Episode Details

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Hybrid publishing is a model whereby an author pays a publishing house to do the publishing legwork---including (sometimes) editing, cover design, interior formatting, and distribution channel setup---while retaining final say over the edits, title, cover design, interior layout, and retail price.

The cost to work with a hybrid publishing house is likely to fall somewhere between $1,500 and $50,000. I consider my publishing house, Finn-Phyllis Press, to be a hybrid publisher. Several of the bigger, more well-known traditional publishing houses offer a hybrid model: Hay House has Balboa Press, and Simon & Schuster has Archway Publishing.

Some publishing houses take no profit off sales, while others take 15% (or more). Some houses pay author royalties every month; others pay them every quarter. Some make it easier than others for authors to order author copies for events or promotion, but almost all of them up-charge when an author does so.

When I began publishing other authors’ books through Finn-Phyllis Press, I put in place the business model that I would’ve loved to have available to me when I started publishing. I wanted someone to help me with the publishing legwork, but I didn't want to give away a portion of my earnings, and I wanted to retain full control over my listing on Amazon and other distribution services post-publication. 

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