WRITING No help PUBLISHING SERVICES Yes, usually, but varies widely DISTRIBUTION Yes, usually, but varies widely MARKETING Yes, usually, but varies widely PRESTIGE AND PERCEPTION Varies widely TIME TO PUBLISH 6 to 24 months WHY PICK HYBRID OVER THE OTHER TWO? In the hybrid model, the publisher will tell you that they combine the advantages of a traditional publisher, with the flexibility and upside of self-publishing. That’s the theory, but it never works that way in practice. Hybrid doesn’t really exist. It’s a made-up word for publishing com- panies that are basically just fee-for-service publishing companies, but still take a percentage of the profit. What these companies do is pay little to no advance, still take a lot of the royalties, still control a lot of the process, and still do some 328 · ThE SCriBE METhOD