Writing on Wednesday: Hybrid Publishing—A New Alternative for Indie Authors

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Yesterday I read this column in Publishers Weekly by Nashville author, Paige Crutcher: “My Self-Publishing Journey: On Becoming an Indie Author.” I had met Paige a few years ago at a Christmas party for writers in Nashville. If I remember correctly, she had just gotten an agent for her novel, and I was both excited for her and a bit jealous. But traditional publishing didn’t work out for Paige.

Unfortunately Paige’s story is similar to many talented writers looking for a way to reach their readers in today’s stormy publishing world. Follow Paige’s columns to learn more:

I am still determining what it means to be an indie businesswoman, and talking with authors who have accomplished what I’m setting out to do. My hope is that by sharing each step I take—the mistakes, the victories, the tomfoolery, and shenanigans—it will illuminate what works and doesn’t. It will serve others seeking to travel this path and be a reminder that if I can do it, anyone can.

hybrid-bookOn a similar note, my friend Neil White (award-winning author of In the Sanctuary of Outcasts) just started a new arm of his company, Nautilus Publishing, in Oxford, Mississippi. Triton Press is a “hybrid”—a fourth option for writers seeking publication:

  1. The Big 5
  2. University, Small and Regional
  3. Self publishing
  4. Hybrid

This article in Forbes in January, “How Hybrid Publishers Innovate to Succeed,” calls hybrid “the Silicon Valley answer to publishing.”

I’m still hoping to work with an agent and be fortunate enough to land with the Big 5 or a small press one day, but it’s always good to have options in this ever-changing world. If you think hybrid publishing might be a good fit for you, call Triton Press at (662) 513-0159.