The IBPA on Hybrid Publishing

Hybrid publishing companies behave just like traditional publishing companies in all respects, except that they publish books using an author-subsidized business model, as opposed to financing all costs themselves, and in exchange return a higher-than-industry-standard share of sales proceeds to the author. In other words, a hybrid publisher makes income from a combination of publishing services and book sales.

At Prairieland Press, our authors pay to prepare their manuscript for publishing. This typically means they pay for professional editing, professional design work (both interior and cover design), and illustration (if and when the author feels it is beneficial for his/her book). All monies that the authors pay for editing, design, and illustration go directly to the editors, designers, and illustrators. Prairieland Press does NOT charge its authors for any of the work Sharp does to prepare a book for publishing [even though the IBPA indicates in the above statement that this would be acceptable.]  

Prairieland Press pays to set the book up for publishing and to publish the book. This typically means that we pay for a variety of items and services that many self-publishing authors may not consider when publishing their books, but which we feel are important if we want bookstores and libraries to consider purchasing our books. These include (but are not limited to) an ISBN for each publishing format, cataloging-in-publication data, Lexile leveling for reading teachers, formal copyrighting of the text, setting the book up for distribution through Ingram, etc.

In exchange for our authors subsidizing the cost of the editing, design, and illustration for their books, our authors are paid 50% on all profits made on the sales of their book, just as we are. In other words, if the book sells, we all make a little money. If it doesn’t . . . well, that’s the risk we all signed up for when we entered this crazy business.

Although hybrid publishing companies are author-subsidized, they are different from other author-subsidized models in that hybrid publishers adhere to a set of professional publishing criteria. Keep reading to learn more about this set of publishing criteria that differentiates hybrid publishers from other author-subsidized models.

CRITERIA #1: Define a mission and vision for its publishing program.

CRITERIA #2: Vet submissions.

CRITERIA #3: Publish under its own imprint(s) and ISBNs.

CRITERIA #4: Publish to industry standards.

CRITERIA #5: Ensure editorial, design, and production quality.

CRITERIA #6: Pursue and manage a range of publishing rights.

CRITERIA #7: Provide distribution services.

CRITERIA #8: Demonstrate respectable sales.

CRITERIA #9: Pay authors a higher-than-standard royalty.