# My Journey to Become Hybrid



## Philip Overby (May 25, 2015)

I know this is a thing that usually is more organic or is more difficult to pull off, but more and more I'm becoming interested in being a hybrid writer. While I enjoy the Splatter Elf stuff I'm working on and still plan to publish one a month to the best of my ability, I've decided to take a more concerted effort towards traditional publishing. Meaning I'm going to submit to more markets, contests, and the like while also working on longer work that can be hopefully submitted to agents. I know this is not an easy path to take because it involves all the time it takes to be a self-published writer plus all the time it takes to be traditionally published. But in my heart of hearts, I guess this is what I want most as a writer. I want the freedom and flexibility of self-publishing, but I also want to be able to have a group of people that can stand behind me (or in front of me?) with my work. 

So I have to figure out how to balance out this new way of progressing forward.

Maybe this is better served for a blog entry,but I'd just like to highlight some things I'd like to do and see what everyone thinks about it. 


Continue to self-publish my Splatter Elf fiction on a monthly basis
Use my blog/website to release Splatter Elf flash fiction or exclusive fiction to the blog
Work on longer non-Splatter Elf fiction (novellas or novels) that I can submit to agents; try to submit to at least 10-20 agents a month
Send out feelers to small presses; submit work to at least 5 small presses a month
Make a plan to do paid promotions each month for my self-published work
Become more active on sites like Goodreads, Reddit, and Twitter while continuing to build the Splatter Elf brand on Facebook; continue to join groups with like-minded people on Facebook
Spend some money to get my longer work in front of an editor to better prepare it for agents

So these are just some ideas. My hope is to build my Splatter Elf brand from the ground up and experiment with different styles as my self-publishing venture and to write more mainstream fantasy fiction to submit to publishers, agents, and the like. I hope to also have an established group of critique partners that I can go to for help with various projects. I already have a few people I trust and enjoy working with, but I may join a site like Scribophile since I've heard good things about it.

Any thoughts or suggestions?


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## Russ (May 25, 2015)

I think your plan is essentially sound.  Editors like to receive submissions from people who have thought about their platform and their brand.

I think one of the most labour intensive things for you (other than getting out a SS a month) will be doing the digging to find agents who will be a good fit for your unique work.  While I  have no problem with volume I think identifying the right agent for your work and telling them why you think your work would be a good fit for their portfolio will pay off more than the shotgun approach.

Happy  hunting.


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## Philip Overby (May 25, 2015)

Russ said:


> I think your plan is essentially sound.  Editors like to receive submissions from people who have thought about their platform and their brand.
> 
> I think one of the most labour intensive things for you (other than getting out a SS a month) will be doing the digging to find agents who will be a good fit for your unique work.  While I  have no problem with volume I think identifying the right agent for your work and telling them why you think your work would be a good fit for their portfolio will pay off more than the shotgun approach.
> 
> Happy  hunting.



Thanks, Russ. That's one reason I decided to self-pub my Splatter Elf stuff because I felt like it might be difficult to find someone willing to take a risk on it. In some ways I think it's a good thing because it's different, but it others it's a very specific style that may not appeal to a wide base. That's why I'm more interested in maybe focusing more on urban fantasy, where I think my style fits better anyway, and trying to do more traditional dark fantasy work. Maybe something in the vein of The Witcher series since I'm a big fan. Like something with loads of monsters and magic, but that has less focus on extreme violence and silliness. So for agents, I'd certainly like to try something in the Splatter Elf style to send to them, but I do realize I may need to try more accessible work for bigger publishers.


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## Devor (May 25, 2015)

Philip Overby said:


> I know this is a thing that usually is more organic . . . .



Just about nothing happens organically.  Either you take action to make it happen or you don't.




> Maybe this is better served for a blog entry,but I'd just like to highlight some things I'd like to do and see what everyone thinks about it.
> 
> 
> Continue to self-publish my Splatter Elf fiction on a monthly basis
> ...



To make a living at this, the benchmark is:

1,000 fans.
$3-5 per fan per month / $36-60 per fan per year.

Or:

3,000 - 5,000 fans.
$1 per fan per month / $12 per fan per year.

