#Hybrid Publishing

[amandacanwrite]

there is one exception, which is hybrid publishing. But in Hybrid publishing you are still screened/acquired through a vetting/querying process, the money you pay goes to your team (editor, cover designer etc) and to printing costs, and you retain almost all of your royalties. They also have distribution networks (which is the primary perk of traditional publishing.) So certain hybrid pubs will have the means to get you into brick and mortar stores.

There is more information at the independent book publisher’s association here :

https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/hybridpublisher

Theres a whole list of requirements that let you know what you should expect from a reputable hybrid publisher.

Essentially, they would provide you with the team and distribution you would have to secure yourself if you self published.

This is a friendly reminder to never, ever publish your book with a publishing company that charges you to publish with them. That is a vanity press, which makes money by preying on authors. They charge you for editing, formatting, cover art, and more. With most of these companies, you will never seen a cent of any royalties made from sale of your book. A legitimate publishing company only makes money when you make money, they will never charge you to publish with them. If a company approaches you and says "Hey, we'll publish your book, just pay us X amount of money," tell them to go fuck themself and block them.

[jtq1844]

What's the difference?

I read somewhere recently -- although I have no interest in vetting the information -- that about 800 new titles are released every weekday. I met a guy named Steve today who works in publishing. He corrected me. According to Steve, with the combination of traditional, self/indie, and the nebulously defined hybrid publishing paradigms, the number is now more like 4000 every day! (Indies don't have to keep bankers' hour like trads do. "Bankers' hours" -- now there's a rapidly aging phrase.)

So, in an effort to get it straight in my head, I'll just keep writing things down here until someone finds this and corrects me. It's a win-win situation: I'll get some clarity, and you'll get to feel superior for a good 5 minutes.

Traditional publishing -- It's funny that it's called "traditional" because it really only began in the 1860s or so (which doesn't seem that long ago in terms of traditions and all). Before that, the writer, like other artists, depended upon patronage to foot the bills. Once in a while, there might have been a little crowd-sourcing, but basically, it was self-publishing tied to the apron-strings of someone with deep pockets and their own overriding opinions.

Publishing houses developed as a way to facilitate book publishing without the writer being imprisoned or abandoned by the patron's whims. In exchange for the rights to the book, a publishing house foots the bill for the preparation, design, printing, marketing, and distribution of the book. The writer gets royalties AFTER the publisher recoups the costs of preparation, design, printing, marketing, and distribution ... and if the book does well, the costs of reprinting and redistributing, etc. When all is said and done, the writer gets about 10% of the price of the book when it is sold (for the first time). If the publisher gave the writer an advance, that too is made up before those royalty checks start flowin'. The publisher gets to make subsequent decisions about the book because the publisher owns the rights to it. With small presses, it behooves both the publisher and the writer to build and keep a relationship for the sake of future endeavors and profits. With larger presses, there is another layer between them -- the Literary Agent; however, that, my friends, is another post for another day (mainly because I'm just learning about them).

Self-publishing -- is just that. The writer is handles everything -- the preparation (editing mostly), design, printing, marketing and distribution. They get to keep absolute control over these processes. Whether they are any good at them is another story. They may hire people with expertise to help them of course. Mind you, once one pays all those bills and/or calculates the costs of DIY -- after all "time is money" as they say -- the author of the average self-published book makes about 10% on each book sold (the first time, and nothing after it goes to a used bookstore (in case you were confused)). E-books and print-on-demand help with that a lot, but I haven't bothered to look up any stats on that.

Hybrid-publishing -- When a group of people get frustrated with the traditional publishing paradigm and gain some understanding of each step of the self-publishing process, they do some very special machinations to create a bundle of services to offer the writer. This baby is then advertised to writers. The writer gets to keep the rights to their book but pays the hybrid publishing company for each part of this beautiful mysterious journey. Lots of aspects of this relationship can vary widely. Expertise in each step -- editing, designing, printing, marketing, distribution -- needs to be assessed somehow. On one end of the spectrum, it could be wonderfully frank, supportive, and professional -- laying out a realistic plan ... that the writer pays for. On the other end of the spectrum are the "vanity presses." No vanity press will call itself a vanity press. Yes, they offer services. Yes, the writer pays for them. The general business model is the same.

How does one tell the difference? Here are a few red flags that signal a vanity press.

They will print "anything."

They heap praise on you and your writing from Day 1 ... whether they've had time to read your book or not.

They pressure you to sign contracts quickly.

Their pricing structure is vague or full of hidden add-ons. (This is often impossible to assess early enough in the process.)

They avoid officially stating that they adhere to the standards set out by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), because they aren't concerned about that.

Once one subtracts the cost of the packaged or ala carte services from hybrid publisher from the substantially larger chunk of the sales price the writer receives, it comes down to about ... I dunno. It varies widely depending on the scamminess of the company involved.

Finding a reputable guide though this process takes detective work and research. Thank goodness bloggers about writing and publishing are always so trustworthy and accurate in their posts!

[cleverfoxpublishing-blog]

Self-book publishing in India

refers to the process where authors take full control of the entire publishing process for their books, without involving traditional publishers. This method has gained popularity due to the increased availability of digital platforms and print-on-demand services, allowing authors to publish, market, and sell their work independently.

