Rethinking the Essence and Future of Publishing
Running a publishing house gives me a lot to think about. In particular, I find myself wondering just how much value the content we have, or the stories we want to tell, actually holds. It comes down to asking whether a book has real exchange value.
When we put our thoughts into writing, package them in the form of a book, and share them publicly with others, it feels like reaching the very top of Maslow's hierarchy of needs — self-actualization.
But once the book is out, if it produces little effect or response, that satisfaction fades for most authors into nothing more than a pleasant memory.
The Publishing Business Dilemma
What running a publishing business drives home, above all, is that the business only survives if books actually sell. So the line between an author being content with self-satisfaction and a publisher growing anxious watching that author is drawn right at the moment of publication.
Ideally, a book would spread naturally once it's published. But what if the author is satisfied simply by the fact of publication itself? For a publisher, that's genuinely maddening.
Questioning Why Books Should Exist at All
These days, anyone can publish a book with ease, and there's no shortage of content that can substitute for one. So why should books exist at all? I sometimes find myself asking that question, half in self-mockery.
It pushes me to think deeply about what a book actually is, what meaning it carries, and what role it's supposed to play.
Is it simply a product to be consumed in print or e-book form? Or is it a vessel for knowledge — a medium through which someone's values are shared with the world?
Writing and Publishing in the Age of AI
AI has made writing genuinely convenient. It's also made proofreading and editing far easier. But that doesn't mean every piece of writing deserves to become a book. Some writing is clearly worth turning into a book, and some clearly isn't.
What's genuinely interesting, though, is that good content doesn't necessarily sell well. We seem to have entered an era where whether the writing is good or bad isn't really the point.
What matters is whether the author has already built a relationship with readers before ever writing a word. In other words, by the time the book comes out, there needs to already be an audience waiting to read it.
The Future of Publishers and Bookstores
Publishers no longer seem competitive simply by making good books and handling marketing. I'd venture, cautiously, that the future of publishing may actually involve publishers and bookstores disappearing altogether, replaced by something that lets authors and readers meet directly around knowledge itself.
Putting our thoughts into written form will still matter. Writing can deliver insight that's both more concise and more profound than voice or video.
Where Libretto Is Headed
As someone who runs a publishing house, I believe publishers and bookstores alike need to disappear. That day seems to be coming soon. So what should take their place as the bridge in between?
I keep researching and wrestling with that question. Through Libretto Publishing, I want to build that new landscape together with you.
