It’s Time To Write Your First Business Book

For years, the business publishing industry has been declared next on the chopping block. First, it was blogs. Then podcasts. Then, online courses. Now, with artificial intelligence. The argument is always the same: if information is abundant, searchable, and increasingly generated on demand, why would anyone still buy a business book?

Business Book Publishing Statistics

The data, reader behavior, and lived experience of authors tell a very different story. Business book publishing is not dying. It is stabilizing, evolving, and—crucially—continuing to deliver value that fast, fragmented digital content cannot replace.

U.S. print book sales in 2025 dipped slightly year over year—roughly one to two percent depending on the measurement window—but remained well above pre-2020 levels in many categories.

Publishers Weekly

This softening followed the unprecedented surge of pandemic-era reading rather than a structural collapse of demand. Print units still totaled in the hundreds of millions annually, underscoring the resilience of physical books as a format. At the revenue level, the picture is even more stable.

Total U.S. publishing revenue of $32.5 billion in 2024, with trade publishing—consumer-facing books including business titles—accounting for more than $21 billion.

The Association of American Publishers

Print formats continue to account for the majority of that revenue, while digital formats add incremental growth rather than displacing them.

What’s often misunderstood in discussions about AI and e-reading is the assumption that access to information automatically reduces demand for books. In reality, business readers are not paying for raw facts. They are paying for synthesis, structure, credibility, and perspective. A well-constructed business book is not a database; it is an argument. It guides the reader through a problem, frames tradeoffs, and builds toward insight in a way that search results and AI summaries still struggle to replicate.

This is especially evident in backlist performance. Older business titles, those that have proven durable and evergreen, continue to drive a disproportionate share of revenue. Books like Atomic Habits sell not because they are timely, but because they are timeless. Their frameworks remain useful even as tools and platforms change. That kind of longevity is precisely what short-form content rarely achieves.

AI, rather than undermining this dynamic, may actually reinforce it. Generative tools are excellent at summarizing, remixing, and recalling existing material. What they still lack is lived experience, narrative coherence, and accountability for ideas. Business readers know the difference. A book represents an author’s commitment to stand behind a structured body of work, not just to generate plausible text on demand.

Audiobook Publishing Statistics

Digital audio increased 22.2 percent to $2.4 billion in 2024

Publisher Perspectives

Audiobooks further complicate the decline narrative. Digital audio has been the fastest-growing format in publishing for several consecutive years, expanding how and when business content is consumed. Commutes, workouts, and travel have become prime reading time, and business books translate exceptionally well to audio because they are instructional, motivational, and often narrative-driven. Growth in audio is additive, not cannibalistic, broadening the total addressable audience rather than shrinking it.

My own experience as an author reinforces why business books endure. Authoring my first book was life- and career-changing. The discipline required to organize a complex topic, particularly within the rigid structure of a Dummies series, demanded a level of clarity and rigor that no article or presentation had ever achieved. It was challenging in a way that felt singular, almost ceremonial, like earning a credential you only get once. That process sharpened how I think, teach, and communicate to this day.

At the same time, the growth of self-publishing has fundamentally reshaped what it means to author a business book. Writers are no longer required to conform to a publisher’s market assumptions, rigid outlines, or editorial gatekeeping to bring an idea to market. Self-publishing allows authors to develop their own voice, explore niche or emerging topics, iterate quickly, and maintain complete creative and commercial control over their work.

For many business authors, this autonomy is not just liberating—it is strategically advantageous. It enables faster relevance, direct audience relationships, and alignment with real-world experience rather than publisher-driven positioning, making self-publishing a powerful complement to traditional routes in the modern business publishing ecosystem.

I look forward to self-publishing my next book, though I haven’t yet landed on the topic. What has changed since my first book is the scale of the knowledge base I’ve built through Martech Zone. As AI improves, I see it playing a supportive role—helping organize, retrieve, and connect ideas across that repository—without replacing the authorial judgment required to turn insight into a coherent book. AI may accelerate preparation, but it doesn’t diminish the value of authorship. If anything, it raises the bar.

Business books persist because they occupy a unique cognitive and professional space. They are slow by design in a fast world. They reward sustained attention. They signal authority. And they offer readers something increasingly rare: a complete, thoughtfully argued perspective.

Even in the AI era—perhaps especially in it—those qualities remain in demand.

Why Writing Your First Business Book Is Still Worth It

For entrepreneurs and business professionals considering whether to author a book, the current landscape should be encouraging rather than intimidating. A business book is no longer just a publishing product; it is a strategic asset that compounds value over time.

Writing a book forces clarity. Few exercises are as practical at exposing gaps in thinking as attempting to explain an idea end-to-end. You discover that what felt intuitive in practice requires refinement, structure, and evidence when translated into chapters. That rigor strengthens not just the book, but the business itself.

A book establishes authority in a way no other medium quite matches. Articles, posts, and videos demonstrate expertise, but a book signals commitment and depth. It tells clients, partners, and peers that the author has invested time in thinking holistically, not tactically. In crowded markets, that signal still carries weight.

Books scale trust. A conversation persuades one person at a time; a book does it thousands of times without additional effort. Entrepreneurs routinely find that prospects arrive pre-educated, aligned, and confident simply because they have read the author’s perspective in long form. The sales cycle shortens, and engagement quality improves.

Authorship creates durable intellectual property (IP). Unlike ephemeral content tied to algorithms or platforms, a book remains discoverable for years. Strong business titles often generate speaking opportunities, consulting engagements, partnerships, and media visibility long after publication. Backlist performance exists for authors, not just publishers.

Modern publishing paths reduce risk. With self-publishing, print-on-demand, and digital distribution, entrepreneurs can test ideas, refine positioning, and reach niche audiences without large upfront investment or institutional approval. The barrier to entry is lower, but the upside remains significant.

Finally, writing a book is a personal milestone. Beyond marketing and revenue, it represents mastery over a subject and confidence in one’s perspective. For many entrepreneurs, that achievement reshapes how they see themselves—not just as operators or founders, but as thinkers with something enduring to contribute.

In a world increasingly optimized for speed and automation, the deliberate act of authoring a business book remains a powerful counterbalance. And for entrepreneurs willing to do the work, it is still one of the most meaningful professional investments they can make.