In “traditional publishing”, a publishing house manages everything from editing, designing, printing, and distributing books, but in “self-publishing”, the author handles all aspects or hires professional services to assist in areas like editing, cover design, formatting, and marketing.

Key Aspects of Self-Book Publishing in India:

1. Creative Control:

   - Authors have complete control over their content, cover design, formatting, and book marketing.

   - Unlike traditional publishing, authors decide how the final product will look and feel, including the book's pricing and distribution.

2. Cost:

   - In self-publishing, the author bears the upfront cost for services like editing, design, printing, and marketing.

   - However, platforms offering **print-on-demand** services significantly reduce the financial burden by printing books only when an order is placed.

3. Royalties:

   - Self-publishing usually offers higher royalty rates compared to traditional publishing. Authors can retain up to 70% of the profits from each sale, depending on the platform and pricing.

4. Speed:

   - Self-publishing is faster than traditional publishing. Once the book is ready, authors can publish their work in a matter of days, while traditional publishing can take months or even years.

5. Publishing Platforms:

   - Authors can use several self-publishing platforms available in India, such as:

     - Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing): Popular for eBooks and print-on-demand paperbacks.

     - Notion Press: Offers services for both eBooks and physical books, along with editing and marketing packages.

     - Pothi.com: Specializes in print-on-demand services, allowing authors to publish and distribute their work with no upfront printing costs.

     - BlueRose Publishers: Provides publishing, design, and distribution services with a focus on reaching Indian audiences.

6. Distribution:

   - Self-published books can be distributed both locally and globally. Authors can sell their books through platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, or even directly through their own websites.

   - eBooks can reach a global audience instantly through platforms like Kindle, Google Play Books, and others.

7. Marketing & Promotion:

   - Self-published authors need to take charge of their book’s promotion. This includes utilizing social media, building author websites, running ads, participating in book fairs, and other marketing strategies to reach readers.

   - Some self-publishing platforms also offer marketing packages, but the success largely depends on the author’s efforts.

Benefits of Self-Publishing in India:

1. Control and Ownership:

   - Full ownership of rights and royalties, with no need to share creative decisions with traditional publishers.

2. Flexibility:

   - Ability to set your own deadlines, revise content as needed, and publish additional editions whenever you want.

3. Access to Global Market:

   - With platforms like Amazon, self-published authors can instantly reach readers across the world.

4. Higher Profit Potential:

   - Higher royalty rates mean more money per book sale, especially for successful authors who effectively market their books.

Challenges in Self-Publishing:

1. Upfront Costs:

   - Authors must invest in editing, cover design, formatting, and marketing services.

2. Marketing Responsibility:

   - Without the support of a traditional publisher, self-published authors are responsible for promoting their books. This can be challenging for first-time authors without a large platform.

3. Quality Control:

   - Without the backing of a professional publishing house, ensuring high-quality editing and design can be difficult. Authors need to hire professional editors and designers to ensure their book meets industry standards.

Steps to Self-Publish a Book in India:

1. Write and Edit Your Book:

   - Finish writing your manuscript, then hire a professional editor to polish the content.

2. Format the Book:

   - Format the interior layout for both digital and print versions. You can use software like Vellum or Scrivener for formatting.

3. Design a Cover:

   - A compelling book cover is essential to attract readers. You can hire a designer or use tools like Canva to create your own.

4. Choose a Self-Publishing Platform:

   - Select the platform(s) that best meet your needs. Amazon KDP is the most popular for eBooks, while services like Pothi.com or Notion Press are great for print-on-demand paperbacks.

5. Publish Your Book:

   - Upload your manuscript, cover, and book details to the chosen platform. Set your pricing and decide on royalty options.

6. Market and Promote:

   - Start marketing your book through social media, email newsletters, blogs, and online ads. Leverage book reviews and reader testimonials to boost credibility.

7. Monitor Sales and Royalties:

   - Once published, keep track of your book’s sales and royalties through the platform’s dashboard.

Conclusion:

Self-publishing in India is a viable and empowering option for authors who want full control over their book's production and distribution. With various platforms and services available, it is now easier than ever for authors to self-publish, distribute, and market their books to a global audience. The key to success lies in producing high-quality work, investing in professional services, and actively promoting the book.

[madlovenovelist]

Is building a home library contra to being environmentally conscious?

DISCUSSION POST: Should we be moving to e-libraries to save the planet, or are there ways to keep our books made of recyclable material and environmental impact down? I always make a concerted effort in my life to re-use, recycle, and re-purpose to minimise my footprint on our environment. Even in product choice to limit the amount of forever chemicals that enter the household. But then I turn…

[mightymur]

[ISBW] Tarot Tales and Historical Hurdles with Susan Wands

S20 Ep18: In Which Mur Explores Tarot and Historical Fiction with Susan Wands “Action is always better than no action. You can always fix what you’ve done. You can’t fix not getting started.”– Susan Wands Transcript (This post went live for supporters on June 27, 2024. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) In this episode, Mur chats with…

[somebodytopen]

[sewgeekmama]

Is Hybrid Publishing My Best Option?

