Publishing With Hybrid Publishing Companies

So even Tarzan wants to publish a book? Well, everybody - or nearly everybody - is writing and writing or dreaming of doing just that. Some even have high hopes of turning their writings into a new career, but that part of their dreams may prove more difficult than they imagined, even for good authors. A truth that's not even news as it always has been that way, just think of e.g. Jane Austin and Mary Shelley who had to pay their way into the business and who didn't make much money out of it even though they wrote what has become classics.

Mary Shelley

These day one of the roads toward the status of "published writer" is what is called "the hybrid press". It's my impression that many authors who believe in their art are willing to pay some of the costs of publishing although that system seems to belong to an earlier time period. Modern times ideal has been the traditional publishing, and that's what the hybrid publishing resembles, but isn't. Traditional publishers live by the SALE of books which is what gives them their revenue, but the hybrids live by the authors paying them and, in some cases, the funds of some foundations which were set up to support art and literature. It goes without saying that the main purpose of publishing for publishers is to earn money and keep it without having to spend it on e.g. their clients: The authors. As the revenue for hybrid publishing companies isn't entirely tied up with sale, but with funds and the more or less substantial fees from authors they may skip what's one of the most important part of the deal for the authors: PR. 

The author, up on a cloud, may be dreaming of that new career as a published writer which is what he/she wants the most. I think that's the main reason why people may, sort of, overlook the real substance of the contracts with these publishers. Having published with traditional publishers one takes for granted that sale of one's book is the main point for the hybrids, but no, it's not. To keep what fees and funds they've got is what it's about so they feel free to e.g. state some of their most important obligations as "PR as planned by publisher" which in some cases means none at all. In my opinion that spells CHEATING! Both The Independent Book Publishers Association and The Society of Authors and the Writers Guild of Great Britain have tried to curb the most scandalous of the hybrid publishers, but seemingly without success. - By the way, as far as I can see, right now we only have one hybrid publishing company in Denmark, namely Mellemgård which always seems to be the focus of angry and unsatisfied clients ....

It's confusing that some/most of these new publishing companies doesn't even identify as "either-or" set-ups because the borders of each type are wavering. Hybrid publishing in many ways looks like traditional publishing, but is anything but. In other ways it looks like self-publishing with a twist. Right now the publishing industry is very confusing and I fear that it shall get worse in the future as it's not regulated and the offers by the companies aren't transparent. One may sign up for something which turns out to be very different from what it looks like to newbie authors ....

 

Wikipedia

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/337548986330055/permalink/481565705261715/ 

 

https://www.austinmacauley.com/about-us 

 

https://janeyburton.com/self-publishing-hybrid-vanity-a-simple-guide/ 

 

https://jerichowriters.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-hybrid-publishing/ 

 

https://www.authorimprints.com/hybrid-publishing-self-publishing-definition/ 

 

The Chaotic World of Publishing

OK, someone wants to become a writer, but what starts at the computer has to venture into the publishing world and that gives rise to some serious questions of HOW and WHERE. As far as I can see right now there are only two main roads to publishing one's works, but I hope that in time we shall get some more - and easier as well as worth-while passages - into publishing. 

I was brought up with the so-called "traditional publishing" that went by the same rules with all the publishing houses I worked with: One wrote a script, had it accepted, signed a contract, had a sum for one's script, and then waited for the day the book was published. It went like clockwork, in an orderly manner: Both the author and the publishers knew what was expected of them and did what was necessary, also when it came to PR. This process of this kind of publishing held some not-so-pleasant possibilities of e.g. rejections, (severe) criticism, rewrites, etc. because it was based on co-operations with the staff of the publishers. Or put another way: One may have ideas, but some of them may be rejected by what actually becomes one's boss, namely the publisher. On the other hand, look on some of the bright sides of traditional publishing: One's book may become noticed by "The literary world", one may even win prizes and gain fame as what is called a "Serious or Genuine Writer". Also one may earn more money as books which were published by reputable publishers enter the shelves of bookstores, may be turned into a movie, etc., etc.. However, there is a drawback as it seems that one can't get into traditional publishing without an agent ....

