The May Edit
Self publishing versus hybrid versus traditional??? Plus lots of fun links
Last month I worked with a coaching client who wrote a rhyming picture book about yoga. The manuscript was pretty much done, but she had no idea what she wanted to do with it. She wasn’t even sure what questions to ask. So I asked her some questions:
How much creative control do you want?
What’s your ideal timeline?
Do you enjoy figuring out logistics?
What kind of audience do you have right now?
What are your long term goals?
We talked through allllll the options. Traditional publishing. (Too slow.) Self publishing. (Very demanding.) Hybrid publishing. (Maybe just right! 🤞)
In the span of a week, she went from having a million questions about printing, budget, and timeline to having a totally customized step-by-step plan that felt really good and doable. We talked through…
Traditional Publishing
Traditional publishing still offers many benefits. It can be energizing to collaborate with a team and work with experts in the industry. It’s nice not to worry about sales and distribution. But you will still need to market your book—a lot! And traditional publishing isn’t a great fit if you just plan to publish one picture book. (Agents are usually looking for writers who have developed a body of work and have at least three solid manuscripts that they can imagine selling.) Traditional publishing is much slower too. It could take a year to find an agent, a year to sell the book, and a year to illustrate the book. (I know!)
Self Publishing
Self publishing will give you more flexibility with the budget and timeline, but you will be DIYing a lot. Hiring a designer, figuring out the retail price, making sure the cover has all the details you need it to, getting your book into stores, fulfilling orders…It’s a lot. If that sounds fun and exciting, then self publishing might be a good fit for you. If that sounds draining and distracting from the work you really want to be doing, then hybrid publishing might be a better fit.
Hybrid Publishing
Like self publishing, hybrid publishings requires a financial investment. (It can be a lot, like maybe $5 to $30K depending on the company and project.) Then the company contributes something. The offerings vary, but often they include editorial guidance and design help. Usually the publisher is responsible for selling and distributing your book and a good hybrid publisher can get your book into places where it would be very hard to sell your book independently.
Want your own custom step-by-step publishing plan? I’m here to help!
(My prices will go up for the summer on 6/15 so book now.)
We had our first The 10 Minute Writing Club session this month! I worked on a poem for 10 minutes and felt a tiny bit less alone in trying to juggle all the things. Next month we might try writing together on Zoom instead of on Substack so I can actually see you!
You can join for just $7 a month. It’s a simple way to show up, even when you’re tired or discouraged, get inspired, make a little progress, and build a lot of momentum.
Want to join us 6/11 at 10 EST for our next session?
We’ll write together for 10 minutes and then have a friendly chat. I would LOVE to see you there!
This Month I’m…
Sharing my response to Mac Barnett’s new book Make Believe (IYMI, this is one of the biggest controversies to hit kidlit in years. If you need a thoughtful intro, I really appreciated Afoma Umesi’s essay. If you want the drama, Josh Funk has been telling it like it is over on Instagram.) 📔
Talking with Julie Vick about how to add humor to picture books (Her Substack is such a good resource!) 📚
Liking this Goblin Mode approach to sharing your work 👩🎤
Analyzing what makes a picture-book character series-worthy ✏️
Wondering if the new Pinterest color picker is accurate (I’m a soft autumn???) 🍂
Wishing stephanie could help me understand the rest of culture—Her guide to The Met Gala is 🤩
Learning Notion and Rec League—Follow me on RL here, and tell me if you’re trying it too. One day I’m going to actually add some recs! ✨
Loving the advice Anna Brones’s 78-year-old mother gave her on living a creative life ⚡️
Feeling inspired by the way Aly Prades is releasing her first art collection before she feels totally ready 🫶
Getting all my teacher gifts from Play Spark 🙌
Thinking this parenting math doesn’t add up 🙃
Hoping this luxe craft studio comes to Boston 🎨
Visiting this intriguing multi-artist installation in an abandoned hospital via Instagram 🏥
Dreaming about this interactive installation that has been all over my feed 🧱
XO
