2026 isn’t a rerun of the last decade in Indie publishing. This year is shaping up to bring real change for indie authors — from new tools to innovative formats and shifts in how books are found and sold. Let’s explore some industry trends that are new, actionable, and grounded in what successful indie authors are already doing.
AI That Helps
AI isn’t the future — it’s the now.
If you’re still treating AI as if it’s something to be afraid of or worse, something to avoid because it’s not ‘real’, it’s time to stop. Take a step back and reconsider.
The world of Indie publishing has been talking about AI for a while; what’s good about it, what isn’t, why you might use it, why you shouldn’t, but in 2026, we’re seeing practical tabletop tools that won’t replace authors, instead they support real decisions.
New AI Market Positioning Tools
A December 2025 article in Publishers Weekly reports that:
Finnish company Get Lost has launched BookID, an AI market analysis tool designed to help authors and publishers position their books in the market. This was something that traditionally only big houses with marketing budgets could do. This tool analyzes manuscripts and early metadata to suggest potential audiences, genres, and positioning strategies.
How this helps most indie authors: (so far, it’s only for fiction, but I’ve written them an email asking if nonfiction is in the works)
- Authors no longer have to guess where your book lives in the market before launch.
- Authors can validate market demand early — reducing risk and improving marketing focus.
“The tool analyzes uploaded manuscripts using what Get Lost calls a ‘purpose-built fiction taxonomy with hundreds of analytically defined sub-genres. ‘BookID generates reports that include ’emotional pattern analysis, audience personas, recommendations for market positioning, and BISAC category guidance.’”
Presently, the pricing is well within most authors’ budgets. This is worth checking out, folks.
AI and Audiobook Creation
In March of 2025, leading audiobook executives from across the publishing industry gathered at the London Book Fair to talk about the audiobook market and AI.
Here’s some of what was said:
“We’re seeing AI affect every area of the audiobook business,” said Ana Maria Allessi, president and publisher of Hachette Audio. “And we’re at the very early stages of testing and developing and trying to be responsive to our authors in supporting what they think they want to do or the questions that they have around AI voice.”
What she means is that AI still can’t offer the value of a voiceover actor. At least, that’s what I think she means. It doesn’t mean you can’t consider AI for your audiobook.
In “The Audiobook Business Learns to Embrace AI,” you’ll find other insights and options for this essential format. We say ‘essential’ here because audiobooks are becoming increasingly popular every year.
Remember, however, that many people will purchase both the audiobook and the print or digital copy of your book. People like having more than one option for consuming their books.
It’s worth noting that, despite the growth of audiobooks, Publishers Weekly just reported the print book unit sales were up in 2025 for the second straight year. Possible proof that having an audiobook could also drive more sales of your print book?
How this helps indie authors:
AI narration can significantly reduce production time and cost. But remember listener preferences still matter — and the conversation about quality, compensation, and rights (i.e., who owns an ai-generated audiobook?) is ongoing at this point.
Let’s Not Forget Ebooks
Ebook Readership Continues to Grow
Although physical books still matter — just this past Christmas, my 27-year-old granddaughter said, “Grandma, I need to hold a book in my hand!” — it pays to be aware that digital formats are vital to discovery and accessibility.
Here are some stats uncovered by ChatGPT (and yes, I double-checked the sources):
- Statista reported that ebook readers are expected to exceed 1.1 billion worldwide by 2028, enabling indie authors who offer digital copies of their books to reach this massive audience.
- And it predicts that the “average revenue per user (ARPU) is expected to amount to US$13.79.”
Another article, from IngramSpark, is eye-opening when it comes to understanding the power of an ebook. It starts off by defining the greater visibility authors get with ebooks.
“Forbes has reported that people spend more than 10 hours a day on their tablet, phone, or computer. Many people rely on their electronic devices for news, weather, socializing, work, and more, so they frequently expect their books to be accessible on these devices too. Offering an electronic version of your book allows you to tap into a digital audience that might not otherwise have been aware of it, much less purchased it.”
What indie authors need to know:
I recommend you read the IngramSpark article. It covers promotional opportunities for ebooks and talks about how easy it is to update or revise them. Learn how to use ebooks effectively.
BTW, we produce ebook versions along with print versions for all of our authors. Whoever you might be working with, if not us, should do the same.
Direct Selling, Community, and Economic Shifts
Selling outside Amazon
One of the biggest indie author trends in the coming year is selling books directly, not just through Amazon. Indie authors are looking at Shopify, Payhip, and events like local fairs to get their books in front of the right people.
For authors willing to manage their own Shopify store, visit this link and learn how to get your books in their database. Payhip is for ebooks only, but it’s another resource to consider since we know that ebooks are popular. In fact, their blog states that ebooks are the #1 product to sell on their platform. This could be useful if you also have collateral materials to supplement your book.
For physical books, you may have to figure out fulfillment. It’s possible to ship printed books from your Amazon KDP account using the “author copies” feature, once you receive an order. But that could become time-consuming and might be a task for a VA.
Social Platforms Might Become Less Stable
In other words, they will garner less attention. A recent analysis of 2026 social media trends, as noted by Jane Friedman, warns that instability and regulatory pressures could make platforms less reliable for discoverability. She notes the decrease in hashtags (LinkedIn is already ignoring most hashtags). Gone are the days of 10 or 20 hashtags in a post.
She also says users will be able to customize their algorithms. The article she links to on Meta mentions Reels, not written content. But we all love Reels, don’t we? And Reels are a great way to promote books, so if you build a fan base, they can now add you to their customized Reels algorithm.
The flip-side of that is it will become harder and harder for your content to reach those who have not put you in their custom algorithm.
A writer on Reddit says the use of social media and the internet itself will go into decline over the next ten years. The article goes into great detail on the possible changes coming, so it’s worth a read. Here’s a sample:
“My theory is that by this point, a lot of people will have grown tired and bored of the overly corporatized landscape of the internet. They’ll be craving something new, so “digital luddism” will become a popular concept that’ll eventually become the norm. People will choose to strip back their online presence and will (mostly) use the internet for necessities like work, paying bills, and school rather than entertainment or passing time.”
If Friedman and the author of the Reddit article (r/decadeology) are right, we need to start preparing now for a return to the old way of doing things.
This means indie authors should:
- Diversify their marketing — build owned media like email lists, blogs, newsletters, and communities.
- Use social platforms as amplifiers, not a primary strategy.
Indie publishing is not standing still. You have to keep up with these changes!
Every year indie publishing grows more popular. Not least because traditional publishing keeps focusing more and more on its “blockbuster” model. As Ted Gioia explained recently,
“When Random House was a tiny independent company, it could make a tidy profit by publishing books that sold just ten thousand copies. But when you’re part of a billion dollar corporation, those books don’t move the needle — you need something bigger and splashier.”
The industry changes accordingly. Today’s reader is demanding more options in both what they read, how they read it, and how they discover it.
Readers are driving all of this. Especially how they want to be sold. Authors need to remember that sales is part of their job. Understanding how their readers want to be sold to can make the difference between ten sales and a thousand sales.
Whether it’s embracing smarter AI tools for positioning, expanding into audio, selling direct to readers, adapting writing for the attention economy, or leveraging community opportunities, there’s real momentum for smart indie authors in 2026. If you’re an indie author publishing this year, or if you have books you’ve published previously, pick one actionable item from this newsletter and make things happen in 2026. (2027 is already on the horizon.)
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