Book publishing sales growth is impressive to say the least. Furthermore, the number of traditionally published books increased 10% between 2022 and 2025, while during this period, self-published books jumped 43.5%. — Publishers Weekly, 17 March 2026.

So, what does this really mean?

Traditional publishers have been playing catch-up for more than 20 years. It has been clear for at least that long that a) self-publishing is a thing no matter how trad publishers have criticized it; b) people still like books; c) traditional publishing was collapsing under its own weight; d) there was probably a better way for large enterprises to continue publishing.

So much can be written about this trend, but the scope of this post is that traditional publishers, in their corporate wisdom and struggle to survive, and whether accidentally or strategically, have turned the self-publishing phenomenon into a business opportunity by using the self-publishing marketplace as their farm system — yes, just like baseball.

Imagine

Imagine me as the CEO of Mammoth Publishing, Inc. Why would I invest millions in finding, grooming, and advancing more authors than is absolutely necessary? Let them duke it out themselves in the global bookstore that is Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. I’ll keep my eyes glued to the winners and recruit them to our team. Better yet, let’s start our own businesses (farm clubs) to help find and develop new publishers, and make them pay for the privilege. This is exactly what’s happening with the advent of publishing services like Archway Publishing (Simon & Shuster) and Westbow Press (Nelson/Zondervan).

I am not complaining here. I am celebrating the creativity not only of book writers but corporate leaders trying to meet quarterly earnings goals. Services like Archway and Westbow are like other publishing services: they provide the help you need to publish your book, with you doing the marketing, and then wait in the wings to welcome you into their fold. Everyone wins. Corporate publishing survives.

The results are in. Self-published book sales are growing four times faster than traditionally-published sales. People like books more than ever. The publishing farm system helps everyone.

See this Publishers Weekly article for more.

More about the three ways to publish.