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What’s a hybrid?

This segment of my publishing story will provide the details of how, when, and why I published my very first book, Uncovering Norman, Proving the Former Life of a Ghost which you can purchase here from the publisher (much better for me) or here from Amazon (who pays only a few pennies in royalties and keeps the rest).

First, a disclaimer: This post is not a recommendation or a referral. The claims I’m making are related to my own experience with a hybrid publisher in 2016. There is no guarantee that anyone using this same publisher or a similar one will experience the same or similar results. I accept no responsibility for anyone else’s outcome. Okay, that’s over with. Now…

In order to make an informed decision, you have to be informed.

This holds true with any type of publishing, at any date, in any circumstance. It’s important to do the research, to exercise due diligence, and to weigh all the consequences of each option. I must repeat what I wrote last time:

The key is to know what your goal is, what you want for your book, and what you are willing to pay to get there – not only in money, but in time and labor as well. Everything comes at a cost.

My goal was to get my first book published. Quickly. I wanted to get the story of Norman and me out into the world. I also wanted to launch my professional writing credentials with a published book.

I had recently taken early retirement, was about to sell my house, and was ready to move to Florida from Massachusetts to establish a whole new lifestyle. I had some expendable cash (though not a whole lot) and I was willing to use it to accomplish these goals.

But… I was a complete novice. I had no idea how to prepare a manuscript, no clue about design and format, and not an inkling about marketing. I wasn’t eager to tackle those tasks alone.

After all these considerations, I decided the key issue for me was time. I wasn’t a kid and I wasn’t getting any younger. If I wanted to establish myself as an author, I needed to get going. There was no time to waste years going the route of agents and traditional publishers.

Therefore, my decision to go with Balboa Press and get it done on my own timetable. I was satisfied I was making the right choice for me.

The first thing I discovered was: Acceptance wasn’t automatic!

The mission of Balboa Press, and of Hay House as their parent company, was to publish books with positive, transformational, self-help, and inspirational messages. They made it clear that they absolutely would not publish any book that did not enhance their mission. Fortunately, this was the perfect niche for Uncovering Norman.

The first step in the process was to contact them with a request for information. I got a Welcome! email back, providing some vague additional info and the suggestion that I register with Author Learning Center, a writing educational site that was affiliated with Hay House.

Now, I’m not usually interested in joining those kinds of sites, but it was clear that they expected me to sign up. I tried to check it out first, and of course, there was little but advertising on their public pages and I couldn’t get any additional information until I got behind the pay wall. But I really wanted to publish with Balboa Press, and they offered a one month free trial, so I signed up. I have to say, it wasn’t a bad site for a beginning writer. There were workshops, writing guides, author chats, and many other activities. I tried it out for the free month and actually kept my paid membership for quite a while.

Back to Balboa Press.

One of their publishing consultants contacted me and we had a lengthy phone conversation. She explained the process to follow toward publication, as well as the various paid packages I could choose for the book. I was impressed with how knowledgeable, patient, and encouraging she was. She made me comfortable, and that reinforced my decision to go with Balboa.

The first step was to submit my manuscript for consideration. She reinforced the company didn’t publish just anything and everything. There were strict guidelines about the type of books they would take on, based on their mission.

I pitched my book, although, as inexperienced as I was, I didn’t know I was doing that at the time. She invited me to submit the manuscript, and patiently told me how to do that to meet Balboa’s expectations. She also advised me to look over the publishing packages that Balboa offered so I’d be prepared to select what I wanted if and when my manuscript was accepted.

I got the manuscript ready and sent it in. Although I was confident in my work, and expected to have my book accepted for publication, I was still nervous. I wanted to be a prepared as possible, so I studied the packages.

They offered several different self-publishing packages, starting with a basic structure, and increasing with price as more features and services were added on.

Always a skeptic of too-good-to-be true deals, and with a frugal Scottish heritage, the choice was an easy one. I was going basic. First and foremost, I wanted to make sure I was getting what I wanted, with value for my money in the finished product. I knew I could always add on more services if I decided to later, they’d never refuse that. It turned out my timing was perfect, apparently. At the time, they were running a special offer with a percent off the cost of each package for new to Balboa or Hay House writers. I was able to purchase the basic publishing package for a good deal less than $1,000. I’m sure it was a recruitment strategy, but it worked in my favor.

These days, that sounds unbelievable when most self-publishing companies are charging thousands of dollars just to get started. Remember that this was nine years ago and self-publishing companies were just in their infancy, not many around. And this was a hybrid publisher, not a vanity press that just takes your money and runs, never to respond to your emails again.

Within a month, I received another call that my manuscript had been accepted. I was ecstatic! Now I needed to select my package and sign the contract. I was on the way to becoming a published author!

What’s Next?

Opening the Package