Market First Publishing launches with platform publishing model

Market First Publishing launched in Charleston on July 23, 2026 with a model that builds a book’s audience before publication. The company says the approach is designed to give authors readers on day one, not after launch.

Why it matters: - Market First Publishing is trying to solve a core problem in book publishing: many books reach market without an audience already in place. - The company’s approach could change how authors, editors and marketers share the work of launching a title. - MFP says it invests in books it signs and builds readership during production, which may reduce the usual post-publication scramble for attention.

What happened: - Market First Publishing launched on July 23, 2026 in Charleston, South Carolina. - The independent publisher introduced a model it calls Platform Publishing. - The model is built around growing a readership while a manuscript is still being written. - MFP says the book is then delivered to readers when it goes on sale. - The company opened its website at Market First Publishing to present the model and invite readers and authors to follow its growth.

The details: - Co-founder Josh Schwartz founded the book-marketing and leadership-branding agency Pubvendo in 2017. - Schwartz has worked across the manuscript-to-retail supply chain with Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. - Schwartz has also worked with Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan. - Co-founder Joseph Lawrence has led editorial at a book publisher and run his own imprint. - Lawrence has shepherded books from raw manuscript to finished work. - Lawrence is a published poet who writes in classically metered verse. - Lawrence completed a master’s degree in publishing at George Washington University. - Schwartz lectures on book marketing at George Washington University. - Schwartz said the company builds the audience while the book is still being written. - Lawrence said MFP was built so a finished manuscript enters a room that is already full. - MFP says traditional publishers usually begin marketing after a book ships. - MFP says hybrid publishers market only as a fee-based service. - MFP says its model does neither. - The company says it invests in the titles it signs and starts audience building from day one. - Bob Batchelor joins the company as Executive Editorial Consultant. - Batchelor is a cultural historian and biographer known for Stan Lee: A Life, The Bourbon King and Roadhouse Blues.

Between the lines: - The launch positions MFP as both a publisher and an audience-building business, not just a production house. - That matters because discoverability remains one of the biggest weaknesses in book publishing. - The company is betting that early marketing can make a title’s release feel like a coordinated event rather than a late-stage push. - The emphasis on editorial leadership suggests MFP wants to pair market-building with credibility on the quality side.

What's next: - MFP will use its website to recruit interest from readers and prospective authors. - The company is expected to grow its catalog by signing titles under the Platform Publishing model. - Batchelor’s editorial role suggests MFP will continue building out its publishing team and standards.

The bottom line: - Market First Publishing is launching with a simple pitch: build the audience first, then publish the book.