“Indie author” used to describe a method. You self-published, full stop, rather than going the traditional route through an agent and a publishing house. That definition is loosening. A growing thread in indie publishing coverage right now points to something different: authors who move between publishing methods project by project, rather than committing to one lane for an entire career.
What “Hybrid” Actually Looks Like
The shape of it varies from author to author, but a few patterns recur. An author might self-publish an entire series through KDP, keeping full rights, full control, and the larger royalty share that comes with it. That same author might sign a traditional deal for a different project, one where a publisher’s distribution network, marketing budget, or editorial support genuinely fits what that particular book needs. Layered on top of both, the same author might run a podcast, a YouTube channel, or serialized fiction on a platform like Substack or Wattpad, content that isn’t really a “book” in the traditional sense, but still lives under the same author brand.
None of these pieces are treated as more legitimate than the others. They’re simply different tools being used for different jobs.
The Shift From Method to Mindset
What’s interesting about this trend isn’t the individual tactics; authors mixing self-publishing and traditional deals isn’t new on its own. It’s the reframing of what “indie” even means. Rather than describing a specific publishing method, it’s increasingly used to describe a mindset centered on autonomy, an author staying in control of the overall direction of their career, even when a given project runs through a system, like traditional publishing, that the author doesn’t fully control.
Under that mindset, the question an author asks about a new project shifts. It’s less “am I a self-published author, or a traditionally published one” and more “which method actually serves this specific book, at this specific point in my career.” A debut in a crowded genre might benefit from a traditional publisher’s shelf presence. A niche, genre-blending project a traditional publisher might pass on could thrive as a self-published project, tested directly with the readers who actually want it.
Why This Only Recently Became Realistic
A big part of why this shift is happening now, rather than a decade ago, is how much more accessible each individual tool has become. Producing a professional audiobook, running a podcast, building an email list, managing multi-platform distribution — these used to require either a publisher’s infrastructure or a level of technical skill and budget most solo authors didn’t have. As each of those pieces has gotten cheaper and more accessible on its own, stitching them together into a hybrid career has become genuinely realistic in a way it wasn’t before.
A Caution Worth Noting
Accessibility isn’t the same as automatic success. One point that comes up consistently in coverage of this shift: just because publishing has become as simple as pressing a button doesn’t mean every project should be rushed out that way. The authors building sustainable hybrid careers are generally the ones still investing in craft, quality, and genuine reader connection, regardless of which specific method they’re using for any given book, rather than treating any single path as a shortcut around that work.
The Common Thread
Across every version of this trend, the throughline is the same: authors today are increasingly running what amounts to a publishing house of one, choosing traditional, self-published, hybrid, or something else entirely, on a project-by-project basis, with control over the overall shape of their career as the real constant underneath all of it.
Sources:
Indie Author Magazine, “How Indie Authors Are Redefining Publishing and Building Sustainable Self-Publishing Businesses”