Not all authors choose one side or the other, you know. Some keep one foot firmly planted in the old, established world of traditional publishing, and the other foot floating on the cloud of digital age technology and ebook publishing. Some authors are not just one thing, but two. These are the hybrid authors, and they are suddenly everywhere.
Classic By Day, Modern By Night
Hybrid authors are the "in" thing right now in the literary world. These are authors who digitally self-publish ebooks, but still traditionally publish paper books. Some authors do this by keeping entire pen names separate. Others may write certain books intended for self-publishing. And still others hang on tenaciously to the digital rights for all their books, selling off the rights piecemeal to traditional publishers while holding onto the rest. No matter what type, hybrid authors are out there. Should you be one of them?
Being a hybrid author means wearing a ton of different hats. You still have to answer to a publishing company, but you also have to work on your self-publishing image and fan base. You're creating a ton of work for yourself, more than you'd have if you stuck to one path. So why do it?
The numbers show that hybrid authors may have the right idea despite the work load. According to Digital Book World, hybrids make 15 to 20 percent more than traditionally published authors. They also earn more than authors who stick to just self-publishing. Hybrid authors earn a medium income of $15,000 to $20,000, compared to self-published authors who are closer to $5,000.
It's more work to do, but being a hybrid author increases your potential visibility. You'll be opening yourself up to multiple markets, which can only help you to sell more books. Hybrid authors are the hot new thing for a good reason: it's working. And if you're wondering if you should consider it, too, the answer is yes. Anything that can increase your readership and your revenue is definitely worth exploring, so get to it.
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