{"id":3071,"date":"2022-06-22T23:40:45","date_gmt":"2022-06-22T23:40:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/?p=3071"},"modified":"2022-06-23T02:53:15","modified_gmt":"2022-06-23T02:53:15","slug":"hybrid-publishing-in-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/articles\/2022\/06\/22\/3071\/hybrid-publishing-in-australia\/","title":{"rendered":"Hybrid publishing in Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"

In April, two UK writers\u2019 organisations\u2014the Society of Authors (SoA) and the Writers\u2019 Guild of Great Britain (WGGB)\u2014published <\/span>Is It a Steal?<\/span><\/i><\/a>, an investigation into what they call hybrid publishing\u2014defined as a situation where \u2018a writer pays money for publication, and grants the company a licence of rights or the company takes a share of any profits\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The findings were stark: just 6% of writers reported that they made a profit, and almost half (48%) wouldn\u2019t recommend their publisher to others. As a result, the authors of the report made a slate of recommendations for writers, publishers and other organisations, to both better warn authors about the risks and to better regulate the industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

In response to the report, <\/span>Independent Publishing <\/span><\/i>has examined the market for hybrid publishing in Australia to find whether there are similarities with the situation outlined in the UK, the feasibility of ethical hybrid publishing under certain conditions, and the lessons for authors who are looking at entering into a hybrid publishing deal.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is hybrid publishing?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Olivia Lanchester, CEO of the Australian Society of Authors (ASA), emphasised the importance of properly defining hybrid publishing as a model that charges writers to publish their work, <\/span>and also <\/span><\/i>takes their rights or a share of profits.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018This is a hybrid of the traditional publishing model\u2014where the author grants the publisher a copyright licence, and the publisher bears the financial risk of publication\u2014and a self-publishing model\u2014where typically an author is responsible for all of the costs of, and decisions regarding, the production their book,\u2019 Lanchester said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hybrid publishing, therefore, does not include service providers, who will work with authors on specific areas such as editing, design and layout, and marketing and publicity, but will not take their rights.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018By insisting on an exclusive copyright licence, as hybrid publishers typically do, I believe they are more than a service provider; they are a licensee of intellectual property,\u2019 Lanchester said. \u2018By taking an author’s rights, they have the same responsibility as any licensee: to generate a return for the author.\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the ASA does not have a blanket recommendation against authors dealing with any hybrid publisher, as \u2018so much depends on an individual\u2019s author\u2019s circumstances and motivations to publish\u2019, Lanchester echoed many of the concerns raised by the UK\u2019s SoA and WGGB.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018What is of particular concern is where there is a lack of transparency, lack of author input and control, aggressive marketing or hounding of authors, poor quality of services and exaggerated or unsubstantiated sales claims,\u2019 said Lanchester. \u2018The ASA encourages authors to exercise caution in relation to any arrangement where the hybrid publisher seems to be making money out of fees paid by authors, rather than out of book sales.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the rise<\/b><\/p>\n

Debbie Lee, senior manager, content acquisition and business development for Ingram Content Group, has observed \u2018a groundswell of business as self-publishing has evolved, and authors are not left in the dark, trying to do everything themselves or \u201cgoing it alone\u201d\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

With IngramSpark, Lee works with a great number of what the company calls \u2018author service providers\u2019, including book design, production and editing experts, who work with independent authors on a fee-for-service basis, as well as hybrid publishers, who offer package deals and may manage an author\u2019s titles under the publisher\u2019s own imprint, paying authors their \u2018publisher compensation\u2019 (revenue on sales via the retail market), less an admin fee.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lee is optimistic about the market for author services, including hybrid publishers, that has emerged in Australia. \u2018We are really grateful to the fabulous hybrid publishers operating in this space, the majority of whom are truly dedicated to helping indies produce great books at reasonable prices,\u2019 Lee said. \u2018It\u2019s quite a different landscape to that described in the UK article, which implied high production fees, IP control, and low royalties. By comparison, I think we are fortunate in Australia. A shady operator would get found out pretty quickly and not last too long!\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Australian authors, however, are subject to the same aggressive marketing tactics from large hybrid publishing companies that have been the subject of author complaints, including in the UK report. As head of the peak national association for Australian authors, Lanchester said the ASA receives \u2018regular complaints\u2019 about hybrid practises and an increasing number of requests for advice on hybrid publishing in the past five years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018We believe this is due to the rapid increase in self-publishing, the businesses that service this area, and a muddying of the water around the options available to authors when considering author-funded publication,\u2019 said Lanchester.<\/span><\/p>\n