This week a book publisher contacted me after reading my blog. She was very interested and suggested possibly writing a children’s book. Since I have been working on a book about my IVF experience and this would be a great way to get my foot in the door, I was totally doing the happy dance after reading her message. I don’t use gifs a lot on the blog, but this was totally me: My head was…

[tomgeorgearts]

Book Out!

I’m delighted to announce that I’ve published my first book! Here it is, a collection of poetry and prose, with illustrations by Jennie Wishart. It’s taken me a while to get it sorted, but it was worth it. The collection has 108 pages and a range of themes, including modern life, wellbeing and the natural world. I published the book with the help of Ingramspark, a company that guide you in the…

[author-a-holmes]

I have no advice on self-publishing and THEN going mainstream, beyond the fact that I know some people do. Reblogging to signal boost incase anyone has any advice on that point though <3

Authors who self publish some of their books, and then go the trad route with other books can be known as hybrid publishers, but be careful googling that as many of the scam/vanity presses have begun taking on that term to try and reel in authors who don't know any better.

As for my thoughts on self publishing; It's not for everyone, but it's definitely a valid route for many. As soon as I learned about self publishing, I knew it was the path I wanted to take so I've never actually gone the trad route at all. I've never submitted to an agent, or a publisher.

If you want to look into how to submit to agents and publishers, some great resources are; QueryShark and QueryTracker

I think the benefits of self publishing include full creative control of your work, and of your cover, and of where you publish and in what formats.

The downsides of self publishing is the initial cost outlay. You need to pay for the editing, and the cover design.

All the marketing is down to you too, but as a first time author all the marketing would be down to you on a trad publishing route too, unless you were incredibly lucky to get one of those covetted 5-figure and up deals, but we all know how rare those are.

For me, the benefits of self publishing out-weighed the negatives, but it still isn't easy. It's a lot of work, it's a lot of research finding cover designers and editors who you're comfortable working with, and who are also within your budget. And marketing is a steep learning curve, especially with a small/no budget.

But knowing I was going to self publish meant I actually began saving for the covers, and the editing costs while I was still writing Changeling, so that I had the money ready to go when I needed it. It's the same with Darkling; I have the covers for the whole series already, and I've got the editing money sitting in my bank waiting for the manuscript to be ready.

As for your final bullet point, adivce on how to go about self publishing, that could be a whole post on it's own. Let me know if you want me to go into depth on that one or not <3

Can you self-publish and still go mainstream?

I know that I could Google this question and get answers, but I want real experiences.

I also know that it would be a lot more work, but maybe it would be worth it??

What do you guys think of self-publishing?

Ideas, advice, how one could go about this?

[weeeeeekly]

the inheritance – hybrid!ot5 txt x human gn!reader

🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾 ・・・🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾

blurb !!! Your grandmother left behind her home to you in her will. As a recent college grad, you take on the responsibilities – you never expected to find 5 hybrids living in your new home

info !!! gender neutral pronouns for reader, no reader body shape mention, no use of y/n, non-idol au, hybrid au, strangers to lovers, ot5 txt x reader, kinda a/b/o, inspired by the monster’s bride webtoon, ppulbatu, & txt lore (please do not ask me about it bcuz I don’t know anyyyythingg)

WARNINGS !!! SFW but MDNI 18+ blog, swearing, not proofread just pure free flowing thought, wouldn’t recommend reading if you were close to your grandmother, she passed away, & are still grieving, mentions of physical abuse

wc 1.1k

author’s note !!! if you don’t like it – don’t read it!

🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾 ・・・🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾

CHAPTER THREE

(warning for mention of physical abuse)

Waking up is usually a pleasant thing for you, but being in a new environment doesn’t allow your body to calm down and sleep properly. It also doesn’t help that the second you gain consciousness and feel someone touching you startling you awake.

Your right eye twitches as you realize Soobin has, yet again, thrown his leg over your legs in his sleep when he decided last night, for some reason, to sleep in your bed. Yeonjun is nowhere to be found and Beomgyu is sleeping in an uncomfortable position with most of his body laying horizontally with his legs dangling off. You push Soobin off your body while also trying to not hit Beomgyu by accident. Despite the movement, they don’t stir in their sleep. You tiptoe across the wooden floor trying to not step on any creaky floorboards. The second you reach the doorframe; you close it and walk normally downstairs.

As you reach the kitchen, you’re face to face with the shocking sight of Yeonjun – shirtless – eating the rest of the leftover pizza you were saving for lunch tomorrow. It’s not shocking that you’re seeing him shirtless, it’s the fact that his skin is covered in various scars.

You can’t help but stare at it as your heart sinks to the floor. You know that Yeonjun knows you’re behind him now since he stopped eating. With his back still turned to you, he opens his mouth.

“Is it that bad?”

You can’t get a single word out as you walk closer to him to look over his back. There’s healed scars scattered alongside the bigger scars that you couldn’t see from across the kitchen.

“I always forget they’re there.” Yeonjun lets out a sad laugh as you stand next to him and open the mini cooler box.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Yeonjun shakes his head.

