From Grey to Great?

Abstract

In recent years, the possibilities for aspiring writers who wish to invest in publishing their work without the involvement of an established and external publishing house have grown tremendously. The aim of this article is to look into the global trend of ‘hybrid publishing services’ that operate in the grey zone between traditional publishing and self- publishing. Particular attention is given to the case of Hoi Publishing in Sweden. On the basis of empirical findings on the company’s legal and financial status, company turnover, and symbolic capital, the article examines the status and position of Hoi in relation to similar-sized royalty publishers in order to analyse how its business model fits into the contemporary Swedish literary publishing field. The findings of the case study are supplemented with survey data from 715 authors, publishing professionals, and literary critics, gathered in 2020.