Thanks so much for blogging with us today, Amanda!

I was thinking the same thing, Kathryn!

I make it a point to steer clear of places like you point out in #5. And of people in general who hold that opinion. In my experience they tend to be very angry about it and if someone doesn't agree with them you get blasted for being an idiot. Talk about unprofessional behavior.

Yep, this is a great mindset. Everyone should do what's best for his or her own career, but I personally think that the hybrid model makes the most money and results in the happiest authors 🙂

I SO agree. But many times, they do it after going through a bad experience or after feeling as though their careers are moving faster on the indie side than the trad side. But totally...this is a small business. So even harping on agents on these public forums...you gain nothing, but you have so much to lose. You never know when you may need that person to LIKE you down the road.

Yes, if you're unpublished then it's not a question of whether or not you want to be a hybrid author. It's a question of whether you want to wait OR begin a self-publishing career. While it's hard to begin on the traditional side, it's also very hard to start on the indie side and then transition over to the traditional side. There just isn't a magic formula, so yes, waiting for that trad deal is a perfectly fine strategy.

Aw, thank you very much 🙂

Most of my authors do heed my advice, or at the very least strongly consider it 🙂 But yes, when an author seems to feel as though he or she knows more than I, it's at that point that I start to wonder why we're working together. I mean why give someone 15% if you don't trust their opinions?