Mullets and Hybrids and Books, oh my!
Hello, and welcome to my FIRST OFFICIAL mullet post.
Um… mullet? Why, Andi? Why?
Thanks for asking! Have you heard? The controversial hairdo is back in style, and I’m embracing it. That is, I’m embracing its motto…
Each newsletter will start with the business, and end with the fun. There may even be a giveaway! In fact, if you aren’t interested in the business side of publishing, feel free to skip to the fun by scrolling to the word “GIVEAWAY” below!
Onto the business! Hopefully I’m not laying on too much info at once (let me know if that’s the case!). I’ll also be including links along the way to articles that helped me when I first started out, written by people who are way more experienced than I am. That way, you can do additional research as you like.
SO. Where do we start?
Traditional vs. Self Publishing
What’s the difference?
(I’ll try to keep this as short and sweet as possible, but there’s a lot to cover)
Traditional Publishing
In short, traditional publishing means that a verified publishing company loves your manuscript so much, they’re willing to pay you for the right to publish it! That means you don’t pay them at all. No splitting costs, no halvsies, no moolah from you-lah! Money should always flow to the author in traditional publishing. If the publisher is asking you to pay at all, that’s not a traditional publisher (I’ll touch on hybrids and vanity publishers in a bit). A traditional publisher handles everything from finding the right illustrator and book designer, to printing and distribution, to marketing and promotional materials.
If you’re hoping to be Traditionally Published, the process might look something like this:
Write the book!
Edit the book!
Submit to agents (you could *technically* skip this step, but that’s a whole other post)
Your agent submits to publishers
Book Deal! Woohoo!! Your publisher will take it from here :)
But what if you don’t have time to pursue a traditional deal? The process can (and does!) take years and years. What if you tried these steps, but something didn’t pan out along the way? It’s notoriously difficult to get an agent. Maybe you want to keep full creative control over your work? Perhaps you’re not interested in being famous, and only want to publish for friends and family? Or maybe, if you’re like me, you’ve started the process of becoming traditionally published, and are steadily plodding through the steps (I’m delighted to be on step 4 after four years!), and you’re looking to self-publish a specific manuscript that just doesn’t fit in the traditional publishing model? If any of these things feel familiar, you may have found yourself peeking through the metaphorical self-publishing window. Or maybe, like me, you’ve opened the door and stepped fully into the world of self-publishing. And believe me- it’s a whole world, different but parallel to the traditional publishing world (though I wouldn’t exactly know– step 4, remember?).
Self-Publishing/Indie Publishing
For Self-Publishing (sometimes called “Indie Publishing”), the process goes a little something like this:
Write the book!
Edit the book (Don’t skip this step! Also…showing a family member rarely counts)
Publish!
Publish! Just like that?!
Well, no. Not really. There are a ton more sub-steps, but without a publisher, you’re kinda on your own. A lot of people turn to vanity or hybrid publishers because the road ahead feels overwhelming, but I promise you it’s not! There are many steps, yes, but anything worth doing is worth doing right. I’m not saying a hybrid publisher or vanity/publishing company isn’t the right fit for you, just that you should know your options before jumping in! That’s why you’re here, though, right?
I recently attended a webinar hosted by publishing guru Jane Freidman, and in it she touched on hybrids vs paid publishing companies (ie vanity presses) vs true self-publishing. She’s been in the publishing industry since the 1990s, so she knows her stuff! In a nutshell, here’s what we’re looking at when it comes to your self publishing options (please excuse my poor Canva skills, I made this with a sleeping baby in my arms):
Each option has pros and cons, so you’ll really need to weigh each one and choose the path that’s right for you.
If you’re not looking to invest the full amount, and are ok with losing creative control and sharing the rights to your book, you might be considering a hybrid publisher. That way, you’ll only have to pay a portion of the cost. Great, right?! Well… keep in mind, that what you’re gaining in fund-sharing, you might be losing in illustrations (if a picture book), editing, and quality control. And most importantly, you won’t maintain full rights to your work. This means that if your book does well, you’ll be sharing all profits even though you’ll probably be doing a majority of the marketing and selling. Do some hybrids pull their weight and help with promotion? I’m sure some do! Jane Friedman has a great, more in-depth, article on hybrids HERE.
