Have you noticed the increase in Publishing Vets leaving Big Publishers to start their own independent press (As always please just nod and “say of course” 😆)

Meet Molly Stern. From 2000–2018, she moved from executive editor of Viking, to SVP Publisher at Crown, SJP for Hogarth under Penguin Random House, all the way to leaving and starting the well known Zando Projects in 2020.

Zando Is Ready for Its Next Chapter

The launch of Molly Stern’s Zando has all gone according to plan—or at least to her financial plan. Still, four years in, the unorthodox indie press has succeeded in some surprising ways.

In just 5 years and 5 months (according to LinkedIn), Zando has published hits such as Instant NY Times Bestselling Author Alaina Urquhart's Dr. Wren Muller series (often called The Butcher and the Wren series) and has started imprints with celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker (SJP Lit), John Legend (Get Lifted Books), and even authors like Gillian Flynn and media outlets like The Atlantic.

But wait there's more.

Madeline McIntosh, who began in publishing in 1997, worked all the way to the ranks of CEO of the #1 Publishing House in the world, Penguin Random House, and served from 2018 to 2023.

If that career wasn't enough, after departing PRH, she became the Co-Founder and CEO of her new "Authors Equity" (keep that name in mind) in 2024.

Authors Equity is a "new publishing model, one that puts authors first and offers financial incentives and publishing experience built around each author's unique vision, needs, and ambitions."

A Personalized Approach to Publishing — Authors Equity - The Author-Centered Book Publisher

Looking for a publisher that puts the your needs first? Authors Equity offers a fresh approach designed to help authors succeed in today's market.

So far, they have published the expanded edition of Joseph Nguyen's groundbreaking book "Don't Believe Everything You Think," "This is Strategy" by Seth Godin, and "What If YOU Are the Answer" by Rachel Hollis, to name a few so far!

You get the picture, but even Publishing Veteran Bob Miller is leaving his CEO position at Phaidon Press to launch indie Bookswork Press.

So why…

The first is obvious. We are moving away from the Gatekeepers into the Creator Economy. You have seen this across the board in Media, Sports (NILs), Hollywood (Netflix and streamers), Podcasting, and now we are seeing the Authors (aka the creators of books) being partners with their publishers (here's where Author Equity matters).

In both cases, Zando and Authors Equity, the Authors (creators of stories) are either the main event with built in audiences or, in Zando's case, they are pairing upcoming authors with celebrities and influencers that have a built in platform.

And it makes sense. The authors have the stories and the audience, why not allow them to be a part of the larger wins.

Does this mean the Big 5 are going anywhere… Absolutely not!

It just shows that publishing professionals at the top of the space are seeing where the puck is going and adapting.

What does this mean for Book Content Creators…

Continuing with the theme of the year (Book World Goes Hollywood), you have the built in community and are the closest to the reader. You have the ability to influence the book culture, not just in the popular books that get published, but also sharing about and promoting the indie author no one has heard about. Book Content creators are the tastemakers.

Your platform matters and the publishing world is taking notice