“Okay.” You say as you grab coffee in a can and start to drink it. “I have a trusted friend coming over to do health exams. It’s for everyone’s wellbeing.”

When he doesn’t say anything else, you turn back to head back upstairs.

🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾 ・・・🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾

You greet your best friend that had recently became a nurse.

“Thanks for coming on such short notice.”

“It’s no issue. Thanks for being my practice patient so I have my kit with me.”

Giving your bestie a forced smile as she gives you a puzzled look back. You bring her into the kitchen where your new 5 roommates sit.

“Okay, so hear me out.” You begin, “I wasn’t sure if I should call a doctor or a vet, but you were my safest option. I don’t want them to be taken away or sent back to an abusive facility and I can’t be arrested.”

“Arrested?”

“Um… what is your knowledge on… hybrids.” You mumble the last part.

“Huh?”

“Hybrids.”

“Hybrids?”

The guys take beanies you gave them off to show their ears as your friend freezes up, pulling you off to the side.

“Hey! What the fuck?”

She’s known you for a decade now and knows that you have a big heart. A heart too big for body and overtakes your judgment sometimes.

And this was one of those times.

Your friend rests her hand on your shoulder. “I know that you can’t help but be sympathetic and that your grandma would do the same thing, but you know how bad this could get.”

Nodding at her as she continues, “You’ll get put in jail and I’ll get in trouble for not reporting this.”

The weight of her words sink into your skin. “Could you forget I ever asked?”

She shakes her head.

“I’m only going to do a wellness check on them this one time.”

You hug and thank her relentlessly as the guys in the next room look at each other nervously.

🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾・・・🐾

Your leg won’t stop bouncing as you sit on your bed in your room, waiting for your friend to report back. It’s been 2 hours since she began and every negative thought is swirling in your mind. When you’re about to stand up to walk downstairs to check again, your door opens.

You immediately stand up as she looks at you with a straight face.

“So?”

“There’s a lot to say and they’ve given me consent to tell you. They’ve all spent the last year mainly in their animal form but surprisingly no lasting effects that I could see. A vet or hybrid doctor would have a better answer if you were to ever find that option. Yeonjun and Taehyun have the most signs of abuse with apparent scars on their backs. They’re all healed so this must have happened at a hybrid facility. Other than that, they’re all relatively healthy.”

Nodding your head, you follow her downstairs to the kitchen where they’re all sitting at the dinner table and chairs you brought in. Your friend bids goodbye as she heads back to her apartment. As you shut the door behind her, you sigh as the 5 guys stare back at you.

“Okay, let’s go out.”

You ignore their confused looks as you head to the closet underneath the stairs to see if the winter clothes were still there, which they were, and start picking out beanies and jackets that would fit them. It’s starting to get cold outside again so strangers wouldn’t have a second thought about it. You decide to also grab a sweater for yourself to match them.

You need to go to the grocery store anyway. This could be the perfect opportunity for them to feel more comfortable with you and to then, hopefully, talk to you. Then, you could get a better idea of their situation and what to do. Should you just keep them as your roommate or was there anything you could do that would allow them to live normally?

The grocery store was one of your favorite places. Despite the mundaneness of it, it allowed you to mindlessly walk through aisles of stuff to look at and ignore your current problems (only if your problems don’t include money). The store was empty at this time, which was a blessing for everyone.

“Can you grab a cart for me?”

Taehyun nods as Beomgyu and Kai stick close to you. You ignore the feeling of their breathing on the back of your neck as you look at the options for canned tuna.

“Does Taehyun like fish? Or am I generalizing?”

Kai answers, “He loves tuna.”

“Great!” You say as you randomly pick up 6 cans of your favorite brand.

masterlist | previous | next

authors note sorry for the late update been dealing with writer’s block

[upside-garden-of-dreams]

In A Late Afternoon [Hybrid!Jake x Reader]

Genre: fluff

Warnings: none, just some mentions of undressing, kissing, and maybe a suggestive ending? But that ending interpretation is up to you

General info: Reader is kept gender neautral, Jake is a golden retriever dog/puppy boy, English isn't my native language excuse the typos

[More puppy Jake]

Aaaah.... I honestly didn't think this idea would extend like this Anyways, hope you enjoy! 🐶💛

Ears perked at the sould of keys fumbling with the doorknob.

A tail wagged, a nose sniffed, a heart beat faster at the prospect of what will happen next.

As soon as you opened the door to your home, allowing your bag to sling off your shoulders and pop down on the small shelf by the door, your greeting was interrupted by an excited voice:

"Jakey, I'm ho-"

"Honey! Hi, hello! Did you have a good day? I missed you!"

You were instantly hugged by your over-energetic golder retriever of a boyfriend, face nuzzling deep into your neck as he familiarized himself with your fresh scent once more.

Sure, the house was surrounded by your scent, but nothing compares to the one on your actual skin, you know? Or so he says.

Tiredness startled out of your mind, it took a couple seconds to process what excatly happened just now. Instinctively, your arms went to wrap around him in a confused hug.

"Darling, remember what I said?" You pat him lightly on the back to call for his attention.

