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| Zebroid - Cross between a zebra and a horse. |
Within our wild and crazy world we have hybrid animals, hybrid vehicles, hybrid flowers, and on and on. I guess we shouldn't be surprised as writers that now there are hybrid authors! (Photo credit: the Public Domain.)
The old adage, "the only thing that is constant is change," seems to now apply to the different ways an author can publish her book(s). If you publish a book independently, and it later is traditionally published, that process is known as "hybrid publishing." However, if you publish a book traditionally, and then later publish another book independently (or vise versa), you're known as a "hybrid author."
The reason this subject is of interest to me is that my soon to be released children's book, The Scandinavian Santa, is being published by a small press with my collaboration. However, I've also written another story called, The Tale of Willaby Creek; plus I'm working on a proposed middle grade fantasy series. While these stories are all near and dear to me, they are quite different when viewed against the current literary landscape. There might be a different path to publication needed for each story I write; so I might well fall under the category of "hybrid author" someday.
As the book publishing industry continues to evolve, we as writers need to evolve as well. That includes the way we approach bringing our books to life. While it is enticing to dream of being traditionally published, watching years go by while a quality manuscript sits in a dusty desk drawer makes no sense at all. As writers of stories geared toward the generation of tomorrow, we owe it to our youth to place our literary works within their grasp - in whatever possible format available.
What are your thoughts on the changing book publishing industry?