When can hybrid publishing work for authors?<\/b><\/p>\n

Lanchester said there is a role \u2018in some circumstances\u2019 for hybrid publishers, but is focused on warning authors about the risk \u2018because we see so much of the heartbreaking fall-out from bad practices\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

These circumstances or conditions under which hybrid publishing could work as an alternative to self-publishing, according to the ASA, include those where an author, cannot afford to invest in an opportunity to get their work to market, has neither the time nor the inclination to pursue DIY self-publishing, or has satisfied themselves about the legitimacy of the provider and wholly understands the risks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Key to this, according to Lanchester, is an ethical profit share arrangement\u2014\u2018one which takes into account the risk and investment borne by both parties and sets corresponding returns\u2019 and \u2018corrects the information asymmetry seen so often in publishing where authors simply don\u2019t have the same level of understanding of the book trade when they negotiate and sign\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

Doing it right<\/b><\/p>\n

Independent Publishing <\/span><\/i>spoke to self-identified hybrid publishers, and authors who\u2019ve worked with them, who are adamant about the ethics and efficacy of the hybrid model\u2014when done right. The publishers are at pains to distinguish themselves from the predatory publishers who take advantage of authors, as detailed in the UK report, and are enthusiastic about the opportunities the hybrid publishing model can offer certain authors under the right circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ian Hooper is executive director of Leschenault Press and The Book Reality Experience (Book Reality), based in WA. Leschenault Press is a traditional publisher; it charges no upfront fees to the author, foots all the bills and shares royalties. \u2018We have done that for a couple of authors we felt passionately about and for a few anthologies,\u2019 explains Hooper.<\/span><\/p>\n

Book Reality, on the other hand, operates under a hybrid model as an imprint of Leschenault Press. Book Reality charges fees for part of the upfront expenses, with royalties on subsequent sales of these titles also shared between publisher and author. <\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, Book Reality also deals with authors on a fee-for-service basis, offering authors the same services as under a hybrid deal, but setting them up with an independent publishing account, registering the author\u2019s ISBN accounts and publishing all under the author\u2019s name. \u2018The upfront fee is a bit more, but all royalties are theirs moving forward,\u2019 said Hooper.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hooper is selective about who he works with; not all manuscripts make the cut. He estimates he ends up working with about 40% of \u2018cold contacts\u2019\u2014those who reach out through Book Reality’s submissions page\u2014and about 90% of those who are recommended by a previous client. \u2018We do very little in [the] way of active marketing and rely on referral for the most part,\u2019 Hooper said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018We begin every new client interaction with the same email\u2014it is lengthy and it lays out exactly who we are and what we do. Only when the author has acknowledged it, do we proceed. We lose about 10% of authors at that stage as they want a traditional publisher. That is a good outcome as they are not being blindsided later.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Hooper, too, is troubled by predatory publishers marketing aggressively to Australian writers. His advice to authors on what a hybrid deal should cover include: an itemised and costed statement of what services are and aren\u2019t included; a proposed publication date; a statement that copyright always resides with the author; specification of other rights, such as first serial rights, recording and dramatic; and an end date for the contract and assignment of rights; and a \u2018get out clause\u2019 specifying what happens if the author wants to break the contract early.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bradley Shaw is the managing partner of Shawline Publishing, a hybrid publisher which also runs a <\/span>planned chain of independent bookshops<\/span><\/a>. He presented <\/span>Independent Publishing <\/span><\/i>with a list of principles by which Shawline abides as a hybrid publisher. These include having a defined mission and vision; publishing titles under the company\u2019s ISBNs; publishing titles to \u2018industry standards\u2019 of editorial, design and production quality; a distribution service; and paying authors a higher-than-standard royalty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shaw said a proper hybrid publisher \u2018should have a record of producing several books that sell in respectable quantities for the book\u2019s niche\u2019, noting many Shawline titles will sell between 500-1000 in their first year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Many of our authors have made significant sales figures, yet perhaps to date not a high return due the many impacts of the industry from the previous years,\u2019 Shaw explained. \u2018The change in retail and distribution has impacted us and the increase of print and distribution costs will remain for some time during the recovery. For our authors, the best success they have achieved is by purchasing their own copies from us directly at an affordable price and selling them direct to their own market, at events, at markets, or into local businesses.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

He also agrees with Hooper that a genuine hybrid publisher vets submissions, \u2018publishing only those titles that meet the mission and vision of the company, as well as a defined quality level set by the publisher\u2019. \u2018Good hybrid publishers don\u2019t publish everything that comes over the transom and often decline to publish,\u2019 Shaw said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Regardless of who pays for editorial, design, and production fees, it is always the publisher that bears responsibility for producing, distributing, and ultimately promoting professional-quality books in the global markets,\u2019 Shaw added. \u2018An author-subsidised business model in no way relieves a publisher of its editorial, design, marketing, sales, and distribution responsibilities.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Happy customers<\/b><\/p>\n

