For Immediate Release
February 23, 2018
Hybrid Publisher LifeTree Media Calls on Canadian Industry to Adopt Hybrid Publisher Criteria Published This Week by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)
VANCOUVER – The US-based Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) has developed and released a groundbreaking nine-point list of criteria to define and standardize hybrid publishers, with input from Maggie Langrick, Publisher and CEO of Canadian hybrid press LifeTree Media Ltd. IBPA’s Hybrid Publisher Criteria is the publishing industry’s first-ever attempt to define and apply standards to this emerging model, which blends attributes of traditional and self-publishing.
Langrick, who is a member of the IBPA’s Advocacy Committee, says the Hybrid Publisher Criteria list will help authors distinguish between a reputable hybrid publisher and a vanity press, and will also support new hybrid publishers who wish to build their businesses in line with industry-approved standards and best practices.
“With the term ‘hybrid publisher’ left open to interpretation, there was a risk that well-meaning, but misinformed, business owners might misapply the label, confusing the market and inadvertently undermining the work of reputable hybrid publishers,” Langrick said. “IBPA’s Hybrid Publisher Criteria brings urgently needed clarity and consensus to this emerging model.”
Langrick is calling for the Canadian publishing industry to respond to the IBPA’s Hybrid Publishing Criteria, which have been endorsed by the Authors Guild of America. “Hybrid publishing, as the IBPA defines it, is gaining ground on both sides of the US / Canada border, yet our own publishing community suffers from the same lack of consistency and clarity that the IBPA is seeking to address in publishing this list,” said Langrick. “Some business owners have adopted the label ‘hybrid publisher’ but are not operating in line with these standards. Others meet the criteria, but are not using the term to describe themselves. Canadian authors and publishers alike would benefit from having our industry get on the same page about hybrid publishing.”
According to the IBPA’s Hybrid Publisher Criteria, hybrid publishers are required to behave like traditional publishers in all respects except their business model, which is author-subsidized. In return for authors’ investment in their books, hybrid publishers provide a greater share of sales proceeds to the author. To meet all of the IBPA’s criteria, a reputable hybrid publisher must:
- Define a mission and vision for its publishing program
- Vet submissions
- Publish under its own imprint(s) and ISBNs
- Publish to industry standards
- Ensure editorial, design, and production quality
- Pursue and manage a range of publishing rights
- Provide distribution services
- Demonstrate respectable sales
- Pay authors a higher-than-standard royalty
The full list is freely available for download on the IBPA’s website: http://www.ibpa-online.org/page/hybridpublisher. Book industry professionals are encouraged to refer to the list to ensure they understand how a credible hybrid publisher is expected to perform.
LifeTree Media Ltd. is a premiere hybrid publisher of nonfiction books that help, heal and inspire. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the company develops and publishes practical nonfiction in categories such as parenting, relationships, business, personal finance, health and fitness, self-help, spirituality and psychology. Titles in its flagship Best Book program are published under the LifeTree Media imprint and distributed to the book trade by Publishers Group West in the USA, and by University of Toronto Press and Heritage Group Distribution in Canada, via its agent-distributor Greystone Books. LifeTree also provides premium editorial and publishing services to self-publishing authors under its Assisted Self-Publishing program. LifeTree Media was founded in 2013 by publisher and CEO Maggie Langrick.
About the Independent Book Publishers Association
Founded in 1983 to support independent publishers nationwide, the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) leads and serves the independent publishing community through advocacy, education, and tools for success. With over 3,000 members, IBPA is the largest publishing association in the US. For more information, visit www.ibpa-online.org.
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For more information, contact Jesmine Cham at jesmine@lifetreemedia.com.
