I’ve made a very late New Year’s resolution. I am no longer going to respond to every question about book publishing with the noncommittal and vague “It depends.”
There’s really only one response to just about every question, and it always comes down to competition in the publishing world.
Why are agents so difficult to connect with? Competition. This agency receives several thousand proposals each year from aspiring authors; and among the five agents, we offer representation to less than 1%.
Why are traditional publishers so hard to crack? Competition. Most of the books they publish each year are from experienced, proven authors. For the few openings allocated to new authors, each will receive dozens of proposals for publishers to consider.
Why is an author platform such a big issue for everyone? Competition. You are competing for attention with authors who embrace the platform requirement and flourish with it. A solid author platform reduces the financial risk of publishing.
Why is it hard to sell your book? Competition. There were four million books published in 2025 (according to Publishers Weekly). That’s 11,000 per day.
Why is it difficult to gain traction with podcasts and YouTube channels? Competition. There are millions of podcasts worldwide and over 100 million YouTube channels. That’s channels, not videos. There are about 20 billion videos on YouTube, with around 7,500 more uploaded during the time it takes you to read this blog post.
Christian publishing is competitive. Publishers compete for authors, books, sales, and employees. Agents are also part of this same competition.
Christian ministries compete for attention with other ministries. Christian colleges compete with one another for students. And, yes, Virginia, even churches compete with one another.
Trying to explain why things are the way they are without actually getting to the real issue only delays reality from setting in. The presence of competition explains a lot, maybe everything.
Even the apostle Paul wrote this about the Christian life in general:
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24-27, NIV).
Why do you think the biblical metaphor of the armor of God in Ephesians 6 is protection and weaponry for competitive battle? The Christian message is a battle cry since the world considers it foolishness. In this fallen world, every endeavor is a competitive pursuit; except for Christians, it isn’t against flesh and blood. Knowing that should focus your approach.
Publishing is for those unafraid of competition. The friction-based process alone will mature your faith. It is both challenging and worth it.