"Oh! Yeah! Ah-ahem...Sorry, babe." He let you go, a tinge of bashfullness and shame coloring his face. His excitement bubbled down slightly by what his ears and tail showed, flattening against his head and slowing down its wag, respectively.

Jake fumbled with his hands in nervousness, eyes downturned but still taking peeks at you.

He was way too adorable for his own good. A small smile settled itself on your face as you admired the cutie in front of you.

The brunet's entire demeanor changed back to his characteristic joyful self once your hand went on to pet between his floppy ears. Jake stared at you with bright brown eyes, while an equally as bright smile shaped his lips.

Pushing the door closed, you talked again, "While I adore your hugs as a greeting, do allow me to fully come inside next time, luv." Once done with the reminder, you opened your arms expectantly.

The hybrid chuckled and dove into your arms, "Understood!"

"Hello, Jake. I'm home." You completed your greeting from before, burrying your face into his shoulder. The comforting warmth of his embrace permiated your soul, finally relaxing your tense body for today.

Jake turned to place a sweet kiss on your temple, "Welcome back, my love."

You remained in place for a while, neither of you willing to separate.

Alas, it was the puppy boy who broke the hug. Still, he kept his hands on your waist to keep you close.

"Let's get you comfortable, yes?"

Taking one of his hands and walking to you room, you agreed, "I'd love that."

Golden ears perked up once more, an excited yet shy smile coloring his lips, "Do...I get to help you?"

Turning around to answer, you could see his tail wagging slowly and picking up in speed as you talked, "Of course, silly puppy! I have tea to spill! You won't belive what Yuna said to the manager, like O-M-G my girl gives ZERO shits!"

As you talked and completed your after-work routine, Jake listened attentively. Occasionally, he would let out small hums of agreement and sounds of disbelief as he listened to the tale about your friend Yuna and her fight with that nightmare manager your team was cursed with.

His gentle hands helped remove some clothing articles, taking the time to sooth the skin with leftover marks from where your clothes hugged you a bit too tight. Your lover brought you close to his chest, circling your waist from behind, head dropping down to your shoulder to trail tender kisses all the way to your neck and jawline.

Giggles erupted from you due to his affections, hand going up to play with his hair and rub at the base of his left ear.

"Baby~" Jake whined in delight at the petting.

"Jakey~" You mimiked his tone, a breathless laugh at the end. "C´mon, put a shirt on me so we can cuddle on the couch for a while. I need my puppy to truly relax."

You could see the lightbulb atop his head from where he got an idea, "Wait here! I won't take long!"

With a sloppy kiss to your cheek, the dogboy quickly ran to his room.

In a matter of seconds, he came back with a black t-shirt in his hands, "Arms up! I have your favorite~"

Doing as told, you allowed your boyfriend to dress you up in one of his oversized shirts. It smelled just like him.

Bown eyes scanned you up and down with myrth, he loved how you looked in his clothes.

"You're so beautiful," he said, with a lovestruck look in his eyes.

Pecking his lips quickly, you answered, "And you're the cutest ever." Tugging on his hand, you led the way back into the living room.

Finally, the moment you desired most arrived: a moment to wind down and cuddle, catch up on Jake's day, and enjoy some time together.

Plopping down on the couch, you turned on the TV and let the random channel from last night play on the background.

A look thrown Jake's way sent you both into motion: the golden retriever laid down sideways on the cushions as you unfolded the light blanket hanging on the armrest. Your sweetheart gently guided you down near his chest while you flicked the soft cover over both your bodies.

You sighed happily while nuzzling into his toned chest, humming in delight at the calming atmosphere surounding you two.

Jake carded his fingers through your hair to help you destress even more, tail tumping against the sofa with every volume spike in your hums of enjoyment.

"Missed you so much, Jakey," You mumbled into his chest.

"Missed you, too, my love," He answered back.

As you looked into each other's eyes, the same idea crossed your minds. In silent agreement, you leaned towards the other and gave in to your desire...

With loving passion and delicate sweetness, you locked your lips and indulged in one another to your heart's conentent

[ END ]

Thank you for reading ~!

Feel free to like, share, reblog, and leave comments in tags or under the post (⁠人⁠*⁠´⁠∀⁠｀⁠)⁠｡⁠*ﾟ⁠+🩷

[manysketchbook]

Firffels: the Wuzzles Competitor That Disappeared

Recently, I found this toy at my local thrift store. I thought it was an oddly cute nativity toy, but upon closer inspection the tush tag read "FIRFFELS. I'm glad to be a SHAMEL." I did a quick search online and the first result was this page on Ghost of the Doll, a toy collector's site that archives information about 80s/90s toys and includes a forum where anyone can seek help with identifying toys. This lead me down a rabbit hole of figuring out just what Firffels were: a failed line of toys promised to be the next hot phenomenon, with minimal documentation online and a handful of toys floating around in thrift stores.

Other than Ghost of the Doll, I found info about Firffels in this 2010 blog post by Trish Babbles (written in an edgy, mean-to-be-funny style that I think is too uncharitable, but it was a different time to be online lol) and this blog post by AF Blog. My other info comes from Othello Bach's website dedicated to the book itself (her personal site is no longer functional) and from a handful of youtube videos I found of a Firffels commercial. Many thanks to these sources, without them there'd be like, nothing online about these creatures.

