Apr 53 min read

Publishing 100: The Publishing Models

There are four publishing methods in today's writing world. We delve into each.

Title Card on Publishing 100 -- Publishing Models

I'm doing something different for the Write Decisions’ April 2024 articles. Instead of delving into my psyche, I’m doing a series on publishing your book. You have social media to thank for this.

At least once every few days someone asks about the different publishing types. Rather than answering each individually, which would cause my hands to fall off, I felt it better to put everything in a comprehensive set of articles. In doing so, you can frequently return to this material. Not only does it become a valuable source of knowledge, but it also increases the amount of website hits.

What can I say? Sometimes I'm a vain creature in need of immediate acceptance.

The first article is a top-floor view of publishing models. Tune in the rest of the month for additional details like costs, solicitations, and what tree they would be.

Your Publishing Models of 2024

As of this writing, there are four publishing models writers turn to:

Traditional
Independent
Hybrid
Vanity

The first and last have been around for hundreds of years. On the other hand, the second and third models are new-ish entries begat from the internet’s growth.

There are other ways for writers to get their stories to the public. For example, posting entries on their blog, creating a Substack campaign, or developing a serial for Kindle Vella. However, they aren't for book distribution, although what's written could be placed into books.

Traditional

Traditional publishers are the oldest form of book printers and distributors. Before KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), they were the go-to companies to get a book edited, released, and marketed. Think Cambridge University Press, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, and dozens of small- to mid-sized houses.

Originally, traditional publishers accepted manuscripts through agent queries. Today, some of these organizations review books sent directly by the author. More about solicited vs. solicited queries in the next article.

Generally, once your manuscript is accepted, traditional publishers handle the legwork. They hire an editor and cover designer, develop a marketing plan, and handle bookstore distribution. In turn, authors receive sales royalties.

Again, this is a basic description. We'll delve into the intricacies of advances and royalties in the next article.

Independent

Also called self-publishing or print-on-demand (POD), the independent publishing model gives you greater creative control of your book. You choose the editor, cover designer, and marketing team. Many writers on a budget handle one or all of these tasks by themselves.

Although the independent publishing market has grown, KDP, Draft2Digital, and IngramSpark are still the major players. Together, they help an author create print and eBooks to distribute through online and physical stores. For each sale, the author receives a royalty. Normally, this is greater than what they'd receive through a traditional publisher.

More on independent publishing in a future article.

Hybrid

The hybrid publishing model is a new concept combining traditional and independent methods. Here, the publisher and the author share the costs of editing, marketing, and distributing the book. As a result, the hybrid company receives revenue from both royalties and the fees it charges for services.

A legitimate hybrid publisher tends to vet a manuscript to see if it fits their brand. Further, it allows the author to retain manuscript rights or gives them a simple way to get them back. Since the introduction of POD services, some traditional publishers have either shifted to a hybrid model or offer it as an option.

Vanity

The vanity publishing model is not for wide book distribution. Truth be told, it shouldn't be considered for publishing at all.

Where the hybrid model shares costs with the author, many vanity presses want you to pay 100% of the fees. Additionally, they use deceptive promotions to lure writers in and take all of their rights. Once they've taken the money, you may never hear from them again.

In other words, be extremely careful when considering a vanity press.