Indie by Choice
In honor of the Fourth, I’m celebrating the independence of hybrid publishing—and why I decided it was the best fit for my debut novel
This one’s for the aspiring authors who voted in my recent survey and said they wanted to hear more about my publishing journey. Specifically, I offered to share why I chose a reputable hybrid publisher with traditional distribution for my debut novel.
Most of you have been along for the ride and know my story. But in short: I’ve wanted to make a living from writing books for almost two decades. That’s been the dream. I moved cross-country for it. I got an MFA (and the student loans to prove it). I interned in publishing, landed a copywriting job, built a career.
And I’m so happy to say that 2025 IS THE YEAR I got to hold a real book I wrote in my hands for the very first time.
My novel comes out October 7.
To say it’s been a whirlwind is an understatement. There have been so many highs and lows—and I’ll definitely share more on the emotional journey in future posts—but today I want to talk about the two main reasons I chose hybrid publishing for my first novel.
Why I Chose a Hybrid Publisher
Let’s start with the personal.
I first met Brooke Warner, the publisher behind She Writes and SparkPress, at a Pitch Fest event I’d organized for the English Department at Mills in 2012 when I was a grad student. She’d just left traditional publishing to start something new—a press that enabled women to green light themselves and their stories, while still offering the editorial, design, and distribution benefits of traditional publishing. I’d go on to intern for She Writes and to receive invaluable coaching support from Brooke to help me finish the novel I’d started in grad school.
Over a decade later, She Writes Press has become one of the most respected hybrid publishers out there. The company and their books have won countless awards, earned traditional distribution through Simon & Schuster, and are now part of The Stable Book Group, where Brooke serves as Publisher and COO.
In 2023, when I submitted my manuscript to SparkPress and was offered a contract, I knew I could trust Brooke and her team with my book. That relationship mattered—but it was only one part of the decision.
Important Note: Not All Hybrids Are Created Equal
First, let’s clear something up: a true hybrid publisher is not a vanity press.
A hybrid press:
Vets submissions
Provides editorial and design support
Has traditional distribution
Offers high royalties
Charges transparent, upfront fees
A vanity press will often do none of the above—and usually reaches out to you, not the other way around. That’s a red flag.
This guide from Publish Your Purpose offers a thorough breakdown of how to spot a vanity from a true hybrid press.
It’s SO important to do your research before signing any contract. I needed to make this important PSA before moving on.
Here’s the biggest reason I chose to publish with a Hybrid Press:
The ROI of Time vs. Money
By the time I submitted to SparkPress, I’d been working on my novel for 18 months and had sent my first batch of agent queries. Querying is a slow, silent process. Most agents only respond if they’re interested—and that response can take three months (or never come at all). After I did my research, I learned the best strategy is to submit to 10 agents at a time and wait the standard 90 days before sending to more.
Even in the best-case scenario, if I’d landed an agent within a year, they would then need to sell the book to a publisher—a process that could take another 6–12 months. After that, traditional publishers usually take 18 months to release a book.
That adds up to three years after finishing the manuscript—minimum.
That means it often takes around five years from start to bookstore shelves for a debut novelist. (And that’s for the lucky ones who get an agent and a book deal.)
By going hybrid, I was able to cut that time in half, with full professional support and distribution.
The Cost of Waiting
Let’s talk numbers.
On the surface, it seems obvious: In traditional publishing, you get paid for your book, whereas, with hybrid and self publishing, you’re paying for your book to be published.
But, if time is money (and as a longtime freelance writer who charges by the hour, for me, it is) the cost of waiting (and submitting) an additional two years (with no guarantees of the end result I wanted) was too high.
Let’s say you make about $50 an hour as a freelancer. If you have to pull back 10 hours a week to focus on submissions, building your platform, etc., that’s ~$2,000/month in lost income. Over a year? $24,000. Factoring in a $10K advance, you’ve still lost $14K in income.
Even if you don’t pull back on hours at your day job, and eventually get that $10K advance, you’ve had to sacrifice time away from friends and family, or from writing your next book, to work on those submissions (which has a financial cost as well).
(Read my previous post if you want a more detailed breakdown of the way traditional advances work and why the hourly rate for a typical advance winds up being around $5 an hour for most debut authors.)
Yes, there are upfront costs with a hybrid press. But if you think about time as money, the equation isn’t always so black and white.
Independence is Priceless
Here’s the honest truth: I’m impatient. I hate waiting on gatekeepers to tell me yes. And I take rejection to heart. I made this book. I poured years into it. The idea of surrendering all creative control—and the rights to my work—just didn’t sit well with me. Nor did handling silent rejection for an unknown amount of time. That leaves me dejected and spiraling in self doubt. Not the best recipe for success.
Hybrid publishing gave me the freedom to make this book real, while helping to up-level it far beyond what I could’ve done on my own. It turns out that independence from gatekeepers and red tape mattered more to me than I even realized. Because at the end of the day, it’s my dream. And I want to bring it to life on my terms.
What’s Right for You?
Ultimately, I think picking the right publishing path is about knowing yourself.
There’s no right or wrong way to go—it’s a personal choice—and exploring each of the pros and cons of each path could take many more posts (which I’m happy to do if that’s something you want to read more about. If so, please tell me in the comments!)
Your Turn
If you're published, did you choose traditional, hybrid, self (or maybe you’ve tried all three)? If you're hoping to publish, where are you in the process? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Whatever path you choose, getting your work out into the world is a brave, creative act worth celebrating. And know I’ll be here, cheering you on.
