By: Charlotte Wellston
A growing wave of professionals are choosing to bypass traditional publishers to document their experience, share insights, and scale impact—on their own terms.
For decades, publishing a book often meant pursuing a deal, pitching a concept, and relinquishing some control in exchange for the approval of an established publisher. However, as the media landscape evolves, so too does the path to authorship—especially for professionals outside the entertainment or literary elite.
Increasingly, professionals from fields such as education, healthcare, and the military are turning to independent publishing as a means of consolidating their knowledge and experience into long-form content. This shift is not necessarily driven by fame or financial incentives, but rather by the desire to capture knowledge, influence conversations, and leave a lasting contribution.
One company at the forefront of this shift is selfpublishing.com, a platform that has seen growth by focusing on a very specific type of author: not influencers, but practitioners.
From Field Notes to Finished Books
Dr. Joshua Hartzell, for example, is a retired Army Colonel who spent 25 years in military medicine. Throughout his career, he had delivered over 100 talks on leadership development and trained thousands of students and residents—but had never published a book.
That changed in early 2025 when he released A Prescription for Caring in Healthcare Leadership, a 400-page guide rooted in field-tested leadership strategies.
“Helping others become more effective leaders to positively impact the world has become my personal mission,” Hartzell shared. “We have an immense opportunity to change our organizations and communities by leading from a place of caring.”
Like many first-time authors in this space, Hartzell didn’t see publishing as a commercial opportunity. He viewed it as a way to consolidate years of experience into something structured, useful, and shareable—something that could transcend a single role, rank, or institution.
The Rise of Practitioner Publishing
This model—often referred to as practitioner publishing—has gained traction across various professional fields. Teachers are formalizing professional development frameworks, veterans are documenting leadership principles forged in combat, and entrepreneurs are writing niche books that often double as marketing tools or positioning assets.
While the DIY approach remains popular among hobbyists and fiction writers, many first-time authors opt for structured support. Companies like selfpublishing.com offer coaching, editing, and launch preparation within a more streamlined, service-oriented process—less like traditional press and more like a startup-era service provider.
Such support resonates with high-output professionals who are accustomed to delegation and working under tight timelines.
“I realized the only thing keeping me from being an author was putting in the work,” Hartzell reflected. “From then on, I just kept at it—even if it was only a few sentences a day.”
Quality Over Mass Appeal
Unlike traditional publishers, who typically evaluate books based on their broad commercial potential, these newer models tend to prioritize alignment with the intended audience, utility, and the author’s goals.
This approach makes sense when the intended readers are not mass-market consumers but rather targeted groups like hospital leadership teams, school administrators, or conference attendees.
For authors like Hartzell, the goal wasn’t necessarily to top bestseller lists. It was about creating something durable—something that could shape curricula, spark conversations, or mentor future leaders on a larger scale.
A Shift in Power and Purpose
This shift doesn’t mean that traditional publishing is disappearing. However, the landscape is expanding. Where once there was one well-trodden path to becoming an author, there are now many—some quicker, some more flexible, and some designed specifically for subject-matter experts who don’t have the time or inclination to navigate traditional gatekeepers.
As more professionals take the publishing process into their own hands, the books being written may begin to shift in tone and purpose: less about mass appeal and more about meaningful contribution. Less about shelf space, and more about sustaining impact over time.
As Hartzell puts it:
“Anyone can write a book if they decide they want to be an author. You just need the right support and a clear reason why.”
That may be one of the most transformative ideas in today’s publishing world.
