By Louisa Deasey

I coach memoir and nonfiction writers on reaching success in the traditional publishing process.

So you’ve written a book. Now, how to get it into the hands of readers across the world? How do you find an agent? How do you approach a Publisher? Which ones do what, and what’s the difference in publishing models?

Traditional Publishers, Hybrid  Presses and Vanity Publishers.
What’s the difference?

Like most writers, I’ve explored most of the publishing models in depth. As a traditionally published author, I know that I’m at an advantage because I can share exactly what goes on behind the scenes in a professional publishing house. From acquisition to editing to the marketing and sales process, all the costs in traditional publishing are covered by the publisher. As an author, you get to just write, then promote your work. But sadly, I’ve met so many authors who did NOT know what to watch for from the very beginning, and ended up paying fees for agents (!) and for publishers who left them with no book or a printed book with no distribution. This is where understanding the different publishing models will help you as a first time author.

What, exactly, is involved in hybrid publishing or even vanity publishing (and what’s the difference?).
In this article, I’m going to break down exactly what goes on in each of the publishing models so that every writer can make the best decision for what they want from their writing career.

As a twice-published (traditionally published) author myself, who navigated this strange industry on my own after my academic studies didn’t help with much of the business side to writing, I specialise in teaching writers how to write and sell books to the high standards of traditional publishing.

I’m not a literary agent, and I’m not a publisher, nor do I aspire to be! But I love good storytelling, and more than anything else, I love seeing people reach clarity and success in this hidden and secretive publishing industry!

Because I teach memoir and personal narrative, many writers have not come from a publishing background, so it’s easy to get duped by publishers and agents who aren’t all they say they are. I realise not everyone has the desire (or the patience, or the skills) to get a book traditionally published. So, I share the information here about hybrid and vanity publishers so that you can know, if and when you contact someone, what to expect, and make an informed and empowered decision based on accurate information.
I’ll also be sharing examples for each of the publishing models, including the top 8 traditional publishers across the world.

Here’s the 3 publishing models you need to understand:

  1. Traditional Publishing

  2. Hybrid Publishing

  3. Vanity Publishing

I’m going to explain how the author benefits and what they pay for in each model, so you can be clear when you go into an agreement, knowing it’s a ‘true’ traditional publisher or hybrid. There’s also a clear difference between hybrid publishers and vanity publishers, which you’ll understand by the end of this article!

Traditional Publisher

A traditional publisher is responsible for producing and distributing an author’s book. A traditional publisher bears the cost of all component services, including editing, proofreading, production, marketing, sales, distribution, and wholesale costs. A traditional publisher recoups their investment (and any advance payments to the author) from sales of the book in retail booksellers (physical and online). A traditional publisher will usually pay the author an advance, plus a share of royalties. Royalties, unlike what most people assume, are only paid to an author when they ‘earn out’ the advance. Meaning: if you sell a certain amount of copies (for example: 10 000 copies, which is no mean feat!), you will then start to earn 10-15% on each sale of subsequent copies (depending on your royalty rate as stipulated in your contract). So, whether you get a large or small advance, you need to sell plenty of copies to go into royalties!

In some cases, traditional publishers stipulate a higher (immediate) royalty rate and skip the advance. It’s a better ‘deal’ for the author because they might go into a 30% royalty rate immediately, and don’t need to ‘earn out’ an advance.
For already established authors with a proven audience and a steady sales record, this is a newer option. Australian author Denise Duffield Thomas, who self-published her money mindset books and sold many thousands of copies before getting a literary agent and selling the rights to Hay House, then re-released the books globally under different titles and with updates to the text. As Duffield-Thomas is someone who built an online brand and spent an enormous amount of time building an audience, a platform and an email list, you can see what actually impacts book sales and makes a traditional publisher interested in a previously ‘self-published’ book!

Here’s a short list of 8 of the biggest traditional publishing houses across the world

  1. Penguin Random House
  2. HarperCollins
  3. Hachette Livre 
    This French publishing group includes imprints such as Little, Brown and Company, Grand Central Publishing, and Orbit.
  4. Simon & Schuster
    Founded in 1924 and known for bestselling fiction and nonfiction titles, their imprints include Atria Books, Scribner, and Gallery Books
  5. Macmillan Publishers
    Their imprints include Farrar, Straus and Giroux, St. Martin’s Press, and Tor Books.
  6. Scholastic Corporation
    Primarily focused on educational and children’s literature.
  7. Bloomsbury Publishing
    The renowned London-based publisher behind JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series.
  8. Penguin Books
    An imprint of Penguin Random House, Penguin Books focuses on trade paperbacks and the Penguin Classics series.

    Hybrid Publisher

    You can define a Hybrid Publisher by its source of revenue. Where the revenue source of a traditional publisher is through the sale of books (and related materials) that they publish, a Hybrid Publisher gains its revenue both from both book sales and fees charged to the author for publishing services rendered. Generally speaking, a hybrid publisher will screen authors and ensure a certain standard in material they agree to publish. Be sure to check previously published books before you sign with any publisher!

