What does 2025 hold for the publishing industry?

Hello friends,

If you’re feeling like 2025 started with a cold wind rather than a fresh breeze, you’re not alone. The publishing industry, like many others, is grappling with seismic shifts. I read today that New Star Books is shutting down. Among the reasons stated, publisher Rolf Maurer includes “the cold wind blowing in New Star’s direction from our arts councils.” He’s not the only one feeling the chill.

Government funding for the arts is stagnating or shrinking, while consumers are tightening budgets, prioritizing essentials like groceries over cultural goods. Chain bookstores are pushing for larger margins, and multinationals are using their scale to dominate market share and share of conversation about books. Plus there’s the dwindling number of festivals and media outlets that still spotlight books. On top of that, human creators are completing with AI creators, or at least battling AI-generated profiles, spam, and content.

It’s easy to feel bleak when there is so much instability. Even if we look only at the digital marketing landscape: Elon Musk is daring users and advertisers to leave Twitter/X, Facebook’s news feed algorithm delivers only a fraction of the organic impressions it once did, and outgoing traffic is practically non-existent. Instagram has hit a plateau. TikTok is on the edge of a ban. New tools like Bluesky, Threads, and Substack are enticing but unproven. And who is on top of privacy legislation, AI and the end of cookies?

Publishers are searching for new revenue streams, new audiences, and new hope. But here’s the thing: we’ve faced upheaval before. We’ve adapted. We’ve survived.

And that’s the challenge for this year: adaptation. So, where do we even begin?

Foundations First

We all know digital is just one piece of the puzzle, but it’s still foundational. Without strong SEO, a user-friendly site, and clear content strategies that drive meaningful actions (engagement, subscriptions, downloads, sales), even the most exciting campaigns can fizzle. If you’re not sure where to start, start there.

Little Victories

It’s easy to dismiss analytics as a task rather than a tool. But even small insights can yield big wins. Did a social post unexpectedly outperform others? Dig in and see why. Has a certain landing page seen higher traffic than usual? Use that information to refine your next campaign. These aren’t magic bullets, but they’re stepping stones.

A Call to Conversation

Here’s my question for you: What challenges or trends do you want to see unpacked here? My preferred focus is knowledge sharing, especially as it relates to using analytics for audience insights, engagement strategies, and staying up on trends. I want there to be something actionable in each post. But what do you want? Let me know.

Finding Hope

I’ll be honest: it’s been hard to find small victories lately. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that hope often sneaks up on us when we least expect it. It’s in the surprise success of an indie title, the perfect synergy between a book and its moment, or the creative campaign that does the unexpected.

We are in this together, even when it feels lonely. So let’s adapt, experiment, and keep moving forward. After all, the industry isn’t just about books—it’s about stories. And this is just one chapter.

Yours in hope,
Monique 

P.S. If you have a story of a small victory—whether it’s personal, professional, or something else—I’d love to hear it.