We All Need to Be Defended Against Predatory Publishing Practices

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Photo by Wai Siew on Unsplash

Note from Jane: Today’s guest post is by Brooke Warner, founder of She Writes Press, a hybrid publisher. She has written this post in response to a recent UK-based report into hybrid and paid publishing services.

I’ve written and spoken about hybrid publishing for years now, and it’s a nuanced and complicated issue. Some of you may know I’m not a huge fan of the term “hybrid publisher,” because sometimes it’s little more than a marketing ploy by paid publishing services, meant to make authors feel good about their choice of paying to publish. (More on that here.) But there are excellent hybrid publishers who deserve to be categorized differently than your average paid publishing service. She Writes Press is one of them.

Here is my own perspective on hybrid publishing, which includes a look at the costs and earnings of two authors who’ve used She Writes Press to publish.


The barriers to getting a book published have never been lower, and the consequence of this reality—that anyone can publish a book—is that predatory bad actors come out of the woodwork, and would-be authors must be on guard.

A prerequisite to becoming an author these days is self-education about the industry. The pay-to-publish space has been on a steep growth trajectory, evermore so in the past decade. There’s been a proliferation of self-publishing, but also of other non-traditional models—which, lacking any clear identifying label, have had to define themselves. Non-traditional by design, these author-subsidized publishing models have adopted labels that include hybrid (the one that’s been mostly widely embraced by the industry), partnership, subsidy, entrepreneurial, cooperative, and others.

I’m the publisher of two hybrid imprints, She Writes Press and SparkPress, and when I first launched She Writes Press in 2012, there was no right label for what we were doing. The only other presses I knew with this kind of “in-between” publishing model, where authors paid for various aspects of production, printing, and warehousing in exchange for higher royalties, were traditional publishers who cut hybrid deals with authors (often at the authors’ request because these models can in fact be in the authors’ best interest), and Greenleaf Book Group, who didn’t call itself hybrid at the time.

It was my early authors who pushed me to call what we were doing something—anything. They wanted a label because they wanted to distinguish themselves, and to explain to the outside world that their publisher was neither traditional publishing nor self-publishing. But being neither, we were in a gray zone. Many of my authors advocated for partnership, but in the end I settled on hybrid because that’s what it felt like to me—a hybrid between traditional and self-publishing, and I first wrote about this “third way” space in a Publishers Weekly Soapbox piece in March 2014.

Since 2014, hybrid publishing has exploded, but with the model’s elevated attention and reputation, the sharks started to swarm. One of the most complicated and disappointing results of naming this third-way publishing something concrete—hybrid—was how it started to be exploited and coopted. As She Writes Press and SparkPress began seeing true results, and therefore legitimacy, in traditional spaces (reviews, awards, sales), we also started seeing all kinds of entities, most of them providing services to authors to varying degrees of professionalism, who were calling themselves hybrid publishers. In the absence of any true definition for what this middle-ground was (in fact, I myself didn’t really know what it was and wrote a definition of hybrid in the first edition of my book, Green-Light Your Book, that I wouldn’t stand behind today), the floodgates opened, and all kinds of businesses were suddenly calling themselves “publishers” even when they were not true publishing companies (which involves vetting manuscripts or being selective about what you publish) and having a marketing, distribution, and sales strategy for all books.

One early response to this coopting came from the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), who released its Hybrid Publisher Criteria in early 2018. It offers nine criteria for the industry and authors alike to use as a measurement of a hybrid publisher’s integrity. The problem is that human beings run companies, and human beings fudge the rules, and in the aftermath of making public those criteria, I talked to more than a few heads of “hybrid publishers” who said to me with all sincerity, Yes, we’re hybrid; we meet all but two of the criteria.