Personally, if it were me and I was trying to hit these benchmarks, I would focus on the Splatter-Elf brand and try to produce content monthly that can sell at $1.99 range, for about a $1 royalty if I understand it right.  I would say about 25-30,000 word stories.


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## Philip Overby (May 25, 2015)

What I meant by organically is that sometimes people don't announce "I'm going to be hybrid." It just sort of happens that way. 

From what I understand, 1.99 is the "no-no zone" in some people's minds. I'm not sure why, but I see that 99 cents or 2.99 to be the better sweet spot for newer people that may not be as well known. I am attempting to do longer Splatter Elf (SE) work and not just short stories, but that may mean I won't be able to release monthly. I'm fine with that if it comes to it as I want it to grow however I need it to.

I can say for sure now, that I probably have about 5 people (non-family/lifelong friends) that will buy whatever I put out. So I need about 900 something more.  I guess that's a start. And I am starting to see people show interest when I mention the idea of SE. Just getting them to jump on the wagon to pay money is the hard part. That's why I've been gifting copies to some people in order for them to just read it and hope word of mouth plays in some capacity. 

I think trying non-SE fiction is something I've always wanted to do as well anyway, but I see it as something that is going to take a long time to grow and find an audience. That's why I do want to shift some of my focus to getting an agent and perhaps doing more urban fantasy where I believe my style fits better. I also want to try getting my non-SE stuff out there more as well. I'm working on some fantasy that's a bit more serious in tone that doesn't really fit with my SE vibe. 

In any case, SE is still something I'm passionate about and want to cultivate, but I also see the value in "spreading my wings" so to speak and trying more mainstream kinds of fantasy that embrace my stylistic interests more.


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## Devor (May 25, 2015)

Philip Overby said:


> From what I understand, 1.99 is the "no-no zone" in some people's minds. I'm not sure why, but I see that 99 cents or 2.99 to be the better sweet spot for newer people that may not be as well known.



Yeah, come to mention it I remember hearing that too.  What's the word count expectation for $2.99?  That's a $2 royalty so maybe a $2.99 SE release every other month would be something to think about too.


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## Philip Overby (May 25, 2015)

I've seen 2.99 be attributed to longer short stories, novellas, and novels. So I guess it depends on how confident someone is in their writing. I'd say 30,000-50,000 would be fine for 2.99. If I had a full-length novel, I'd probably consider 2.99-4.99 depending on how much I invested in it (cover art, editing, promotional stuff, etc.) The opinions vary on this, but I could feasibly release the 99 cent shorts when I did them and do a bigger SE tale more consistently and push for 2.99. Then I'd probably spend some change on getting it pro edited and promoted as well.


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## kennyc (May 25, 2015)

Good Luck. I say go for it with all ya got! It's the way to go!


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## Philip Overby (May 25, 2015)

Thanks, Kenny! I hope I can figure this whole thing out.

I actually decided that sending queries to over a dozen agents a month is probably not a good idea. I do want to find someone who can focus on my specific style and not just throwing darts at the wall. So I will research some agents carefully and just go down my list, however long it takes.


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## BWFoster78 (May 25, 2015)

Philip,

Not sure if this applies to you or not, but thought I'd put it out there just in case:

I ran into a bunch of people on Goodreads who are very wary about short stories.  Their concerns:

1. They feel cheated if they buy a short story/novelette/novella thinking it's a novel.  My advice is to make sure that your marketing/description is very upfront about the story length.

2. People seem wary about serials, especially those that end on a serious cliffhanger.  Apparently, those are popular right now, and a lot of people who don't like them have been burned.  May want to have your marketing address that as well.

Like I said, not sure if that's helpful or not, just something I've observed readers saying.

Thanks.

Brian


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## Philip Overby (May 26, 2015)

Thanks, BW. Yes, I try to make it clear that it's a short story so that people don't feel duped, but I could definitely try to make it as clear as possible in different ways. 

My stories are standalones with the potential for future adventures. I try to let them stand by themselves, but give a hint of a future tale that could spring forth from it So they're not really interconnected stories. But if I plan to do that in the future, I'll make it clear by giving it a series title.


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