The publishing industry has gone through big changes in the last few years\u2014and perhaps the biggest change has been the emergence of a new model of authorship.<\/p>\n
What is a hybrid author?<\/strong><\/p>\n A hybrid author<\/a> is a writer who is published both traditionally and independently. Some of their work (books, articles, poetry, screen or stage works, critique) is released through traditional means, and some is self-published.<\/p>\n You\u2019re allowed to do that?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes. It\u2019s 2018\u2014people\u00a0(even literary awards<\/a>) are starting to realise that self-published books have legitimacy, and writers are starting to realise that they may need to diversify if they want to sustain a professional career. The publishing industry is in a state of flux as Amazon alters the literary landscape, and as movements like #WeNeedDiverseBooks<\/a> and industry surveys like the Romance Diversity Report<\/a> interrogate who gets published and why.<\/p>\n But authors should watch out for non-compete clauses<\/a> in their contracts with traditional publishers, to ensure that they have control over the worlds and characters they want to self-publish.<\/p>\n Are publishers okay with the hybrid model? Does it disadvantage an author to have a foot in both camps?<\/strong><\/p>\n Most publishers are aware that an author needs to earn money from their published work, and that if you\u2019re an already-signed emerging or midlist author, you may need to expand your range of options to keep writing. Hybrid authors are actively raising their profiles with each new book released and extending their audience with click-through links to buy their other works, so trade publishers should see this as win-win scenario.<\/p>\n Indie authors can learn a lot from working with traditional publishing editors and teams. There have been cases where self-published authors with a proven track record have gone on to get deals with traditional publishers<\/a>, but indie authors querying trade publishers are encouraged to be honest about their sales numbers (for print, audio and ebook formats) and explain how their business is run.<\/p>\n Be aware of your brand, too. If you\u2019re publishing literary fiction with a trade publisher and erotic suspense fiction independently, you will need to talk it over with your publisher who might prefer a single recognisable brand.\u00a0 And honestly, your readers prefer a single recognisable brand, too! In this situation, a pseudonym might be a good solution. You\u2019ll also need to discuss timing of releases, so you and your traditional publisher aren\u2019t releasing simultaneously.<\/p>\n What do agents think?<\/strong><\/p>\n This is an area that\u2019s still \u2018under review\u2019 in Australia, so much of the advice comes from the US. Agents generally only earn money on contracts they\u2019ve arranged for authors through traditional publishers, so it\u2019s good to let your agent know if you\u2019re planning to self-publish. But indie authors still need help with controlling, enforcing and selling their rights (local, world, media, etc.). Agents have a good perspective on the industry and what\u2019s selling, so as US literary industry advocate Jane Friedman notes in her article \u2018Literary Agents and the Hybrid Author\u2019, there are advantages to having an agent<\/a> if you\u2019re a hybrid author.<\/p>\n Some agents work closely with their authors to smooth the self-publishing road (also called \u2018assisted publishing\u2019, \u2018partnership publishing\u2019 or \u2018co-publishing\u2019), lining up editors and designers, and helping with distribution or placement, and this is a model worth examining<\/a>. But be wary if an agency asks for commission on work they haven\u2019t had any part in publishing.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the worst thing about being hybrid?<\/strong><\/p>\n Greater responsibility can be a burden. You have to shoulder any additional financial risk on self-published titles, formulate a business plan and do all the back-end work, and without an agent, you\u2019re the sole negotiator in trade publishing discussions. You have to be super-organised. You might find that wearing two hats\u2014being both author and<\/em> publisher\u2014can be exhausting.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the best thing?<\/strong><\/p>\n The author has absolute control over the titles they release independently\u2014from the words and the cover to the pricing\u2014and this provides greater flexibility to promote both their indie and their traditionally published work. You aren\u2019t exclusively at the mercy of publisher timelines\u2014there\u2019s nothing stopping you from publishing a book or novella in between trade releases, if you want to maintain career momentum and increase discoverability. If you\u2019re judicious about your brand, you can jump between genres or categories, releasing stories that your trade publisher doesn\u2019t want to take a chance on.<\/p>\n In a nutshell, you have true control over your career, more options to publish, and you don\u2019t have all your eggs in one basket.<\/p>\n Hybrid authors: advice from the pros<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018Research is everything. Find great people (such as cover artists etc.) to work with, and stick with them.\u2019\u2014Kylie Scott<\/a><\/strong>, New York Times <\/em>bestselling author of Trust<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u2018I cannot overstate the importance of having someone who will call you on your bull***t, be it your editor with your publisher or someone you have hired on a freelance basis. So invest in good people. Hold yourself to a high standard. And keep your options open, because you never know what\u2019s around the corner in this industry.\u2019\u2014Sarah Mayberry<\/a><\/strong>, USA Today <\/em>bestselling author of Temporary<\/em>.<\/p>\n The publishing industry has gone through big changes in the last few years\u2014and perhaps the biggest change has been the emergence of a new model of authorship. What is a hybrid author? A hybrid author is a writer who is published both traditionally and independently. Some of their work (books, articles, poetry, screen or stage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":922,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[51],"class_list":{"0":"post-981","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-newsletter-features","8":"tag-ellie"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/981","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/981\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Ellie Marney is a teacher and hybrid YA author. She lives in Victoria with her family, and her new book,\u00a0<\/em>White Night\u00a0(Allen & Unwin), is out March 2018. Find her at\u00a0www.elliemarney.com<\/a>\u00a0or on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"