    So, under a hybrid publisher, the publisher and author share the costs of publishing and distributing a book. The publisher is then responsible for producing and distributing the book; however, the author pays a fee to cover the cost of some of the elements of this service. Again: be sure to check where their distribution networks are, one of the biggest benefits in Traditional Publishing (aside from not paying for your book’s production!) is that their distribution networks cross large retailers and independent bookstores. With Hybrid and Vanity Publishers, often getting your book stocked in physical bookstores can be a struggle.

    The key difference between a traditional publisher and a Hybrid publisher is that under the hybrid publishing model, the publisher and author share the costs of publishing and distributing a book. The publisher is then responsible for producing and distributing the book; however, the author pays a fee to cover the cost of some of the services. A hybrid publisher will not pay the author an advance, but will typically pay the author a higher share of royalties (depending if there is a royalty clause in the contract). The author pays for a lot more of the production and distribution and marketing required, under a hybrid publishing contract. Very often, distribution in bookshops is not guaranteed.

    Hybrid Publishers who have a proven track record and distribution included in their services I recommend include:
    She Writes Press (a favourite for memoirists) based in the US. They have a distribution agreement with Simon & Shuster and actually vet their authors. Coaching Client Sandra Shnakenburg, author of the memoir / biography The Housekeeper’s Secret, published with She Writes Press.Hembury Books, run by ex-journalist Jessica Mudditt, is another excellent Hybrid Publisher in Australia. She’s published dozens of memoirs (as well as books across every other genre) and is highly regarded as Australia’s best Hybrid Publisher. As well as distribution with Simon & Schuster, Jess offers authors an excellent package where they get to retain all rights and includes promotion and publicity to give every single author the best chance of success.You can watch my interview with Jess on her You Tube channel here, and be sure to follow her podcast for more info.


Vanity Publisher

 

The essential difference between a hybrid press and a vanity press is that a true hybrid publisher upholds standards in what work it accepts for publication (which means not every author willing to pay is accepted for publication!), based on quality and its merit as a sellable product, in the same way that a traditional publisher does.

By contrast, a ‘vanity’ press is essentially a paid printing press for authors who wish to self-publish but don’t have the technical skills or desire to do so. Vanity presses will publish any book for any author, regardless of the quality of the work or its sales potential, provided the author meets the cost of publication.

Another factor is that vanity presses charge a fee which covers the entire cost of production, whereas true hybrid publishers share the costs (and therefore the risk) with the author. As the hybrid publisher has a vested interest in the success of the book, they will typically offer more marketing support (or at the very least, advice) than a vanity publisher.

Where a large Traditional Publishing House (such as those listed above) will allocate a certain amount of budget to marketing, media and PR for a new book, none of this is included in Vanity or Hybrid Publishing, unless the author pays for it.

Sadly I have no good Vanity Publishers to recommend, but I’ve heard terrible stories of authors being scammed out of ‘editorial’ fees from Austin Macauley Publishers via the Writer Beware website, and recently, there’s been a spate of dodgy presses approaching writers as though they are traditional publishers! Oddly, I clicked on a link in a facebook group from a vanity publisher that was approaching memoir writers in the group, only to see numerous typos and TRADITIONAL PUBLISHER on the home page. It was not!

If you’re ever in doubt, head to Writer Beware to check you haven’t been approached by one of the known scams they have listed.

Distribution is a big factor in choosing a Hybrid or Traditional Publisher: with a Traditional Publisher, particularly the bigger ones like Penguin or Hachette, distribution in large scale retail outlets is almost guaranteed, whereas with vanity presses and many hybrid publishers, distribution is not guaranteed at all. This means, the author then needs to go out ‘door knocking’ to booksellers to attempt to get the book stocked. Some Hybrid publishers have a large scale distribution agreement (like She writes Press, and Hembury Books), but be sure to check.
Because distribution is such a huge factor in how well your book does in the market, make sure you understand where and how books are stocked from the publishers you choose to sign with.

To sum up:
Remember traditional publishers produce books; they are not service providers. Hybrid publishers combine both with their revenue model. Both traditional publishers and (good) hybrid publishers take on a financial risk associated with publishing a work which is why they are selective and demand a quality manuscript before any agreement is offered.
Vanity publishers upend this model; they don’t care and are not selective about the quality of a manuscript or its possible appeal to the market. They often cold ‘pitch’ writers and are getting sneakier and sneakier, joining Facebook groups, direct messaging authors with flattery and praise and offering the world.

Getting your book published starts with learning how to write a good story.

Because good publishers? They want quality writing and quality storytelling, too. This is why they take on the risk! It’s worth it, for the art, and the love of art.

Learn the business side of publishing to become an empowered author
Regardless of whether you choose to self-publish, or traditionally publish your book, you will need to promote it beyond your friends and family. So, the sooner you learn how the marketing and sales side of publishing works, the better! I’ve put all you need to know about how to sell a memoir or nonfiction book to a top traditional publisher or literary agent into my Book Deal Bundle course. You can learn more below.

Remember: Rarely will an agent or publisher approach YOU if they’re reputable. Be savvy. Do your research. And learn how the industry works!

Wishing you all the success in your writing and publishing endeavours,

Louisa