The publishing industry is having an identity crisis, and independent presses are thriving because of it.
While major publishing houses chase bestseller lists and TikTok trends, a quiet revolution is happening in independent publishing. We’re not just competing with the big houses, we’re playing a different game entirely.
Traditional publishers operate on a blockbuster model. They need massive hits to subsidize the rest of their catalog. This means playing it safe, chasing proven formulas, and often diluting transformative ideas to reach the widest possible audience. A genuinely challenging non-fiction book? Too niche. A novel that experiments with form to deepen meaning? Too risky.
Independent publishers operate differently. Our readers are those actively seeking books that challenge them, change them, and stay with them.
This creates a fundamental advantage: we can publish for transformation, not just transaction.
The Independent Advantage
Independent presses can take risks that matter. We can publish the business book that doesn’t promise “7 easy steps” because real transformation is never easy. We can champion the novel that makes you uncomfortable because discomfort is often where growth happens.
We’re not constrained by marketing departments demanding books fit into neat categories. Some of our best projects live in the spaces between genres: practical philosophy, narrative non-fiction that reads like a thriller, fiction that teaches you something true about yourself.
We move faster, too. Traditional publishing operates on very long timelines. By the time a big house publishes a book on emerging technology or cultural shifts, the moment has often passed. Independent presses can identify important ideas and get them to readers while they’re still urgent.
Curation Over Volume
The real power of independent publishing is curation. When you see the Ashanna Press name on a book, it means something. We’ve chosen that manuscript because it aligns with our mission: stories that move you, ideas that transform you.
Big publishers release hundreds of titles per year. They can’t possibly be selective about transformative quality. The economics don’t allow it. Independent presses build reputations one carefully chosen book at a time.
This matters more in 2026 than ever before. Readers are drowning in content. They don’t need more books; they need better filters. A trusted independent press becomes that filter.
Meaningful Content Will Shape the Future
As AI makes it easier to generate content, the value shifts to curation and intentionality. Anyone can publish a book now. But publishing books that genuinely matter, that change how someone thinks, works, or sees the world, requires editorial vision that algorithms can’t replicate.
Independent publishers are positioned perfectly for this moment. We’re small enough to be selective, agile enough to respond to what readers need, and committed enough to prioritize transformation over trending.
The big houses will continue to dominate the bestseller lists. That’s fine. We’re not competing for shelf space at bookstores.
We’re competing for mind space. Heart space. The kind of impact that lasts long after the book is closed.
And in that game, independent publishers aren’t just competing. We’re winning.