The failure to force well-intentioned would-be hybrids and bad actors alike to comply to true standards met a new point of resistance last week with the release of a report called Is It a Steal?: An Investigation into ‘Hybrid’/Paid-for Publishing Services, put out by The Society of Authors and The Writers Union. It was clearly initiated to draw attention to the degree to which authors are exploited by “pay-for” publishing services, but the underlying and wrong assumption the report makes is that all hybrid publishing is vanity publishing, and that no existing hybrids have standards they adhere to—which would include things like vetting, traditional distribution, and proven sales records. Nor does it acknowledge IBPA’s criteria, which has been around for more than five years. The report, instead, is an attack on the whole of hybrid publishing, without any nuance or acknowledgment from its authors that perhaps hybrid publishing needs also to be on the offensive because our label is being misused, and therefore hybrid publishing is being exploited too. It’s important to note that the Society of Authors and The Writers Union are UK-based, and as the US-based Authors Guild rightly notes in a statement it released in response to “Is It a Steal?”, “The hybrid publishing space is larger and more nuanced in the United States. There are some highly reputable hybrid publishers in the U.S.”

Had this report been framed differently, I would champion its efforts. I believe that its authors, at heart, want to protect unwitting would-be authors from being taken advantage of—which is important in the confusing landscape of offers, from every corner of the Internet, to publish writers’ works for fees that reach up into the tens of thousands. I myself got a phone call just last week from a woman who couldn’t wait to partner with me to make my book, Breaking Ground on Your Memoir, published in 2014, a bestseller. The very premise of this offer was absurd, both because of what the book is (not bestseller material) and because of how old the book is, but I wouldn’t necessarily know that if I weren’t a book publishing professional. The old truism, “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is,” unfortunately falls on deaf ears and starry eyes when it comes to capitalizing on authors’ hopes and dreams.

“Is It a Steal?” attempts to address a known problem: predatory publishing practices. There are many bad actors out there, and we do need strategies to address this problem. We need to protect and educate writers. However, “Is It a Steal?” wants to strongarm bad actors by insisting that they follow a set of “recommendations.” But the bad actors won’t give a lick about recommendations; they will not be moved by a report telling them to be transparent and to produce a viable marketing plan if that’s not what they do or intend to do.

The better—and only—way to address the problem of bad actors in the publishing space, especially those who are coopting the good name of “hybrid” for their own reputational and financial gains, is to educate would-be authors. We must equip authors with the tools they need to see past flattery and compliments, to support them to think clearly when someone tells them they’ll make them a bestseller, to empower them ask critical questions about contracts and rights and finances. 

I’m as frustrated as The Society of Authors and The Writers Union by bad actors, scammers, and unscrupulous people who overcharge and underdeliver, but attacking hybrid publishers is not the right way forward. Many of us in the hybrid space have been immersed in author advocacy for years. All of the legitimate hybrid publishers I know are hard-working stewards of the book and author champions who entered into the hybrid space because they saw a need that they could fill. In my case, I started She Writes Press specifically because the barriers to traditional publishing are so high (too high) for most authors, and because there are many authors who do not want to self-publish, and for whom distribution and sales, reviews, and a team that supports them through the publishing process is the right combination of elements they’re looking for in a publishing experience. My own efforts as a hybrid publisher have focused from Day One on leveling the playing field for authors, to give them a fighting chance against their traditionally published counterparts and to sell more books that the average self-published author can on their own without infrastructure and publisher support.

I empathize with writers and authors who are getting bombarded with oftentimes contradictory information. But my best advice to all authors is to trust your gut. Know that reputable publishers won’t make hard sales pitches. If you feel pressured or like someone is catering to your ego, walk away, or at least ask for time to think. If you’re not sure about something—anything—in a contract you might have received, send that contract to the Authors Guild to review. Again, never succumb to pressure. If the so-called publisher is pushing you, that’s a red flag. Ask for references. Interview authors who’ve published with these entities in the past. If you want to be really well-equipped, join the IBPA. Their savvy, attentive staff will always answer your questions and address your concerns. Writers and authors have a world of resources out there; it’s just a matter of figuring out who to listen to.

