid getting exploited as an author.
2. Hybrid publishing teams are not necessarily in-house
This is true across the board. While editors and designers typically work full-time in-house for traditional publishers, this isn’t always the case at hybrids. They have networks of freelance professionals, and it depends on who’s available to take on the work and what genre(s) they specialize in that might be suitable for the author’s book.
The reason freelancers (myself included) may choose to work with a hybrid publisher is that it’s an easy revenue source. Some may even give the publisher a referral fee for sending them work. So you might end up working with an editor or designer that you could have sourced yourself—but now you’re working with them under the umbrella of the hybrid publisher you have a contract with.
Again, as an author, you may be okay with this because it’s saving you time from shopping around for the right team.
3. Deadlines you didn’t know about
You’ll only feel this if it wasn’t clearly stated in your contract, but remember, hybrids operate much like traditional publishers. Just because you are paying them doesn’t mean you’re on your own timeline.
You will get some flexibility when you’re paying a publisher, but they need to keep their own machine going too.
If it’s taking too long for you to write your book, get through the editing process, or choose a cover design, there might be a clause in your contract that states your publisher keeps the deposits you’ve paid them and they get to move onto work with other authors, leaving you to finish your own project. That’s better than starting from scratch, but it’s unfortunate if you were expecting them to be at the finish line with you.
4. Mediocre work
Related to #3, if you don’t like the work of the editors or designers you’re paired with, you may or may not have the ability to change that. It’s extremely important that you get to know the publisher’s work through their website and make sure you like their team’s work.
Except for The Vegan Publisher, I’ve heard mixed reviews from authors on hybrid publishers both in and outside my area.
One author colleague said to me in an email: Hybrid publishers are not very good at covers. Not in my experience, anyway. [Publisher 1] was so appalling and offensive. And inappropriate. And at 4:00 in the morning, I sat in the living room and I sobbed my heart out.
I could not stop crying. I was so offended. We managed to get a decent cover out of them in the end. Very, very disrespectful.
And then I left them and found another publisher. I’ve managed to wrangle the folks at [publisher 2] so that they are not disrespectful. They know I came from another publisher. The hybrid publishing world is another matter entirely. A law onto themselves. Potential for huge predatory behaviour!
This author is back working with publisher 2 to update their book project and had this to say about the experience: I remembered what a terrible publisher [publisher 2] is. The job of making my corrections to the InDesign document was so sloppy it made me weep. Every correction was full of errors! References were a mix of italics and non-italics. It was woeful.
But it’s done and I’m waiting for the cover. I’m not very hopeful after this experience. Still, they’re not charging much, which is good. I certainly do NOT recommend that hybrid publisher.
A few weeks ago I attended a half-day summit where an author announced her book was coming out in April. After the event she came up to me and said she’d received conflicting information from [publisher 1 mentioned above] and another company about whether she should use either or both IngramSpark and Amazon KDP.
That means she hadn’t signed with either company, even though she announced her book was coming out in April. What?!
I know authors who have had superb experiences with hybrid publishers, so I know they’re not all equal. But what I’ve noticed is that the cover design quality is a notch lower with hybrids compared to traditionally published books. You can try requesting to work with a specific cover designer from your hybrid publisher, but in the end it depends on whether the publisher can pay the fee. They may make you pay extra for that custom choice.
The better the designer, the higher the fee, which is why you don’t see the best covers come out of books with hybrid publishers. At least, that’s my theory!
5. Unfulfilled marketing promises
This might also stem from authors not understanding the contract with their hybrid publisher, but remember, the range of marketing services a company can offer is very broad. When you get signed with a traditional publisher, it has a part- or full-time marketing team that’s able to dedicate a specific number of hours to your book or at least coach you through a previously-discussed marketing plan.
With hybrids, I find some will provide no marketing support. Others may set up websites, give you marketing graphics and/or cards to give to bookstores, and/or help with physical or virtual launch events. It really depends on what your contract says.
The same author colleague quoted above said: I made a poor decision by going to a hybrid publisher, and as most people predicted, the publisher did virtually no marketing. The book is an excellent book, but it has not sold.
Just know YOU are paying for marketing services if it’s in the contract, so be sure you are getting what’s stated. You might even want to lawyer up if you have proof you haven’t gotten what your hybrid publisher promised.
If you’re expecting an interview on a top podcast but your hybrid publisher doesn’t send news releases out or tell you who’s on their media list, you’d better look at hiring your own publicist.
As with any publishing path, know what you’re getting into. If you choose to hire a publisher, partner with one you believe will give you the service your book deserves.
Need a ghostwriter, editor, or marketer to help you market your book so you can get it in the hands of readers? Read more about my services here and contact me if you’re ready to begin!
