Traditionally, authors had one path to publication if they wanted a book deal: traditional publishing. Self-publishing crept in, at the start for those who were unable to get a traditional book deal. Self-publishing was most certainly “plan B.” As time went on, self-publishing became a legitimate publishing model, and it is, frankly, “plan A” for business owners especially, due to the control over the process that self-publishing affords.
The hybrid publishing model incorporates elements of traditional publishing and self-publishing. (Did the word hybrid give it away?) Like self-publishing, the model is author-subsidized, whereas in traditional publishing the author receives money in the form of an advance before the book is published. The tradeoff is that the hybrid model includes traditional book publishing services. Those services include editing, design (book cover interior), marketing, rights management, and distribution.