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Rica Keenum

I think authors need to do their own research to decide what path is right for them. I chose She Writes press because of the high standards, the community support and the focus on art rather than mass-market appeal. My book is in the right hands, and I feel good about my decision. Labeling the whole hybrid model on the basis of some imposter companies is wrong. Hybrid publishing is a valid option for many skilled authors, but not all companies vet their authors, and that can lead to misconceptions about the whole industry. Again, each author should do their own research.

Shelley Blanton-Stroud

It’s a battle with two fronts for reputable hybrids. On one side, the bad actors who tarnish the category. On the other, traditionals, who disparage anything other than legacy publishing. I applaud my publisher, Brooke Warner, not only for her excellence at professionally bringing good books into the marketplace, but for her leadership in the publishing industry, her willingness to innovate and educate.

Joyce Reynolds-Ward

A timely warning, BUT…
I have always used “hybrid” to describe writers like myself who self publish on our own, contracting independently with service providers for covers, editing, and layout AND who are also traditionally published.

The terminology is confusing! If “hybrid” is meant to describe these variations on vanity press publishing, then what do we call writers who are both self published and traditionally published?

Brooke

Sadly, you’re right. It’s the same term. “Hybrid authors” are those who publish both traditionally and nontraditionally, and “hybrid publishing” is a publishing model. We call our authors “indie” or “hybrid published”—and indie is another catch-all word. We are in the industry of words, and we indeed make the conversation complicated with our own terms. Thanks for reading.

Dario Ciriello

Brooke, that’s a very fine piece, with thoughtful, nuanced, and detailed insights on the hybrid publishing model.

I think the true problem lies in reaching those writers — usually newer, and minimally networked with more experienced peers — who are most likely to fall prey to scams. Those reading this blog, or aware of resources like Victoria Strauss’s “Writer Beware” page at SFWA, are, sadly, an enlightened minority.

In my experience, there is a very large body of new writers so desperate to publish (a compulsion that assumes the proportions of a geas) that reason and discernment goes out the window, and they become very easy prey to scammers. How does one reach this vulnerable group? In so balkanized an environment as the online writing community, or for that matter any online community, the signal to noise ratio is not in our favor.

Judy Reeves

I chose She Writes Press because of their reputation and on the recommendation of many authors I admire and feel fortunate my submission was accepted for publication. I work with many writers, and constantly talk about educating themselves about the publishing business if they want to be published. Just as we study the craft of writing, we must study the business of publishing. I am grateful to experts like Jane Friedman and Brooke Warner and many others for the generous services they provide.

Gretchen Cherington

I came to She Writes Press, the hybrid Brooke Warner leads, after 2 agents and 25 rejections from traditional and university presses over six years because they predicted the numbers my boom would likely sell was lower than they could accept. I went with SWP and quadrupled the numbers they predicted. My manuscript was extensively vetted, my cover was beautifully designed, my book was (is still) traditionally distributed and I got the incredible community of SWP authors who have educated, supported, and critiqued my work. That I invested up front in the production of my book, for higher than traditional royalties, was a sound business decision for me. I too receive inquiries from service providers frequently. Thankfully I can distinguish them from the legitimate hybrids. I also chose SWP because I’m a believer in de-stabilizing old and outdated, typically patriarchal, systems and accept the rocky road they sometimes can garner from people who don’t understand the good disrupters from the scammers. My second book will be out from SWP in April 2023 with no regrets

Iris Waichler

Thanks for this important and informative article Brooke. I strongly agree with your recommendation that authors should do their homework as you advised when they are considering who to work with when getting published. As you said they need to understand what services including distribution that “hybrid” publishers are offering. Talking to others that have worked with a given publisher is also valuable. It is flattering when people come to you making offers and saying they are interested in your work. You want to make sure of what you are getting and what their true motivation is.