Independent Publishing <\/span><\/i>spoke to half-a-dozen authors who published work with Leschenault Press or Book Reality; each would recommend the company to other authors in the same position they were. Similarly, <\/span>Independent Publishing <\/span><\/i>spoke to a number of authors who published with Shawline and would likewise recommend the publisher. Almost all of the authors <\/span>Independent Publishing <\/span><\/i>spoke to made clear they were aware of the \u2018dodgy\u2019 hybrid publishers, either from personal or anecdotal experience, and were keen to distinguish their experience working with Hooper or Shaw.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Book Reality authors and their experiences ranged from Mark Townsend, who, as chairperson of Bunbury Writers Group, published several books with BRE to showcase the talents of local writers, rather than for profits, to aspiring genre writers such as Dean Buswell, who published <\/span>The Order of Elysium<\/span><\/i>, the first book in a planned trilogy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Buswell was full of praise for Hooper after working with Book Reality. \u2018Unfortunately, simply because of the nature of the internet and marketing, it’s the forceful predatory companies that come to the surface more often than not,\u2019 Buswell said. \u2018But there is good and bad in every industry.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018I first tried self-publishing then stupidly went with another large hybrid company who were only interested in my money it seems,\u2019 said Gill Wells, an author who has published five titles with Shawline. \u2018Everything Shawline does is to the highest standard and they are always available by phone or email which wasn’t the case with the other company. I am so delighted to have found them. I know there are some dodgy companies out there but to me Shawline are in a different league.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

V M Knox has published three books in her \u2018Clement Wisdom\u2019 historical mystery series with Leschenault Press. The fourth book in the series, <\/span>West Wind; Clear<\/span><\/i>, is due out at the end of this month, but, as Knox is the publisher\u2019s bestselling author, the book will be published without Knox having to contribute any fees.<\/span><\/p>\n

After self-publishing with an \u2018appalling vanity publisher\u2019 in the UK, which she can\u2019t name after signing a confidentiality agreement when the contract was dissolved, Knox re-wrote, re-titled and re-published her work with Book Reality. Knox said her books have been \u2018well received by the reading public\u2019, with high star-ratings on Amazon in the US, Canada, UK and Australia, while her second book received a <\/span>Publisher’s Weekly<\/span><\/i> starred review.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her only complaint is not with the hybrid publishing process per se, but with the trade treatment of books published via the method.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018One of the things about this method of publication that really annoys me is that bookshop owners think if a book isn’t traditionally published it must be rubbish,\u2019 said Knox. \u2018I have experienced the rudeness and contempt of bookshop owners who, without knowing why I chose this method of publication, make assumptions. But with hundreds of five-star reviews, <\/span>Publisher’s Weekly<\/span><\/i> reviews and interviews, I am developing a readership that I suspect would be envied by other published authors.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Predators lurking<\/b><\/p>\n

Lanchester\u2019s assertion that the ASA receives regular complaints about hybrid practices is backed up by anecdotal evidence from authors and publishers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018I’ve known a few people, not closely, who have shared stories about the use of companies which have taken their money and provided a sub-par service and then were given terrible after care service; as in pretty much non-existent,\u2019 said Buswell.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018I was once cold contacted (red flag) before I knew about Book Reality, by a [vanity publisher],\u2019 Buswell added. \u2018They made it sound like I was already personally selected to be published, even though they had not even seen my manuscript. They were vague about costs and timeframes, and provided no actual outset for their services, just kept speaking with romantic notions about being a published author. I obviously listened to my instincts and declined. Even so, they kept trying to call and pressure me for a few weeks.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Author Noreen Reeves, who published <\/span>Looking Through the Rear Window<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Billy’s Tree-Mendous Adventure <\/span><\/i>with Book Reality, said she got \u2018sucked in\u2019 by a US-based vanity publisher, a \u2018big mistake\u2019 that \u2018burnt\u2019 her and taught her \u2018a lot of hard lessons\u2019. Similarly, Lee-Ann Koh, author of <\/span>Black and Blue<\/span><\/i>, said she knows of an author who signed with a vanity publisher and was upsold various marketing packages, then apparently told that their book had been optioned for film and would be made into a movie or TV show.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the problems that gives rise to predatory practices is that many authors know little to nothing about the publishing industry and process. Hooper, who said some clients come to him having been badly \u2018burnt\u2019 by other companies, described the level of misunderstanding some authors have, with many coming to him \u2018not knowing that editing was really needed, and that it is expensive\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018We lose a lot of the clients that approach us when we explain how it works and how much it costs. That\u2019s okay,\u2019 said Hooper. \u2018We are trying to raise the standard of indie publishing. They can, in that case, choose to publish unedited books under their own names, and we will help them on that path.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018New authors come to us with information gathered from online resources and blogs, and mostly all of it is conflicting and confusing for many of them and often from overseas references, so little of the positive Australian information is known to them,\u2019 added Shaw. \u2018There is always a contest about the investment into the process and the resources offered to them, and this is also very confusing as there is no cost parameters from one publisher service to another and this can be very challenging to uncover the value of the benefits and learn the real truth of the process on offer from each of them.\u2019<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

