Well said, Dr. Edwards. I published my first novel with a hybrid company, Windy City Publishing, back in 2012. I went through the same process Dr. Edwards describes on my way to Windy City. The rejection from agents was overwhelming--I was trying to market a novel about a transgender woman well before the parade of celebrities came out as trans and made it (briefly) okay. The few responses I got were expressions of disgust.
My experience with Windy City Publishing was excellent. I worked with great editors and production people and learned more about the publishing business than I would have in a year or more at a university.
I have since published a number of novels with traditional publishers and I've enjoyed those relationships, but I have to say, the bigger the house, the more superficial the relationship has been for me.
As for Windy City, I've gone back to them to publish three anthologies I was involved in editing for Off Campus Writers Workshop. They were the perfect choice because OCWW had its own marketing engine, so our biggest need was for production, and outside editing services.
Thanks for covering this topic, Christine. I think the hybrids are often confused with vanity presses. You and Dr. Edwards make the distinction very clear.
Thank you, Renee, for reading, and for sharing your experience with Windy CityPublishing - I am so glad you had a good experience with them, as Frank has with Köehler Books!
I'm so glad you covered this topic. My experience working in corporate environments in other industries was exhausting enough. The thought of turning creative, personal work into another corporate machine is something I deeply dislike.
I'm looking forward to reading Doctor Witch, which has a cool cover design too.
I really enjoyed this. I wanted to know more. How many copies did he sell? What did the press do for sales and promotion, that is, post production? Medical thrillers sound exciting!
Thank you for reading, Gemini! Since Frank's book came out less than a week ago, it'll probably take a number of months before he has a good sense of how many copies he's sold, but I'll ask him about his print run.
Well said, Dr. Edwards. I published my first novel with a hybrid company, Windy City Publishing, back in 2012. I went through the same process Dr. Edwards describes on my way to Windy City. The rejection from agents was overwhelming--I was trying to market a novel about a transgender woman well before the parade of celebrities came out as trans and made it (briefly) okay. The few responses I got were expressions of disgust.
My experience with Windy City Publishing was excellent. I worked with great editors and production people and learned more about the publishing business than I would have in a year or more at a university.
I have since published a number of novels with traditional publishers and I've enjoyed those relationships, but I have to say, the bigger the house, the more superficial the relationship has been for me.
As for Windy City, I've gone back to them to publish three anthologies I was involved in editing for Off Campus Writers Workshop. They were the perfect choice because OCWW had its own marketing engine, so our biggest need was for production, and outside editing services.
Thanks for covering this topic, Christine. I think the hybrids are often confused with vanity presses. You and Dr. Edwards make the distinction very clear.
Renee
Thank you, Renee, for reading, and for sharing your experience with Windy CityPublishing - I am so glad you had a good experience with them, as Frank has with Köehler Books!
I'm so glad you covered this topic. My experience working in corporate environments in other industries was exhausting enough. The thought of turning creative, personal work into another corporate machine is something I deeply dislike.
I'm looking forward to reading Doctor Witch, which has a cool cover design too.
Thanks for this comment, Vivian. The corporate machine, the focus on profit at all costs, essentially - it's relentless.
I really enjoyed this. I wanted to know more. How many copies did he sell? What did the press do for sales and promotion, that is, post production? Medical thrillers sound exciting!
Thank you for reading, Gemini! Since Frank's book came out less than a week ago, it'll probably take a number of months before he has a good sense of how many copies he's sold, but I'll ask him about his print run.
Thanks for this! It's great to hear about writers working with good hybrid publishers. And, as usual, you've made my to-read list longer.
You're most welcome, Barb! And I think we're steadily contributing to each other's TBR lists!