Self-publishing vs hybrid publishing your non-fiction book

If you’re writing a non-fiction book to promote your business and considering your options for getting it published, you’ve probably thought about self-publishing. But have you heard of hybrid publishing? In this blog post, I explain how hybrid publishing works, and how it stacks up against self-publishing.

Comparing self-publishing and hybrid publishing

Self-publishing and hybrid publishing are similar in some ways and both have their advantages, but there are key distinctions which will make a big difference to your experience as an author. Let’s take a look.

Costs of self-publishing vs hybrid publishing

If you self-publish a book, you’ll be wholly responsible for the up-front costs (not to mention the admin) of turning your book from a draft into a finished product: editing, proofreading, typesetting, design, printing, and so on. Of course, there are ways to minimise these costs, but unless you have all these skills yourself, having professional input is essential to achieve a quality book that people actually want to read.

With hybrid publishing, the publisher will handle all of the above for you. You’ll have to pay them a fee, but all professional hybrid publishers will tell you exactly what the cost of your publishing package is before starting work and usually allow you to pay in reasonable instalments. Your costs are therefore more predictable and manageable than you might pay if you opt for DIY self-publishing.

What’s more, you’ll net much higher royalties than you’d get from a traditional publisher. For example, at Rethink Press we pay authors a royalty of 60% of net income on retail sales.

The creative process of self-publishing vs hybrid publishing

One of the key benefits of self-publishing, as opposed to working with a traditional publisher, is that your book is your own: no publisher can tell you what they want in it, how it should look, where it should be positioned and how much you should charge for it. That gives you a lot of freedom, but it also gives you a lot of decisions to make, which can be intimidating – particularly if it’s your first book.

With hybrid publishing, you retain that creative control but the publisher will use the benefit of their years of experience to work with you on content, design and positioning – not to change your book to suit them, but to help you publish a book that transforms your business.

Marketing and distribution of self-published vs hybrid-published books

You’re unlikely to be able to get your book into mainstream bookshops as a self-published author, so the number of books you sell is 100% down to your own marketing and promotion efforts. You’ll be your book’s social media manager, PR agent, and spokesperson: it’s a lot of work!

A hybrid publisher may be able to list your book with the wholesalers from whom physical bookstores order stock. Some hybrid publishers offer PR and marketing support too, although this may come at an additional cost. Publishing a book is always going to involve a lot of marketing and promotion work for the author, but with hybrid publishing, you’ll have some support from experienced professionals.

Credibility of self-publishing vs hybrid publishing

In the past there’s been a stigma about self-published books: they were seen as of a lower standard than books published via the traditional route. This is gradually disappearing as self-publishing becomes much more common and better quality, but many self-published books still look amateurish and have mistakes that a professional publisher wouldn’t allow. This means your book doesn’t represent the experienced professionalism of you and your business. This is one reason why it’s particularly important to ensure your self-published book appears professional and polished, inside and out.

With hybrid publishing, you’re working with a real, established publisher, which automatically confers more professionalism and credibility to your book.

Timeframe of self-publishing vs hybrid publishing

As a self-published author you work to your own timescales, not a publisher’s or agent’s. Getting your book planned, written, and published can take as much or as little time as you choose.

That has its advantages and disadvantages. You might enjoy the freedom of working to your own schedule, but with so many different tasks to complete before your book hits the shelves, doing it all yourself can take a dispiritingly long time!

Hybrid publishing brings the expertise of publishing professionals without the slow-moving processes of large, traditional publishers, so your journey to publication happens more quickly than you might have thought possible.

Successful self-published non-fiction authors

Self-publishing is highly effective for fiction authors, but many non-fiction authors have also made self-publishing work for their businesses.

The entrepreneur, blogger, and podcaster James Altucher self-published ‘Choose Yourself ’ in 2013 with success. This was in no small part due to his already strong online presence and email list, and his previous achievements as an author and thought leader in his industry. If you already have a large audience in your niche, you may be able to leverage this to achieve big success through self-publishing.

Successful non-fiction authors who used hybrid publishing

Entrepreneur Daniel Priestley wrote his first book, ‘Key Person of Influence’ and published it with Rethink Press. The book, a look at how certain people become go-to people in their industry, resulted in him being featured in the media, given lucrative speaking opportunities around the world, and invited to write more books.

With the right hybrid publisher, both Daniel’s personal brand and business grew, as his book underpins his niche expertise and boosted his profile while focusing on the core business offers. That’s how you write a book that transforms a business!

How to choose between self-publishing and hybrid publishing

• Identify your goals and priorities. What are you hoping to get out of writing a book? Is it more important to you to have complete creative control, or to benefit from the credibility of an established publisher? What are your revenue goals?
• Assess your budget for initial investments. Is it feasible for you to pay the upfront costs of hiring editors, designers, typesetters and so on, or would paying a hybrid publisher’s fixed costs over a number of instalments make more sense for you?
• Consider your marketing and sales expertise. If this was any other product, would you be comfortable being 100% responsible for the sales and marketing, or would you hire some outside expertise?
• Research the reputation and legitimacy of hybrid publishers. Watch out: there are ‘self-publishing’ companies out there who take money from first-time authors and deliver poor services in return, often up-selling additional services which offer low or no value. Do your research into any hybrid publishing company before you sign or pay anything! Rethink Press , Book Magic’s partner publishing company, have helped literally thousands of authors publish their non-fiction books using the hybrid publishing model.

Become an author faster with Book Magic

Book Magic’s revolutionary software uses AI to guide authors through each essential step of planning and writing a book: everything from how to stop writer's block to choosing a cover design.

Whichever publishing option you choose to share your knowledge and insights with the world, you’ll find your journey from idea to publication much easier, faster and more effective with Book Magic. Sign up here to try it for free .