Firffels are based on the children's book Who ever Heard of a Fird? by Othello Bach, first edition published in 1984 by Caedmon Childrens Books (upon Googling, it appears that Caedmon is owned by HarperCollins now and focuses on audiobooks). The story follows Fird, a fish-bird hybrid, as he travels the world to find other firds. Along the way he encounters a goofy, lovable cast of other hybrid animals who have all never heard of a fird. The story ends with fird learning to love his uniqueness and find peace with being who he is. As is apparent in the Amazon link above (not sponsored, just showing my work), a used copy is $86 dollars right now. An audiobook narrated by Joel Grey (an actor that I'm unfamiliar with who is apparently known for his role in Cabaret) was also released on cassette, listed on Ebay for $75+. Luckily, there is a youtube video of someone doing a complete read through of the book, but the camera angle is poor. This is the only visual record I could find online of the interior illustrations by Michelle Dorman, other than a brief look at a few in a low quality VHS promo rip I'll get to in a minute, and the image below from an Ebay listing. There may be a few more photos in some Etsy listings that I missed.

In Trish's blog post they complain that Shamel is an ugly monstrosity and there were a few comments on Ghost of the Doll's forum of the same nature about Shamel, but I think Shamel is the cutest one! It just looks like a new breed of camel, meanwhile Fird in the background here is...he's so cartoonishly goofy. Idk how else to describe him. He's so fuckin' goofy. He'd make squeaky Spongebob-esque sound effects when he walks, I imagine.

The book was allegedly a hit and Remco bought the merchandising rights. They went all in, as is detailed in the 5 minute promotional video below. Based on a cast of 6 characters, plush toys and posable action figures hit the market with a promise that Hanna Barbera would develop an animated tv show starring Firffels, housewares would be made, there'd be a clothing line, and Design-a-Firffel contests would be held. A few housewares seem to have been made and plush toy sewing patterns were released, but I was unable to find evidence that anything else moved forward.

Absolutely fucking insane fact: according to this video, Caedmon Publishing was owned by Raytheon at the time. Thanks Raytheon for these cuddly children's toys and also, uh, horrific weapons of war?

After I bought Shamel, I went back to the store to see if there were more. There were! I found Bertle and Elephonkey, who still had the original tags. I swear the day earlier I had seen a frog toy with butterfly wings but it wasn't there anymore. I remember passing over it and thinking "eh, butterfly wings on a frog aren't cute," and did not bothering even looking at the tags. My mistake. Turns out that toy was worth a decent amount of money and was part of this whole story.

Bertle's pink belly super bright in real life, like neon. There is a sunbleached spot on it's front.

Elephonkey is the only one with original tags. I also included an image of the tush tag. For each toy the tush tag is the same but displays the character's name.

Hybrid animals are not a unique concept. Wuzzles, a line of plush toys that were animal hybrids with wings and likely made to compete with Care Bears, are brought up in most posts and forums where Firffels are mentioned--usually to disparage Firffels as being knock off, less successful Wuzzles. Wuzzles weren't exactly successful either, though they definitely lasted longer and had more reach, likely due to the backing of a Disney/Hasbro budget. AF Blog in 2015 makes a good point that I agree with: it's unlikely that Wuzzles and Firffels were ripping each other off due to production timelines. Toy lines can be in development for years before any information is made public. It takes a long time to design toys, then get them to a manufacturer, then go through the revisions process. Not to mention the time it takes to ship things out, negotiate contracts at every step of the way, etc. And, as AF Blog notes, Whoever Heard of a Fird? was released in 1984, a year before the first Wuzzles tv episode aired, and Firffels hit the market a year later.

People draw hybrid animals all the time. For example, furry adoptable artists draw hybrids all the time (take a shot every time you find a closed species that is a feline with a fish tail or deer feet or some other animal's defining trait), the Lego movie had Unikitty, and I literally went to Walmart today and in the toy section there was a miniature rabbit-like rainbow animal with wings and a unicorn horn there. The thing that makes these toys potentially appealing, in my opinion, is that they choose safe and popular traits: sparkly horns and feathery wings, for the most part. Things that are easily marketable.

The thing with Firffels is that they combined animals with traits that are less immediately appealing. Image below from Ghost of the Doll.

Some of them are cute but the others miss the mark. Personally I like Shamel and Bertle (the plush version only tbh).

Worth pointing out is that the character illustrations do not match the toy designs. If you go back and watch the commercials included in the 5 minute promo video, you can see that the Bertle plush and action figure are brown and green rather than pink and blue, and that Shamel's hair is brown instead of purple. I saw varied photos of the Butterfrog plush: some were lighter green while others were darker. Could be an issue with differing cameras, but I don't know for certain. And then there's Elephonkey, who is the most inconsistent of the bunch:

The first image is the prototype toy as it appears in the commercial. It is grey and flesh colored, with odd looking plastic hair. The second image is from Ghost of the Doll, of how the Elephonkey action figure actually appeared in stores. Third is a photo of my Elephonkey plush. Compare it with the official character art...well, he's not my favorite design in any incarnation.

