The publishing industry's restrictive and often unsupportive model generates 'cynicism at scale.' This pushes talented writers, who feel stifled or abandoned, toward platforms like Substack where they can maintain creative control and build a sustainable career on their own terms.

Creativity is a struggle between time and resources. A publisher's explicit goal should be making authors millionaires, not for luxury, but for sustainability. Financial independence allows talented writers to dedicate their time to their craft, creating a virtuous cycle for both author and publisher.

Publishers often reject projects from their own successful authors if they deviate from a proven genre. This 'stay in your lane' mentality prioritizes predictable revenue over an author's creative evolution, which can be psychologically damaging and lead to great works never being created.

After decades writing for major publishers, Rabe founded her own company to pursue innovative concepts that had been rejected, such as "dialogic reading" books with embedded questions. This move prioritized creative freedom and allowed her to bring her unique vision directly to the market.

Legacy publishers focus marketing on a short 2-3 week launch window. This model is flawed, as external events can kill momentum. A better approach is continuous, automated marketing that treats books as long-term assets, ensuring they find their audience over time regardless of launch timing.

Instead of viewing a lowball offer from a traditional publisher as a failure, treat it as validation of your work's potential. Use that energy to 'double down' on self-publishing, competitively aiming to create a product superior to what they would have offered.

The label "problem author" was once negative, but now it's a strategic necessity. With authors often commanding larger audiences than their publishers, they must leverage this power to challenge outdated, opaque processes and force necessary industry-wide improvements for their book's success.

For his second book, author Ramli John drove 77% of sales directly, bypassing Amazon. While Amazon offers volume, direct sales provide higher margins and, more importantly, invaluable customer data (like emails) that enables direct communication, feedback loops, and long-term community building.

In traditional publishing, the size of an author's advance is a direct indicator of the publisher's internal commitment. Large advances force publishers to allocate top resources to ensure success, while smaller advances result in minimal effort and attention for the book.