What can be done?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Stopping predatory publishers from taking advantage of authors will require some combination of educated writers, industry regulation and, Hooper and Shaw argue, recognition of reputable hybrid operators.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018<\/b>I think the key to remediating this issue is education,\u2019 Lanchester said. \u2018Organisations like the ASA spend a lot of time encouraging authors to conduct due diligence and interrogate hybrid publishing deals. We recommend that authors and illustrators seek independent advice if they are uncertain about any contract they are asked to sign, or in relation to any agreement which requires them to pay substantial sums. As your financial risk rises, your scrutiny also needs to increase.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Lanchester added that if a company an author is dealing with is a member of the Australian Publishers Association (APA), it must comply with the APA’s <\/span>Code of Conduct<\/span><\/a>, which includes an obligation on the hybrid publisher to \u2018be open and honest with authors in relation to the likely returns an author might expect from any financial contribution he or she makes to a publication\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Hooper, the problem is with predatory companies exploiting the \u2018hugely personal and emotive\u2019 desire to be published not being clear from the outset they are not operating under a traditional publishing model. \u2018They reel the author in and then after a little has been paid, well, the author is heading down the path and so they keep going. The key is to make the industry recognise that author-funded (or part-funded) publishing is as worthy as any other type of publishing and has been since Charles Dickens and Beatrix Potter did it for themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018After that, we need to have a recognition scheme for those companies that do it well (and honestly). Maybe even an award that is recognised internationally and backed by the traditional big hitters. (It\u2019s not like there aren\u2019t enough award ceremonies that the traditional companies get recognised in and that the likes of my company are not even allowed to enter).\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Similarly, Shaw said the book trade \u2018needs to continue to support new talents and allow hybrids to operate to standards [\u2026] these can even be set out as industry compliances\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018I hope the industry will stop foreign companies taking Australian writers for a quid and that authors learn the correct information by speaking with publishers directly,\u2019 Shaw added. \u2018There is little to hide, and we are very transparent in our aims and desire to help new authors gain the best chance of success.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

In a sentiment echoed by most of the authors <\/span>Independent Publishing <\/span><\/i>spoke to, Buswell urged writers to do their own research. \u2018Just like how self-publishing has a bad name because of all the authors who throw up and publish their first drafts for the world to see, there are still amazing stories within that pile from people willing to do it right.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018And just as a book lover may search that pile for a great book, indie authors need to spend just as much time and love into finding the right service as they would expect that service to put into them.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Final word<\/b><\/p>\n

The ASA urges an abundance of caution for any author considering a hybrid publishing deal, and with good reason. As authors attest, there are numerous unscrupulous companies who will aggressively market to Australian writers, taking advantage of na\u00efve authors using the language of hybrid publishing to rort and deceive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Among these warnings, however, it\u2019s also apparent there are hybrid publishers with a genuine interest in helping authors achieve their goal of producing a high-quality finished book with a reasonable degree of distribution. If an author has the means to afford it, has been educated on their options and the reality of their expectations, and is presented with a transparent breakdown of what they are getting for their money, hybrid publishing can be a suitable option. The presence of predatory publishers taking advantage of Australian writers is a concern for legitimate hybrid publishers with a demonstrated record of working with authors, and they are urging for more industry recognition to help stamp out the bad actors.<\/span><\/p>\n

In any case, author advocates, ethical hybrid publishers, and writers with experience in the hybrid market are unanimous in urging any would-be authors to properly research any company and examine the specifics in any deal when considering hybrid publishing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More information about what to look out for can be found in the <\/span>Is It a Steal?<\/span><\/i><\/a> report, and from the ASA here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In April, two UK writers\u2019 organisations\u2014the Society of Authors (SoA) and the Writers\u2019 Guild of Great Britain (WGGB)\u2014published Is It a Steal?, an investigation into what they call hybrid publishing\u2014defined as a situation where \u2018a writer pays money for publication, and grants the company a licence of rights or the company takes a share of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3071","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-features"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3071"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3071\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3105,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3071\/revisions\/3105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}