Hybrid, Traditional or Self-Publishing: Which Is Right for a Christian Author?

Traditional publishing

A traditional publisher acquires the rights to your book, pays for editing, design, printing and distribution, and pays you an advance against royalties. In return the publisher makes the editorial and design decisions, sets the price, controls the schedule, and keeps most of the revenue. Royalties for a first time author typically fall between 8 and 15 percent of net receipts.

The larger Christian houses accept submissions almost exclusively through literary agents, and the path from proposal to bookstore commonly takes eighteen months to two years. The upside is real: bookstore placement, a marketing department, and the credibility of the imprint. The trade is time, control, and the fact that most manuscripts are declined regardless of quality because the list is small.

Self-publishing

Self-publishing puts every decision and every task in your hands. You hire an editor, a designer and a formatter, buy or obtain ISBNs, set up Amazon and IngramSpark accounts, write the metadata, and run the launch. You keep all rights and all royalties, and you can move as fast as you are able.

The cost of the professional services is the same as any other route. What self-publishing adds is project management: finding trustworthy freelancers, sequencing their work, checking files, and learning several platforms. Authors who enjoy that side of things do well here. Authors who would rather write and minister than manage vendors often do not.

Hybrid publishing

Hybrid publishing sits between the two. You invest in professional services up front, as you would in self-publishing, but a single team carries the project from manuscript assessment through launch. You keep your rights and 100 percent of your royalties. The publisher is selective about the manuscripts it takes on and puts its name behind the finished book.

This is the model Tranquility Pages uses. Our packages run from $1,350 to $3,470 USD and take eight to twenty weeks depending on the depth of editing and coaching. The first consultation is free, and the price on the services page is the price at checkout.

A side by side view

Here is how the three routes compare on the questions authors ask most.

• Who pays: traditional, the publisher; self and hybrid, the author.
• Who owns the rights: traditional, the publisher for the term of the contract; self and hybrid, the author.
• Royalties: traditional, typically 8 to 15 percent of net; self and hybrid, 100 percent of what the retailer pays out.
• Timeline: traditional, 18 to 24 months; self, as fast as you can manage; hybrid, 8 to 20 weeks from a finished manuscript.
• Editorial control: traditional, the publisher decides; self, you decide alone; hybrid, you decide with professional guidance.
• Project management: traditional and hybrid, the publisher; self, you.

Questions that settle the choice

Ask yourself three things. First, is your primary goal bookstore reach or reaching the people your ministry already touches? Second, do you want to manage vendors, or do you want a team? Third, how important is it to hold the book within the next year?

If bookstore reach through a major imprint is the goal and you can wait two years, pursue an agent. If you enjoy running projects and want to learn the platforms, self-publish. If you want professional quality, your own rights and royalties, and a team that carries the process while you keep writing and serving, hybrid is built for you.