Parisian Phoenix Publishing

Ralph Greco Jr.— author of Writing Dirty Words, our writing craft book and part Ralphie memoir— and I are plotting a new workshop, “How Not to Get Ripped Off as a Writer.” And I feel like readers might need a similar workshop, offering context clues as to whether or not that book you’re considering dropping $20 or more received the love, attention, editing and craftsmanship a good book deserves.

Ralph and I have both made a living writing. I have spent a substantial portion of my career as a print journalist and non-profit communications professional and Ralph has lived the gritty life of a true freelance writer. From SEO copy to erotic short stories, he has written it all.

Every successful writer— and I use the word writer here intentionally, not author— has multiple revenue streams. For the MFA in creative writing and academia crowd, this includes public speaking and teaching. For people like me, this includes workshops and writing/editing clients. For writers like Ralph, this means a lot of pitching stories and stoking multiple fires for leads.

For every book sold through traditional distribution channels, like when Barnes & Noble orders a book from Ingram, the royalties for that book could range from $3 to $8 depending on a lot of factors. That money gets split between the author and the publisher according to the terms of their deal. I split royalties with my traditionally-published authors 50% because I want them to have as much to gain or lose as I do.

Just a reminder: What Hybrid Publisher really means

I mention all of this because I’ve had several people mention vanity presses to me lately, businesses that now use the term hybrid publishers even though the term technically means a publisher that offers traditional publishing contracts and self-publishing services and support. I am technically a hybrid publisher because 7% of my clients fall in the self-publishing category.

So when I see publishers charge $4,000, $6,000 or more for basic book publishing packages, I wonder what they get for that money. I have studied their web sites and looked at the bullet points of what they offer. It does cost $4,000, $6,000 and can cost $10,000 to publish and promote a book. That’s why Ralph and I wanted to develop a workshop to discuss the terms, processes and associated costs of publishing a book so that writers, those hopeful baby writers, can make an informed decision.