I think the toys in the commercials were prototypes that were changed to brighter colors so as to appeal more towards girls. In the 30 second plush commercial there are 4 girl actors and 1 boy actor, with the camera shots getting closer to and focusing more on the girls' faces, so it would make sense. In contrast, the action figure commercial features 1 girl and 2 boys, and most of the camera shots are of the kids' hands playing with the toys, giving off a more boyish, gender-neutral vibe. Classics of gendered marketing, am I right? lol. But I think the change was a good one. I wouldn't have picked up Shamel if I hadn't seen the purple hair, and I definitely would not like Bertle if he wasn't pink. It gives the toys more of a cohesive style, a unique identity, and they fit in more alongside the Wuzzles/Care Bears visuals with the vibrant, happy colors. There's more of a toy-like quality to them, which increases the cuddle-ability and inspires more of an urge to play.

Discovering and logging all this inconsistency has been pretty fun. But it makes me think that these toys were probably doomed by a chaotic, unorganized development process behind the scenes. And given that the book was published in '84 and toys hit the market in '85...the signs seem to point to production being rushed.

To be fair to Firffels, it was probably a little harder in the 80s to hit it big with kids. You had to be lucky, you had to have connections with the right distributors, you had to anticipate what is universally appealing to children--one of the most unpredictable audiences out there--and you had to pay to air your commercials during prime child viewing hours. These are all things that are still true, but we have the internet now and the advertising power of the internet is scary. Going viral on TikTok has the potential to skibidi someone's toilet career. iPad babies are growing up into grade school kids who throw birthday parties every year and get toys as gifts. We are living in an era where mass-producing cheap little polyester plushies and plastic figures is easier than ever and corporations have massive budgets to pump into kids' eyeballs through every advertising avenue they possibly can. They don't even need to come up with the designs anymore, they can just partner with whatever Roblox game is popular right now and capitalize on that. Maybe Othello Bach should get on Roblox.

Actually, it appears that Bach was given the short end of the stick by the time Firffels were pulled. Though her personal website is no longer up, her other website dedicated entirely to Whoever Heard of a Fird? has some info:

At the height of Fird's success, with over 100 licensees cramming the store shelves with children’s merchandise and an animation contract with Hanna-Barbera, the book and all the merchandise suddenly vanished from the shelves.  Although she lost the rights to several other published children’s books at the same time, Othello has never received a reasonable explanation for what happened.

So this passage actually clears something up for me. This whole time something that hasn't really lined up is that I had assumed that Othello Bach published the book first and then was approached for merchandising rights after the book sold well. I actually think now it's possible that from the get-go the book was written with the intention for it to become a worldwide sensation. Not so much Bach's intent, though. I have some professional familiarity with licensing and other such creative publishing contracts, particularly with books. Based on what I know, I believe it's more likely that Bach pitched her manuscript to Caedmon Publishing and Caedmon, seeking to create popular IP, was like, "this has potential and we are going to sign you on not only for the book, but for more." That might be why the character designs are so strange: they were trying too hard to get famous quick and had instructed the illustrator (it is regular practice for publishers to pair authors with an illustrator and given how much was on the line for this IP, Bach might not've had much input here) to design characters that could also become toys. It's unlikely that Michelle Dorman, a kids book illustrator, had product design skills needed to make standout, awesome toy designs. Not a knock on her, illustrators just have niches within their field that they're best at it. It's why you see so many illustrators complain about how often they get approached to design logos--that's not what we do, thank you.

What's sad is that clearly Bach had signed a bad contract that gave away most of her rights as the writer to the publisher. She openly says so above. My guess is that Caedmon told her they needed more rights than usual to be able to conduct so much merchandising (like signing contracts with Remco, much easier to do when you don't have a third party also involved), and because they were pouring so much effort into it on their end. Bach is just the writer, so while the original idea is hers, Caedmon would have matched her with an illustrator and taken charge of all the licensing and merchandising. For a publisher this is a huge commitment financially and personnel-wise, so it makes sense why they would have put forth a contract that gave them so many rights. If Firffels had become as popular as they'd hoped, they don't want to not own the IP. They would have poured all those resources into it and not be able to reap all the rewards because that pesky author would own it. It's almost like contracts like these are predatory and only serve the interests of the publisher. Almost like publishers are companies existing in a capitalistic system and therefore only serve profit, not people. Almost like companies will never truly have artist's best interests at heart, and if you are ever to sign a contract with a big publisher you need to have a good lawyer by your side.

It makes me so sad to read that they didn't even give her a reasonable explanation as to why everything was cancelled. She does not even appear to have any of the merchandise on hand, as all the photos on her website are from Ghost of the Doll. In hindsight we can guess, obviously, why the cancellation happened but I'm in the moment it was probably upsetting. It's still upsetting, given that she has included this in her website for the...revamped book!

However, like Fird, Othello refused to give up. For the next 20 years, she tried to regain the rights to her work. Entertainment attorneys assured her it would never happen.  They said, "It can't be done!" But... it could be done and Othello did it, regaining the rights back to all her work.

