Why Choose Hybrid Publishing?
By Grayson Ball
We live in a golden age of book publishing. From the big three publishers to Amazon KDP to selling books through TikTok Shop, it seems like there are just as many ways to get your work into readers’ hands as there are books. So why choose a hybrid publishing company like Dorrance Publishing to publish your book?
It might be beneficial to talk first about what hybrid publishing is. Hybrid publishing seeks to find a middle ground between traditional and independent publishing. For a fee, hybrid publishers like Dorrance Publishing offer the structure and support of a team of trained publishing professionals to guide you through the creation and promotion processes, working with you directly to bring your vision to life. When your book is finally published, you maintain full rights over your creation. In a sense, it’s the best of both worlds.
To some, hybrid publishing raises the reasonable question, “Why should I pay to publish my book?” It’s true that you can do the work yourself and publish your book on a platform like Amazon, or you could do the hard work of trying to find an agent to take a chance on traditional publishing. In my three years at Dorrance, I’ve found that the hybrid model is incredibly versatile and can meets the needs of many authors.
Here are five reasons why hybrid publishing might be the right choice for your book.
1. The idea of finding an agent makes you break out in hives.
When most people think of publishing, they think of traditional publications—those put out by the “big three” publishers: Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster. I have friends who have had their books published this way. Though no one really “makes a living” as a writer without significant financial backing, these publishers will pay you for your work and enter your book into mass distribution. There’s only one catch: you have to play by their rules.
Getting traditionally published begins with the process of finding an agent. This is often a long process that involves a lot of research—and a lot of writing. After you pick a list of ten to twenty agents that are looking for books in your genre (and often suiting their own personal tastes), you write letters to each one asking them to consider your book. For all authors, this comes with a certain degree of rejection. Even excellent authors get rejected, and there is the potential that no agent will accept your work at all. This process can be brutal and, even if your book is picked up by an agent, there is a good chance that no editors at these publishing houses will be interested in your work, if they don’t think your idea is marketable enough to sell.
For many, this prospect sours the whole experience of publishing a book, but they also don’t want to put in the work (and it is work) to independently publish their work. This is where hybrid publishers come in. Hybrid publishers frontload the cost of publishing a book so that marketability is not a consideration, and we also offload the work of creating, publishing, and marketing a book so that you can rest easy. Which brings me to my next point:
2. You don’t have the resources to go headhunting for professionals.
So, the traditional route isn’t for you. Maybe you don’t want to spend time hunting an agent, or maybe you don’t want to release creative control and legal rights to your work. Perhaps you’ve even had friends who have published books on Amazon KDP, doing all the cover design and typesetting themselves. It’s true that the independent publishing industry is thriving, and more big-name authors are getting started as BookTok indie darlings rather than through traditional routes. What does that mean for you?
For most, it means a lot of work. If you take on the task of creating your book yourself, you risk making mistakes and having your book seem less professional as a result.
Alternatively, hiring independent contractors off job boards like Upwork and Fiverr places the burden of finding the right person for the job onto you. How many artists do you know, and do you trust them to bring your vision to life? And what if you take a risk and the work returned isn’t up to quality? And, when your book is out, who will market it? Will you hire a publicist, or will you throw yourself into the often-thankless task of promoting on social media?
Hybrid publishers employ a team of professionals to craft your finished book from the ground up. Each artist, editor, and designer is vetted by their employer, and they work to coordinate you with talent that best suit your needs. No need to worry about tracking down the best person for the job—we bring them to you.
3. You’re intimidated by the prospect of marketing your book.
One of the most common things I hear from authors I work with is that they have no idea how to market a book. Marketing is hard! In the age of algorithms and “for you” feeds, it seems like there’s a sort of witchcraft to getting your book in readers’ hands. A respectable hybrid publisher should have a dedicated marketing department staffed by people trained to handle book rollout.
4. You want a team to support you through the publishing process.
The glorious thing about writing is that anyone can do it. Unlike movies or TV where you need a team to bring a creation to life, writing is usually a solo task. If one person with a vision simply sits down, buckles in, and writes, they too can be a “real writer.” But it can also be a solitary task. When a work is in progress, it can feel like no one understands what you’re going through.
Publishing is a relationship. Your publisher should care about your work just as much as you do. At Dorrance, every author’s journey begins with connecting with one of our publishing service consultants, who will learn more about your book and your reasons for publishing. Once you decide the services you want, you’re matched with one of our project managers, who will guide your book from creation to distribution and marketing. We strive to build connections with our authors, and many of us are writers ourselves.
5. You want a reputable team.
Look at their histories. Does the hybrid publisher you’re considering have a track record of publishing quality books? How long have they been in business? Dorrance has been in the hybrid publishing industry for over 100 years, and we have helped thousands of authors achieve their dreams. Our founder, Gordon Dorrance, was rejected by major publishers and decided to do things his own way. And, though things here in the office have changed over the course of a century, we maintain our same commitment to authors. We’ve been around the block, and we’re not going anywhere.
Look for real people. Many disreputable hybrid publishers make heavy use of AI, giving the illusion of good service. Do your correspondences with a hybrid publisher feel like they care about the final product, or are they just pushing you towards a sale? Do they feel artificial? At Dorrance, we have a team of publishing professionals based in the USA who work to bring your vision to life. All our artists, designers, editors, and project managers are human, and most are based at our office here in Pittsburgh. Everything we publish carries the Dorrance seal, and we care deeply about your finished book being as high-quality as possible.
Publishing a book is a journey. It can be exhausting, stressful, scary, and exciting all at once. Working with a publisher is a very important step, and one should choose their publisher carefully. At Dorrance Publishing, we aim to be your support system as you embark on this journey, holding your hand along the way from first draft to promotion, and we hope you’ll trust us with your book.
Interested in learning more about how Dorrance Publishing can help you become a published author? We’d love to hear from you! Contact us today at 1-800-695-9599 or contact@dorrancepublishing.com to discuss your book and explore your publishing options. You can also schedule a consultation here to speak directly with a member of our team.