Hybrid Author Self-Help
I started writing romance books in 2015. Back then, I fully committed myself to being a self-published author. There was too much confusion in traditional publishing, too much asking for a follower count before they even saw your manuscript, and that was just for local publishers. At the time, self publishing was an only option. It felt like a last option. But I’ve outgrown that. For sure. I love being a self-published author, and I always find myself back there. Trad pub is great, but have you ever seen your own book through start to finish? Worked with people you greatly admire? Know you have readers! Experienced selling copies of your book yourself? It’s such a rush.
Don’t fuck your passion, guys. Love it. Let it grow. Just like your pettiness. :D
There’s a whole bunch of information out there, so I encourage you to go out and find it. What I can share here is what I have experienced, and what I found that works for me. I like to say that mileage varies, and after meeting and knowing so many authors who do similar things, we do the same things in different ways. Find what works for you!
What’s a hybrid author?
It’s me, hi! Haha. Hybrid author is the industry term for an author who does both self-publishing and traditional publishing. It’s hard to go into the differences between the two, but I like to summarize as—self-publishing = smaller but more faithful readership, full control from cover to marketing, traditional publishing = new readers but no control beyond the book contents. I guess you can kind of see what I prioritize as an author that way, but this works well for me!
What do you mean by “self publishing”?
In the most Earth sign terms, self publishing means you get to be the author, designer and the publisher of your book. You are paid royalties and sales directly, but are in charge of every aspect of making sure the book you’re writing gets to your readers. You hire the editors (that you like and trust!), proofreaders and post the book on different platforms, pay to print (in my case) and find places to sell the print books. You own the rights to your book in both print and digital. There is no need to have your book offset print. There is no need to put yourself under contract of a “publishing house” that can’t offer anything you can’t hire out yourself.
Mina V. Esguerra (from whom I learned to self publish in 2015, in a Coffee Bean LOL) has a lot of great resources on her blog. She gives really great lectures, too.
If you want to look at the exact costs of publishing a book, Tara Frejas’ post is excellent. Can’t recommend it enough. Mileage of course varies. I personally pay more for artist work, but save a lot because I design my own covers. There is math you can do to determine where you can earn it back, but…I didn’t go to school for math heh (fine TECHNICALLY I did but noooo)
I have had my self published books sold in big bookstores in the Philippines, but there are reasons why it’s not worth it to me (cost, mainly).
I like to think of self publishing as an author showing what they know. A good self published book is the result of a person studying their readership, meeting editors and artists that they love the work of, their own personal preferences and skills to create a good product. You work with people who you think are good, because they’ve worked with people you think are good! May track record sila!
A photo of my first two books—Cities and Marry Me, Charlotte B! from 2015!
Are your books “legit”?
Girl, they are books. They have been beta read by readers, edited by professionals who have been working with me for years. They are available to buy, and read. I don’t think there’s more to “legitimacy” than that.
What do you mean by “traditional publishing”?
To me, a traditional publisher is company that contracts you to sell them the rights to your book. You usually get paid with an advance, and then with royalties. The publisher is then in charge of getting the book to print—editing, hiring a cover artist, making a title, getting your book into the hands of readers. In a perfect world, you don’t have to do the marketing, but well…this isn’t a perfect world by any means, and you still have to do a lot of the talking up yourself.
You do not have to pay to get your book published. You do not have to pay to get print copies, and actually don’t need to! If the traditional publisher has the reach, you can direct readers to a bookstore. You also might get a bunch of author copies (boxes and boxes, per edition, in my case!) for free.
I have an international publisher, an audiobook publisher (also international) but have also experienced being published locally. Mina V. Esguerra talks more extensively (and better) about local traditional publishing and what they can/don’t offer, but there is a reason why I prefer to give my books to Harlequin. :)
When you sign on with a trad pub, are there expectations for a second or third book?
Thank you for this question! In my experience, there’s sometimes a clause for an “option” for your next book. This basically means that the trad publisher has first dibs on whatever you decide to write next. For Manila Takes Manhattan, Harlequin/Harper Collins’ Afterglow imprint has the option to see my next book, and a few months before MTM was published, they asked “hey do you have a synopsis of the next thing?” Cue panic.
How to choose a publisher?
If you have choices, go with the publisher whose books you’ve enjoyed. Look at who they’re working with, do you like working with them? What do they prioritize? ISBN isn’t that important. Author registration isn’t either (what is it FOR guys). Selling at Fully Booked is not cost effective at all. So what matters to them?
What do you have to do when it’s a trad pub book vs a self pubbed book?
Thank you audience, for that wonderful question! Because I write for an international trad pub, I am every aware that I have to explain a lot of the Pinoy things to them. Where Tagaytay is (what Tagaytay is, really). Why it is when I say traffic, I mean TRAFFIC. My editors on this side are usually white, and so I sort of had to learn to write in a way that they can still get what I’m trying to say without compromising the Pinoyness of the story. But the fun thing in trad pub is when you get to slip in references that are just for Filipino readers. The book I recently worked on is a Got 2 Believe retelling, which will only make sense to Pinoys who have seen the movie, but my editors seem to like it, too!
In self publishing, I don’t have to explain any of that, I just do. HAHAHA. It’s the difference (maybe) of writing to an audience that I know has never read my books before, and an audience who gets it when I say that “there was a half naked man rising from the ocean,” is iconic. IYKYK.
What makes you more money?
Short answer? No idea. I make money, yes, but which is more? Dunno. I’m not as diligent as some authors in doing the math, especially with the self published books. I know how much I’m putting out, I know that I make money on every sale, but exactly what? No idea. What I do get (because I sell my books on Amazon, Draft2Digital, Komiket and Magdamag Market Cafe) are sales reports, every month. I know which books sell, and how many. I know how much I earn from it a month. I just haven’t had the energy to sit down and do the math of how much each book has made.
Traditional publishing is more difficult. I’ve had contracts with 0 advances, contracts with advances that are considered small in the industry. Sales reports are at least three months later, but I would say (prior to seeing any sales report from Manila Takes Manhattan), value wise, they sell more, because they’re more expensive. I get a smaller share of the sales, but it’s still a good amount. But access to that isn’t easy, and I have had experiences where I don’t get a sales report until year end, or until surprise! Funds were deposited. It’s not as consistent, for sure.
Does your family/relatives/friends read your books?
I have a few cousins who have mentioned it (thank you cousins!) and a couple of titas who have bought books. A few security guard staff are aware I am an author (and mentioned that they read my book?). My best friend who moved to Toronto was the first person who went to a bookstore and bought a copy of Manila Takes Manhattan. I love them all and am grateful. But the rule I imposed on family is THANK YOU BUT DON’T TELL ME. Haha. I don’t want to pressure them, and I shouldn’t have to! I can reach readers outside my immediate circles. Relationships are hard enough without putting your career in between them.
How can I become a better writer?
Read. Read everything. Fanfic, non-fic, books outside your genre, books in your genre. The beauty of being an author is that you choose your own adventure. Don’t pigeonhole yourself or your passion! See what makes you tick. I guarantee it helps. The best authors (my favorite authors, at least) are all avid readers. They know what books are popular, who’s reading what. Who they like. It’s all a matter of taste.
Anyway, that’s all the questions I have for now. If you have more, list them down in the comments! At the very least, I have been at this for almost ten years, have readers all over the world, and have definitely sold more than a hundred copies of a book by myself. That’s more of a leg up than most people on Facebook. :)