Let’s pause and add up some numbers to demonstrate why it can be FAR less expensive to write a check to a hybrid house than to receive an advance from a traditional house.

I want to spell out the unexpected costs of going traditional, first in time, then when you’d likely need to hire, in dollars. These, of course, are estimates. To paint a clearer picture, I’ve left out some promotion options, of which plenty exist. And I’ll presume an advance of $100k, to keep the math simple.

Money, money, money. Time, time, time. These are one and the same for established business owners who have come to recognize time as a premium and outsource accordingly. But I’ll pull them apart.

TIME

The goal, unless I’m confused, is to get your book to market so your readers can buy it. So they can be transformed, and your business can profit.

Bottom line: Going with a traditional publisher will add two or so years to your timeline—13 months devoted to the proposal process. Add another year or two if you write the proposal without professional help.  

That same book manuscript, however, would take roughly 4 months to produce and get to market because that upfront process is not applicable. A hybrid house doesn’t have to analyze the financial risk because the author elects to take that on.

MONEY

When you add up the hidden costs of traditional publishing, you’ll see just how easy it is to go broke. I’ll pull off the publicist and big store placement to be conservative. And I’m going to assume that you sell 6000 books or have a clause that allows you to keep the whole advance, even if you fail to make your numbers. I’ll also assume you typically sell $100k in services during 6 months.

At best, you walk away with zero. The advance covers your lost income for the preorder period.

More likely, you’re in the hole for $68k because you’ve got pros to pay.

You’re left praying that the book takes off and that all the risk you took was worth it in the end, and sometimes that risk pays off.

With a hybrid house, you can access the same professionals, get your book on the end cap of Barnes and Nobel, and market your book in a way that makes sense for your business model. But you owe no one your allegiance. You can readjust your book marketing focus based on the needs of your business and hire additional marketing and promotion services when you can. Your business takes precedence because it needs to. The hybrid house can support you because its downside has been covered.

You retain the IP and the associated rights that go with it. I’m not sure I’m properly communicating just how important this is.

Understand the publishing business. Ask better questions. Accept that time equals money. That outsourcing is often the way to go. And that bringing your book to life requires you to bet on yourself.

If you’d like to better understand the traditional publishing industry, rife with pitfalls, check out our free resource, 12 Horrific Things About the Publishing Industry You Need to Know to Safeguard Your Wallet.