Why Hybrid Publishing?
Hybrid publishing is exactly what it sounds like. It is a hybrid between traditional and self-publishing. For all intents and purposes, hybrid publishing is, at its core, self-publishing.
You retain your creative rights and you have the final say in the publishing process, just as a self-published author would.
The only difference is that you’re working with a team of experts at Lewis Publications dedicated to helping you put forth the best product possible. By the time we finish helping you publish your book, you will have a professional product that readers cannot wait to devour.
At Lewis Publications, we know hybrid publishing is not for all authors. Some authors would do better going the traditional route while others may seek to learn all the technicalities involved with self-publishing.
So, before we go any further, we have created a little questionnaire for you to determine whether you’re a prime candidate for hybrid publishing.
Our Process
Publishing doesn’t have to be overwhelming or stressful. At Lewis Publications, our team will take your rough draft and turn it into a high quality book you can be proud of. Below is a walkthrough of our entire publishing process. Although the timeframes for publishing vary from project to project, we will have each book published within one year of acquiring the manuscript.
"I love working with Lewis Publications. The owner is detail-oriented and enthusiastic about what she does. She’s open to suggestions as well. It’s so great to work with someone who really cares about authors and indie publishing."
Suzanna J. Linton, author
Publishing Steps
Step One:
Submissions
During the submissions stage, editors will go through the manuscript to determine if it meets our submission guidelines. We respond to every submission within three weeks.
Step Two: Offer for Publication
If your manuscript meets our submission guidelines, you will receive an email with an offer for publication within three weeks. This email will include a breakdown of the services we offer as well as the cost.
Step Three:
Contract
After the invoice is reviewed and you are ready to move forward you will be given a contract to review and sign. Payment for publishing services is due when the contract is signed.
Step Six:
Marketing Plan
While our formatting department is working on your manuscript, our marketing department will work on creating a customized marketing plan. This will be emailed to the author for review. After we get the author’s input, the marketing plan is finalized and the release date is set.
Step Five:
Formatting
Once the edits and revisions are complete, we move on to formatting the book and making sure it is ready for upload.
Step Four:
Editing
After the contract is signed, and payment is received, our editors will begin editing your manuscript. We do both developmental and copyediting over the following 8 weeks. All suggested changes will be shown to the author. After the author gives their input, the final changes will be made.
Step Seven:
Cover Design
After the marketing plan is finalized, our graphic artists will begin cover design. The author will be asked to give as much information and be as specific as possible when they are asked for their opinions and ideas regarding cover design. Our cover design process includes up to three minor revisions. However, if an author changes their mind and asks the graphic artist to start over with a new design, there will be an additional fee.
Step Eight:
Pre-publication marketing
At Lewis Publications, we take our marketing seriously and we believe it is our marketing and public relations that sets us apart from other hybrid publishers. We always recommend starting with marketing and public relations several months prior to the release, but this decision is ultimately left up to the author.
Step Nine:
Ebook and paperback release
Congrats! The ebook and paperback editions of your book are out there in the world!
Step Twelve:
Audiobook creation
Audiobook creation begins 2-3 months after the release of the paperback and ebook.
Step Eleven:
Post-publication Marketing
After the release of the book, our dedicated staff will continue to do marketing and public relations for the duration of the author’s contract. An author is under contract with Lewis Publication for two years after the release date. At that time the author will have the choice to renew their contract for another two years.
"I hired Lewis Publications to do line and concept edits on my latest novel. Their work far exceeded my expectations. The editor was thorough, precise, and provided valuable insight into my work.
I can't say enough nice things about Lewis Publications!"
Lawrence Parlier
Author of The Frontman and the forthcoming novel, Voided.
Our Prices
We customize each contract to reflect the amount of work required to publish and account for variables, such as an author wanting to keep a previous cover designer or formatted. It's also based on whether the author wants to contract for one book or three.
Our prices range from $700 to $2,000 based on previous offers given to interested authors. If you would like a quote for your book, check out the Submissions page for more information.
The 10 Burning F.A.Q.s
Are You Interested in Keeping Your Creative Rights?
If you answered yes, you may be a prime candidate for hybrid publishing. If you answered no, then you are probably better suited for traditional publishing.
Does Metadata, Long-Tail Keywords, and Creating interesting Book Descriptions Concern You?
If yes, you are a prime candidate for hybrid publishing. Hybrid-published authors are still self-published. They keep all their creative rights and full control over the publishing process.
However, hybrid-published authors do not need to learn about metadata, long-tailed keywords, or figuring out book descriptions that sell. Sure, you can learn all of the above on your own, but it can be time-consuming.
Hybrid publishing lets you save time on hours of research, and you can focus on what you do best: writing compelling stories.
