Book Publishing Isn’t Dying — It’s Evolving into Your Greatest Opportunity

Let’s be honest—people have been saying “publishing is dead” for years.

First it was Amazon. Then ebooks. Then social media. Every time the industry shifts, someone calls it the end of books.

They’re wrong.

At Leadership Books, we’re not watching publishing die—we’re watching it transform. What used to be a static, print-only model has become a dynamic platform for authors, entrepreneurs, pastors, and thought leaders who want to create real influence.

Publishing hasn’t gotten weaker. It’s gotten smarter—and if you’re called to share a message, the time has never been better.

Print Books Still Hold the Lead

Here’s what the numbers say: print books still dominate U.S. book sales. As of 2023, ebooks account for just 10.5% of total sales revenue¹. That massive digital takeover everyone predicted? It never arrived.

Why? Because readers still crave the feel of a real book in their hands. They want to highlight, dog-ear, and see their bookshelf full of titles that changed their lives. And let’s be honest—it’s hard to hand someone a meaningful gift when it’s a file download.

Paper is still personal. And that matters.

The Real Threat Isn’t Digital — It’s Distraction

I’m not worried about Kindle or Audible. I’m more concerned that people are reading less—not because books aren’t valuable, but because they’re being drowned out by distraction.

A Gallup study in 2023 found that more than 50% of U.S. teens spend over four hours a day on social media². That’s four hours not spent learning, reflecting, or growing through long-form content. And this trend didn’t happen overnight.

Back in the late 1990s, educational publishers shifted gears. Around 1999, they began replacing traditional blocks of text in schoolbooks with infographics, sidebars, and image-heavy layouts³. The unintended consequence? A generation trained to skim instead of study.

Now, when younger audiences want information, they often turn to YouTube or short-form video. But the quality of that content is all over the place. In fact, recent research found that many children—and adults—can’t easily distinguish between credible educational content and misinformation⁴.

That’s a problem. But it’s also a huge opportunity.

How We’re Leading the Shift at Leadership Books

At Leadership Books, we’ve embraced the shift. We’ve stopped thinking of a book as the final product. Instead, we see it as the foundation of a platform.

We help nonfiction authors in leadership, personal growth, discipleship, finance, and faith-based publishing build entire ecosystems around their message. Here’s how:

• Books + Online Courses – We adapt ten-chapter books into twelve-part video courses, with each lesson running about 20 minutes—the optimal engagement time for modern learners⁵.
• Digital & Physical Workbooks – With diagrams, prompts, transcripts, and guided questions, we serve visual, audio, and Socratic learners.
• Public Speaking Integration – Our authors learn how to step on stage, lead workshops, or appear on podcasts with confidence and clarity.
• Faith-Driven Funnels – We build marketing systems that connect your message to the right audience—across churches, coaching platforms, Christian media, and beyond.

We’re not just publishing books. We’re creating movement-ready platforms that scale.

Your Book is Just the Beginning

For most of our authors, the book is step one. But the real leverage happens when that message multiplies:

• They start speaking on stages
• They lead coaching groups or mastermind programs
• Their course creates recurring income
• Their message creates lasting influence—online and offline
  

This is what I mean when I say we turn authors into leaders—and leaders into movements. It’s what I teach in Invisible to Viral, and it’s the core of what we do every day.

The Industry Is Changing — But the Mission Remains

Yes, publishing is changing. But if your message is clear… if your story is redemptive… if your purpose is rooted in calling rather than ego—you will not be silenced by the noise of culture.

What the world needs right now isn’t more content. It needs more conviction. And that’s exactly what a disciplined author can deliver.

Ready to Share Your Message?

If you’ve been sitting on a book idea, or wondering if now’s the time to relaunch your message, I want to give you something: my book Invisible to Viral. It’s free. Just cover shipping.

It’s the blueprint we’ve used to help pastors, consultants, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders take their message from the page to the platform—and I want it in your hands.
Claim your copy at InvisibleToViral.com

We don’t just publish books. We launch movements.

About the Author

Michael Stickler is the publisher of Leadership Books and a straight-talking guide for authors, speakers, executives, and ministry leaders ready to grow their influence without compromising their convictions.

He’s also the author of Invisible to Viral, a practical guide to building a meaningful platform, one clear message at a time.

Claim your free copy at InvisibleToViral.com (just cover shipping).

 

SOURCES

1. Statista, “Book Publishing Revenue in the U.S. by Format,” 2023.
2. Gallup, “Teens Spend Average of 4+ Hours Daily on Social Media,” August 2023.
3. Dresang, Eliza T., Radical Change: Books for Youth in a Digital Age, 1999.
4. Arxiv, “Academic Quality of Children's Videos on YouTube,” March 2023. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17201
5. CrossRiverTherapy, “Average Human Attention Span [2023 Data],” https://www.crossrivertherapy.com