Bella Mahaya Carter

Great article!

Nancy Bilyeau

I know that SheWrites publishes some fine writers. I am curious to why they charge the writers to be published when other companies do not. If the books succeed in the market, shouldn’t enough money come in to cover the costs of editing, design and distribution?

Jane Friedman

I imagine Brooke will jump in here, but at the very least I can say that traditional publishers lose money on a good number of books they publish. They offset those losses with the successful books.

Conventional wisdom in publishing says 75-80% of authors do not earn out their advance; 98% of books do not sell more than 5,000 copies.

Brooke

Thank you, Nancy (and Jane), and yes, what Jane says is correct. Most books do not earn out. I tell all my would-be authors that a successful book is one that earns out its expenses. Any profits beyond that is icing on the cake. “Success” in the marketplace also varies a bit. It’s not the case that all authors’ absolute goal to publish a book must be commercial success. Authors want to touch hearts and minds. I have published books myself that have elevated my platform and reached many readers, but they’re not making me money—to the extent that I’ve broken even basically. As a press, of course breaking even is not sustainable—and that’s why this model is expanding in the way that it is. The only reason legacy publishers can afford to sustain the pay-authors-to-publish model is because of their deep backlists, and because they’re betting on a few successes each season. It’s a complicated business, with too-low profit margins for sure. Thanks for the good question.

Sandra Chen

A reputable hybrid will publish a professionally edited and attractively designed book and some hybrids out there, including She Writes Press, do this very well. She Writes has won enough Indie awards that make this point. As Brooke points out, however, there are too many fly-by-night operations that do little more than use Amazon’s tools to format your book for KDP…and that’s it.

That said, Brooke’s article did not really address the central point of the “Is It a Steal?” report– costs and risk. By definition, hybrid publishers insulate themselves from financial risk. It’s their business model.

While authors are aware of this going in, they may fail to fully appreciate how slim their chances are at breaking even, especially when the costs of advertising and marketing are added in.

The hybrid guidelines Brooke referred to call for hybrid publishers to offer higher royalties than industry standard. How those royalties are calculated make a big difference. While many hybrids shout about their 60% or better royalty on paperback sales, these are based on “net” sales, not the “retail” price. If Amazon pays $8 for a $16.95 book, then 60% of the $8 is $4.80. Costs of printing (especially in the last year) have skyrocketed and can be $3-$4 or higher, depending on whether it is POD (print on demand) or a moderate print run of a couple of thousand. So the real payment comes to about $1-$1.25/book — not very different from a “traditional” model of 10% royalty of retail price.

Assuming you’ve paid $10,000 for a reputable hybrid plus some Facebook, Amazon and other advertising, you’d need to sell close to 10,000 copies to break even. Berrett-Kohler Publishers reported that in 2020, the average book sold only 200 copies.

These are the issues that the “Is It a Steal” article was really addressing.

Brooke

You’re right—it is the business model to insulate ourselves from not going into the negative on a given book. The issue that Is the Steal doesn’t address at all, however, is the high barriers to entry to traditional publishing—and the fact of traditional distribution allows for our authors to get much much wider distribution for our books. It’s also not the case that we’re only selling print books. the ROI to authors on ebooks is much higher than for print books, though your numbers for print are pretty close. Most of our authors make about $2+/print book. Our authors also have other ways to make money off their books, including foreign sales and audio sales, and we have a decent track record selling these rights for our authors. Breaking even is definitely a goal, but it’s true that not every author does or will. I think part of what the authors of Is the Steal take issue with is paying to publish at all—but the notion that every author is going to be paid for their writing or that every author will break even with the number of books in the marketplace is also an unreasonable stance. For me, the most important thing as a hybrid publisher is setting appropriate expectations for our authors. Thanks for this breakdown bc it’s helpful for authors to see—and we lay out earnings in our author handbook and on our website in our FAQ, both for print and for ebooks.