If funds are a concern, there are many options out there! This article does a pretty good job explaining them.
If you’re ok with investing your own money, but are short on time, you might consider a vanity press, or paid publishing company. They’ll handle everything needed to get your book published (editing, illustrations, copyright, etc.), but then you’re on your own. These presses are essentially a middle-man, so you’ll most likely be paying a bit more than if you were to assemble your own crew. For some people, the cost is worth what they save in time. PLEASE be careful with vanity presses, though. There are some who will exploit a first-time authors naivety with exorbitant pricing. Harold Underdown, executive editor at Kane Press and KidLit 411 moderator, has an excellent article about vanity presses if you’d like to learn more.
It’s important to note that while there are definitely a lot of bad actors looking to exploit the eager first-time author (check out this article), I’m sure there are companies out there who are doing it “right”. But keep in mind, both Hybrids and Paid Publishing Companies have to make money somehow. And neither care about your book doing well more than you do.
When I first decided to self-publish my board book, I reached out to a paid publishing company to get a quote. It took a week for them to get back to me, and by then I’d researched enough to realize I could absolutely do this on my own! And honestly- you can, too.
Which leads us to… your basic self-publishing.
YOU pick a freelance editor *who understands your story*.
YOU choose the illustrator *whose style matches your vision*.
YOU retain *ALL control and ALL rights*.
That’s the type of self-publishing I’ll be referring to in this newsletter. There are definite downsides, but for me, the pros outweighed the cons. It sounds daunting (I get it), but hopefully these posts help break self-publishing down in an easy to digest format.
Phew! You made it! That’s all the info I have for today :)
Now the business is DONE! Let’s get to the FUN!
Did someone say…
GIVEAWAY?
If you took a peek around my website (www.andichittybooks.com) after the first newsletter, you may have seen the TITLE of my upcoming board book for toddlers and preschoolers:
BANANAS IN THE BATH!
I’m so excited about this book. I wrote the manuscript over a year ago, and my kids (and us adults!) *still* quote it often. It’s so fun, and I’ll tell you the story behind its creation in my next newsletter, “The Big WHY”!
I’m so grateful to each and every one of you for subscribing (and for reading this far!) and I’d like to offer a copy of BANANAS IN THE BATH to one lucky winner! The book itself probably won’t be available until May/June, though, so you’ll have to be patient for it to get to you :)
To enter the giveaway, I’d love to hear from you! Just shoot me an email (responding to this is fine!) or leave a comment on this post on my website, telling me something specific you’d like to see in a future newsletter, something you liked or disliked about the format of this one, any questions that came up while reading, or just to say hi! I’ll announce the winner in my next post :)
If you’re still reading, I’d be remiss if I didn’t do some book highlights! This section has nothing to do with self-publishing, per say, but BOOKS ARE AWESOME and sometimes I just want to shout about my favorites! I have some self-published books in my TBR (to be read) pile, though, and will hopefully get to them soon so I can share them with you all!
Some of my favorite recent reads:
FAIRYTALE by Stephen King
I read A LOT of Stephen King thrillers and fantasy novels in high school, so when he came out with his first fantasy novel, I was super pumped. Thank goodness for the audiobook, though! Otherwise, I don’t know how I would have found the time to read it. Ya’ll, this is SO GOOD. If you like fantasy, and don’t mind a slow but interestingly non-magical start, I highly recommend this!
THE WILD ROBOT by Peter Brown
If you’re looking for a chapter book to read to your kids, definitely try this series out! It’s super engaging, and has some really short chapters (some are just a paragraph long, and some are 3 pages) so it’s easy to pick up and put back down for bedtime reading. My 4 year old and 6 year old loved it so much, we’re reading the second in the series now!
PETE THE CAT by James Dean and Eric Litwin
Hah, tricked you! I said this section wouldn’t have anything to do with self-publishing. Did you know this book was initially self-published? It sold 7,000 copies in the first 10 months before it was picked up by Harper Collins. Now, it’s a bestseller with over 11,500 five-star reviews on Amazon! And I’m not surprised, it’s picture book perfection.
And just like that, we’re done! Thanks for making it this far, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway to win a (future) copy of BANANAS IN THE BATH!
Happy reading!
Andi Chitty