Would You Rather Focus on “Just Writing?”
If you would rather just write AND keep your creative rights, hybrid publishing is the way to go. While you should at least put your first draft through two to three rounds of self-editing, hybrid publishers can take over the editing, formatting, cover design, and distribution.
Do You Wish to Turn Your Manuscripts Into Multiple Products Quickly?
Hybrid publishing lets you turn your manuscripts into professional-looking ebooks, paperbacks, and audiobooks. In some cases, hybrid publishers can even turn your work into beautiful hardbacks.
Does the Idea of Signing a Long-Term Contract With a Traditional Publisher Freak You Out?
When you sign on with traditional publishing outlets, you are giving up both creative rights and a large chunk of royalties for a book or book series that may or may not sell. Hybrid publishing lets you keep your rights and your royalties while you stay in full control of your book marketing.
Would You Like to Earn Higher Royalties?
Higher royalties mean you theoretically sell fewer books to earn a sound living. Self-publishing and hybrid publishing allow you to accomplish both.
Are You Seeking to Publish Your Book Quickly Without Sacrificing Quality?
Many self-published books in online retailers lack quality. They feature nominal formatting, homemade covers, and bland book descriptions. While this is okay for authors who write as a hobby or sell books to their friends, you need to go the extra mile if you’re seeking to publish with maximum quality.
Hybrid publishing helps you maximize quality, and it takes the guesswork out of whether you are self-publishing your work correctly.
Do You Have No Time to Learn the Technicalities of Self-Publishing?
It takes months to years of constant study to learn the technicalities of self-publishing. So if you don’t have time to learn the ins and outs of self-publishing, or if you’re unwilling to face the steep learning curve, hybrid publishing is for you.
Would You Like to Maximize Your Books Visibility in the Search Engines?
Did you know Amazon, Kobo, Google Play, Apple, Nook, and other online bookstores are really just search engines? With so many millions of books out there, it’s hard to gain visibility.
Our SEO experts at Lewis Publications will ensure your books gain the visibility they deserve.
Are You Interested in a Cover Design That Conforms to Genre Expectations?
Any blog post online today will tell you readers judge books by their covers. And unfortunately, you can have some beautiful pieces of artwork that still won’t sell. This is because readers expect certain elements on covers.
For example, most of your bestselling fantasy covers contain color contrast, a character or characters performing a specific magical ability, and serif font. Often, the title and byline are toward either the bottom or the top.
By contrast, thriller covers excel with a red typeface centered closer to the middle of the cover. The cover model is usually looking away from the camera and walking or running toward another object placed near the title and byline.
Additional Services
Lewis Publications offers a wide range of services. All of our services can be booked without publishing through us. We have a team of dedicated virtual assistants ready to work with you.
Editing & Blurb
Editing rates depend upon the word count of the manuscript. If you’re interested in editing, please email us with your final word count for a quote.
$60 - Read one manuscript and write a blurb for the back cover.
Promotion & List Building
$15/hour - LinkedIn management and mailing list growth.
$15/hour - Promoting in groups and blogs, assisting with maintaining the author's Facebook page, assist with parties, lining them up and running them as needed, researching and obtaining information on ordering swag, create form letters and maintain to send out to blogs/groups, etc, creating media kits for all books, setting up newsletter swaps, setting up BookBub swaps, posting updates on your Goodreads, scheduling posts for your author page, set up and manage a review team, create mock-ups and teaser posts to share in groups.
Agent Help
$15/hour - Research literary agents to pitch to.
$30 - Write a query letter for literary agents.
Book Reviews
$30 - Contact fifty book bloggers for reviews.
$40 - Read and review your book.
Coaching & Business Plan
$60 - One-on-one coaching session / 60mins.
$50 - Create a detailed, in-depth ten-year business plan for your writing career.
Book Launch & Bookstore Outreach
$40 - Create a contact list of all independent bookstores in your state and create a pitch for you to send out.
$60 - Create a contact list of fifty independent bookstores (in your area) and the main library system in your county and create a pitch for you to send out.
$120 - Create a contact list of 100 independent bookstores, and the main library system in your county, plus create a pitch and contact them for you.
$200 - Create a contact list of 150 independent bookstores and five main library systems in your area, 30 local news stations, and 30 local newspapers, plus create pitches and contact them for you.
$300 - Create a contact list of 150 independent bookstores and five main library systems in your area, 30 local news stations and 30 local newspapers, and 30 local schools, plus create pitches and contact them for you.
The staff at Lewis Publications provided excellent publicity for my newly released book, The Lake Turned Upside Down. The staff knows what they are doing - they saved me hundreds of hours of “leg work” trying to get my book publicized. I can highly recommend their services!
Sue Moline
Author of The Lake Turned Upside Down