WHAT IS HYBRID PUBLISHING?

The hybrid publishing model of SparkPress is unique in the world of publishing, not only because of its mission and built-in community of women writers and readers, and also because it offers a much-needed alternative in a rapidly changing publishing landscape. There is a big difference between hybrid, self-publishing, and vanity presses; most notably that our hybrid model has traditional distribution, manuscript vetting, and was involved in the creation of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) list of 9 criteria defining what it means to be a professional hybrid publisher.

Read She Writes Press and SparkPress publisher Brooke Warner’s 2023 article in Publishers Weekly about the importance of understanding a publisher’s business model and transparency.

IBPA’s Hybrid Publisher Criteria

  • Define a mission and vision for its publishing program.

  • Vet submissions.

  • Publish under its own imprint(s) and ISBNs.

  • Commit to truth and transparency in business practices.

  • Publish to industry standards.

  • Ensure editorial, design, and production quality.

  • Pursue and manage a range of publishing rights.

  • Provide a negotiable, easy-to-understand contract for each book published.

  • Provide distribution services.

  • Demonstrate respectable sales.

  • Pay authors a higher-than-standard royalty.

7 reasons authors love our hybrid formula:

Expertise

We are a team of industry experts, led by publisher Brooke Warner, who brings 20 years of publishing experience. Our books rival their traditional counterparts in editorial quality and design aesthetic.

Distribution

We have traditional distribution with a salesforce pre-selling your book to national accounts and bookstores. You won’t find this with many other partnership publishers, and you can’t buy into this as a self-published author.

Reputation

Our books qualify for traditional review outlets that self-published authors are not eligible for, and have received many starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus.

Royalties

Authors are entrepreneurial partners at She Writes Press. They invest in a publishing package up front while keeping 60% of net on print books and 70% of net on ebooks, unprecedented rates in the industry.

Curation

We carefully vet our books on literary merit alone for standards on par with traditional standards.

Celebrated

Our books have won over 900+ medals and finalist titles.

Partnership

Authors get the best of both worlds with us: they are collaborative partners who get creative control while benefiting from the perks that come with traditional publishing, including presales, seamless distribution, and ongoing project management long after their book is published.