Tag: traditional 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.

The Times, They Never Stop Changing

Published on by Michael McCandlessLeave a comment

It has long held true in publishing that 20% of the titles make for 80% of the profits. Whether the typical numbers are more like 40/60 or 10/90, the principle is the same. In any speculative business such as book publishing (or movies or music or gold mining), the best-sellers carry the rest of the list to profitability and sustainability. But if Lora Kelly, a writer for The Atlantic, is right, even this economic pillar of the publishing business is changing. See Taylor Swift Is a Perfect Example of How Publishing Is Changing for the story.

This may be very good news for other self-publishing authors like Ms. Swift. I’ve always thought that the best way for a self-publishing author to get a shot with an established, aka traditional, publisher is to wait for them to come to you. For years now, savvy acquisition editors have been training their sights on Amazon and other platforms to get a bead on the next best sellers. A single shot to an aspirational writer has sometimes landed a new super-star author. What are the odds? Better than a total shot in the dark, apparently.

So, be ready for that e-mail or letter from an editor at a big-name publisher. Know your rights, and your copyrights. Be prepared to sell some, but not necessarily all, your rights to the first big-game hunter who has their sights on you. In the meantime, dream big, and get back to writing your sequel!