Self-publishing offers some traits that's very alluring to the writer who likes to work on his/her own: He or she decides the plot, the cover, etc. with no interference from a publisher. However, the literary world as such doesn't hold self-published authors in high esteem. Also, these books tend  not to sell very well, no matter what literary qualities they may hold. As it is, with time this special way of publishing has sort of split up into a kind of hybrid of traditional publishing, which in a way pretends to be self-publishing: "Vanity Presses". They are run by special publishing houses which somehow have gained hold of writers who, more or less, have to do the work of what used to be done by traditional publishers. Not only do they have to toil with e.g. PR, but they also have to pay to get their books out. Actually, they may have to pay for the entire process without any guarantee of earnings. Right now there are quite a lot of these "Vanity Presses" which succeed in bleeding writers where they should be the ones who paid them. Obviously, this is not the best of times for writers, beset by "leeches" as they are, but what other ways of publishing are there? As far as I can see writers don't have other choices at the moment, but I'm sure that sooner or later they shall find some as they have to in order to keep doing what they want to do: To write ....

 

 

Bridal-Exploitation

An Indonesian man, AK, was very happy to find a beautiful and dutiful wife, Adinda Kanza, right after the Muslim doctrine of obedience, etc.. However, a short time after the wedding AK started to wonder at his bride. Presumably she was an orphan without any family, and she seemed to enjoy just staying at home without seeing anyone. However, poor AK found out that he had been duped, not by a woman, but by another man who pretended to be female. Their private life must have been quite special for this ruse to work and I for one don't understand why it took AK a couple of weeks to find out that his bride was a man. Didn't he know anything about the physical differences in men and women??? 

                      The true face of the bride, "Adinda"

After some time the Indonesian police found the presumably non-existing family of AK's "bride". They told how their son had started to behave in a strange manner, to wear women's clothes and act feminine. Was he gay or transgender? That has not been revealed as yet, but I take it that that may be the case. Well, also it all may have been for greed as "Adinda" had plans of seducing a man and steal his assets ....

 

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3263558/indonesian-man-discovers-woman-he-married-after-year-person-romance-was-man-trying-scam-him-money 

 

https://sc.mp/u5y4c?utm_source=copy-link&utm_campaign=3263558&utm_medium=share_widget 

 

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/after-12-days-of-marriage-indonesian-man-discovers-his-wife-is-actually-a-man-5761263

 

Male Sex-Slave

 

Was Pata Seca from Brazil a SEX MACHINE or a slave? Well, he was both, as he was a male slave breeder who was set to breed, breed and breed more slaves with female slaves: A stud, pampered and well-fed, as he bred his way in a society which exploited him and his offspring of more than 200 children. I'm sure something like this happened many different  places where there were slaves, but Pata Seca was special as he also was a freedom fighter. Much about his life has been lost, but at some point he got off the hook, married the lady of his heart and had nine kids by her.

 

Old Pata Seca, but still good-looking in his own way

For several hundred years Brazil was kept going by slaves and slavery. It's an astonishing fact that black-skinned people being brought from Africa were considered - and used - as slaves from the outset of landing in what we call "The New World". In Brazil slavery was the key to good economics.

One of the many granddaughters of Pata Seca

 

https://medium.com/@davidsehyeonbaek/pata-seca-a-black-slave-forced-to-father-children-with-enslaved-women-b3aac510fa42 

 

https://medium.com/@davidsehyeonbaek/pata-seca-a-black-slave-forced-to-father-children-with-enslaved-women-b3aac510fa42 

 

https://www.freepressjournal.in/ampstories/lifestyle/6-facts-about-pata-seca-the-man-who-had-more-than-200-children