Yeah, so, I actually think this is the saddest part about the whole thing. She managed to get some of the rights back and republished the book with...new art...that looks so fucking BAD. Image from her website:

Sorry to this illustrator, but got damn. There is no sauce to this art whatsoever. It is unseasoned, not even salt and pepper. This looks like ass and would never fucking fly with any editor worth their chops. It took me ages to figure out that the long yellow curved line is Fird's tail. Like, this is so unbelievably sad to me. I don't even really like the original art a whole lot, but compared to this...

My informed guess as to what happened is that Bach lawyered up and fought. As we know, Caedmon is now owned by HarperCollins. I can't say for certain but there was probably some case to be made that Caedmon being sold breached the contract, or nullified parts of it, or perhaps the contract expired. It could even just be that HarperCollins didn't care about an old, unprofitable IP and granted Bach her rights back. There is also Remco to consider: they also hold some of the rights, but probably just for the merchandise? Given how prominently their logo is displayed on the toy tags, they might actually own a significant share. Perhaps they were happy not to have anything to do with the book so long as the merch rights weren't touched. I don't know! There's no info about it on the site and this stuff is usually under NDA.

So Bach got her rights back, but she's just the writer. She doesn't own any of the art, so in order to republish the book she had to hire a new illustrator. She likely did not have a huge budget for it, maybe even paying for it out of her pocket because the Choice Books logo she has in several spots on the Fird website appears to be for a distribute on demand service, in place of a traditional publisher.

As the writer, she also would not have gotten the rights to use the original audiobook, so she had one re-recorded. It also appears like she does not have the rights to the name "Firffels" either, as the only places it appears on the site are in photographs of merchandise and in titles specifically referring to the work that is still owned by Caedmon. She carefully refers to her own work as "Fird" for short or the book's full title, probably because she cannot legally imply that she owns or made anything else.

I dug into this thinking it would be a quick look at some strange, forgotten toys from a bygone era. Instead I found a story about how an artist can so easily be shafted by publishers. Everything always loops back around to workers' rights, it seems. Stories like this about shitty publishing contracts (see: Webtoon if you want to get into something current) still appear so often, man. It's depressing, and indicative that the publishing industry needs some reforming ASAP. Like, Illustrators, when are we getting a proper union?

But I'm glad Bach got her rights back and got her book republished within her lifetime. I'm sad she didn't have the budgets for a better illustrator. Sorry to bring that up again, I work as an illustrator irl and I have opinions about craft, lol. Also I just think that given how hard Bach had to fight, she deserved to have better art made. That being said, here's another link to her current website. There's not much there but what is there is a monument to a battle she fought and won, and is proud of.

The lack of detailed, clear, centralized documentation of these toys frustrates me. One of the most frustrating things about the internet for me is that there are few easily accessible, publicly available archives of toys--even for modern toys. I've had to use Amazon reviews and Ebay listings and broken online stores to decipher publication years. With this in mind I decided to do a write up and provide clearer pictures of the toys that I have (I'll take hi res pics in natural lighting too someday). Archives are important to me and the internet kinda sucks for it, I say as someone who started this blog for that purpose. If Tumblr goes down, so does everything I've posted here. As an artist who works primarily digitally, one of the scariest things is knowing that I'm laboring over an ephemeral body of work. It's just not going to exist for very long unless I print it out on archival materials. Data is not the same as a physical object. My Firffels have survived for 39 years but the digital art I draw every day is unlikely to last past 10 years because websites die and files get deleted.

I bought the Firffels from my thrift store thinking I'd resell them. I'm low income so I sell many of the things I thrift. I prefer to buy the older toys or the ones that need cleaning because it makes me feel better about being a reseller (I don't want to take away options from low income kids in my area, ya know?). But I'm putting in the labor to freshen them up and I'm putting in the effort to make unavailable toys available again, at least for one person. And I don't have a whole lot of shelf space to display the toys in my collection...but for now I think I'll keep them.

[heart-forge]

Hiiiiiii. Now you know I absolutely adore this blog, the author and the games.

So no pressure when I ask this but I was just wondering about hybrid. I remember it being one of the very first IFs I ever played. I still remember where I was where I played it. Lmao on my way home from a trip with my husband in the car with my feet up 🤣

So I just was wondering if it's still in the works..o absolutely loved what was released and it just came up. I loved the characters so much.

Ja abso. It might have been a while back that I said this (what IS time) but Hybrid's getting an update after Bad Ritual because everyone waited really patiently and I saw a huge influx of Hybrid love last year.

The only special thing about Hybrid is that it's not formally in update order. On an official level I update BR, I update MH, then I update BR again, and on and on. Hybrid was released as an attempt to like, kill the burnout: as such, it gets an update when I feel the burnout dkjfsd. But like I said the latter half of last year really felt the Hybrid love and it's my stomping grounds for figuring out new mechanics (not that I need any right now but since it's only like two chapters long, it's easier for me to figure out stuff like progression and save states there instead of on the monstrous-sized BR).

[regicidal-defenestration]

One thing about China Miéville is that he loves a city

[madlovenovelist]

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