I'm honestly surprised to see a big hitter like Jane Friedman using the term "hybrid" to mean vanity publishing.
To authors, "hybrid" means self-publishing some titles and corporate publishing others, or otherwise leasing some rights to publishing houses while managing others yourself. It does not in any way, shape, or form resemble vanity publishing, nor should we conflate the two.
In fact, allowing vanity publishers to get away with using a legitimizing word like "hybrid" to describe themselves creates very big problems for everyone. So let's just stop doing that.
I really appreciate this; I am halfway through devouring Jane's book and it is such a wealth of information and somewhat life/ career changing. Congratulations on getting an interview with her. Well done.
Great interview, Kenneth; I'm looking forward to part two. When I began my publishing career in earnest, (in 2014), I came across The Business of Being a Writer (1st edition) and it has been a guiding light in helping me determine my authorial direction. One thing she has consistently promoted for novelists (like me) is the importance of learning to play the long game. To this end, I created a plan in 2018 and year-on-year I watch it moving in the direction of my goals. If I'm going to make a tweak, it's usually because of something she's discussed in her newsletter that makes sense. In a world where everyone has a public megaphone, it's calming to know that there's someone you can trust to NOT be running a private agenda.
What an interesting article .As bookseller on the front lines we are continually bombarded with self published titles .It is hard to deal with these people who believe we should give them shelf space just because .The explosion of books in print is staggering !Making choices for our limited shelf space is a team effort .
I'm honestly surprised to see a big hitter like Jane Friedman using the term "hybrid" to mean vanity publishing.
To authors, "hybrid" means self-publishing some titles and corporate publishing others, or otherwise leasing some rights to publishing houses while managing others yourself. It does not in any way, shape, or form resemble vanity publishing, nor should we conflate the two.
In fact, allowing vanity publishers to get away with using a legitimizing word like "hybrid" to describe themselves creates very big problems for everyone. So let's just stop doing that.
I really appreciate this; I am halfway through devouring Jane's book and it is such a wealth of information and somewhat life/ career changing. Congratulations on getting an interview with her. Well done.
I read her newsletter but cannot afford her more technical comments on publishing.
Great interview, Kenneth; I'm looking forward to part two. When I began my publishing career in earnest, (in 2014), I came across The Business of Being a Writer (1st edition) and it has been a guiding light in helping me determine my authorial direction. One thing she has consistently promoted for novelists (like me) is the importance of learning to play the long game. To this end, I created a plan in 2018 and year-on-year I watch it moving in the direction of my goals. If I'm going to make a tweak, it's usually because of something she's discussed in her newsletter that makes sense. In a world where everyone has a public megaphone, it's calming to know that there's someone you can trust to NOT be running a private agenda.
What an interesting article .As bookseller on the front lines we are continually bombarded with self published titles .It is hard to deal with these people who believe we should give them shelf space just because .The explosion of books in print is staggering !Making choices for our limited shelf space is a team effort .
I don't think I'd want my book to be placed with a bookseller who can't bother to properly punctuate or proofread a comment.