Tag: self-publishing

The Farm System

Published on by Mike McCandlessLeave a comment

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.

Sum-sum-summertime reading

Published on by Michael McCandlessLeave a comment

The picture shows my perfect summertime scenario. Reading on the beach, shaded, with a tall, cool one close by. This aspirational reading scene is my hope every year around this time.

As a self-published author, you could be the name on the cover of the book enjoyed by the summertime reading enthusiast. How would that feel?

Maybe Touchwood Press Publish-It-Yourself resources can help you toward that feeling.

I like detective fiction best as a summertime read. Or that classic that I’ve been promising myself I would finally get to. I’ve been trying to finish Moby Dick since high school. I’m re-reading Slaughterhouse Five and launching a project to read all the Vonnegut books I read but didn’t understand in college.

The New York Times, Goodreads, Kirkus Reviews, and other sites with book reviewers all see summertime, and especially vacations, as reading time. Rightly so. But if you’re not getting away to the beach or wherever on vacation any time soon, find a summertime reading spot and while away a few hours a week working on that stack that’s been growing on your nightstand, or trespassing on valuable desktop real estate. Open your mind and make space for new content. Wander in your thoughts in a summertime sort of way. I mean what is summertime for?

How do I know if my book is ready for publishing?

Published on by Michael McCandlessLeave a comment

A wise friend reminds me that “Done is better than perfect.” Sometimes it is better to go ahead with a new venture and just see what happens. Counting the benefits and costs of this is important.

Be kind to yourself and realize that having your book live on Amazon or wherever will have several immediate bonuses:

  1. There is no substitute for “seeing your name in lights,” as it were. Pressing the “Publish” button in KDP will produce a live product page for your book on amazon.com. Since this is familiar territory for Amazon shoppers, you should feel a mild rush of pride or maybe apprehension (Am I an imposter?) about see your book suddenly for sale in the world’s largest store. Savor the moment and then get on with promotion, because just having your book on Amazon does not mean automatic best-seller status.
  2. Your book on Amazon plants a stake in the ground of your writing/publishing career. This is a forever milestone. Use it to get a new sense of what you’re about with this writing thing.
  3. If you’ve created an effective title, description, categories, and key words in your KDP setup process, you may make some sales, especially if your book is nonfiction and well-aimed at a specific reader group.
  4. With your book on Amazon, you now have someplace to send friends, family, well-wishers, Facebook friends, LinkedIn connections, etc. to show them what you’ve been up to. Send them an email, message, or tweet and ask for their feedback and if they’re inclined, a positive review. This can help kick-start your book’s marketing.

Having made the case for self-publishing on KDP, I will balance my enthusiasm for this with the caution than wile done is better than perfect, perfection is a variable concept. Make sure to edit out typos, spelling errors, bad grammar, and obvious mistakes. In other words, respect the process and make sure to do a creditable job of editing and formatting. While KDP will make sure your book and cover meet their manufacturing standards, it won’t tell you that you have mistaken “there” for “their” or split your infinitives. Publish a creative product you will take pride in.

All in all, I strongly recommend self-publishing using the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) service. It will introduce you to publishing as something you can do yourself at very low cost. You won’t tie yourself forever to one publisher or process, which means maintaining your freedom of choice down the road. Most important, self-publishing with KDP will get your book out there, pushed gently out of its nest, ready for the world to take notice. After all, done IS better than perfect.

Contact us at Touchwood Press if you’d like to talk through your project, get some coaching, or use us as your project manager.