In addition to standard publishing, Addicus Books will consider select books for its hybrid publishing program. At Addicus Books, we adopt the hybrid publishing criteria, adopted by the Independent Books Publishers Association (IBPA).
What is hybrid publishing? Hybrid publishers behave just like traditional publishers in all respects, except when it comes to the business model. Hybrid publishers use an author-subsidized business model, as opposed to financing all costs themselves, and in exchange return a higher-than-industry-standard share of sales proceeds to the author. In other words, a hybrid publisher makes income from a combination of publishing services and book sales.
Although hybrid publishing companies are author-subsidized, they are different from other author-subsidized models in that hybrid publishers adhere to professional publishing standards. Regardless of who pays for editorial, design, and production fees, it is always the publisher that bears responsibility for producing, distributing, and ultimately selling professional-quality books.
IBPA’s Hybrid Publisher Criteria includes the following list of expectations, which all hybrid publishers are expected to meet:
- Submissions are vetted
- Publisher publishes books under its own imprint(s) and ISBNs
- Books are published to industry standards
- Strong focus is placed on editorial, design, and production quality.
- Publisher pursues and manages a range of publishing rights.
- Publisher provides distribution services
- Publisher strives for respectable sales
- Authors receive a higher-than-standard royalty or a quantity of free books
IBPA’s hybrid publisher criteria points to functions that a reputable hybrid publisher is expected to perform. It’s up to each hybrid publisher to figure out, and explain, how it performs each function. An author-subsidized business model in no way relieves a publisher of its editorial, design, marketing, sales, and distribution responsibilities.
Contact: Rod Colvin at info@addicusbooks.com
