Market First Publishing launches with reader-first publishing model

Market First Publishing has launched in Charleston with a “Platform Publishing” approach that builds a book’s audience before publication. The startup says the model aims to reduce the post-launch scramble for readers and will be guided editorially by biographer Bob Batchelor.

Why it matters: - Market First Publishing is trying to change when book marketing starts, moving audience-building to the writing and production phase instead of after publication. - The model is aimed at helping authors launch with readers already in place, which could improve visibility and early sales. - The company says it will invest resources in every title it signs, rather than leaving authors to market on their own.

What happened: - Market First Publishing launched on July 23, 2026, in Charleston, South Carolina. - Co-founders Josh Schwartz and Joseph Lawrence introduced a publishing model they call Platform Publishing. - The company opened its website at More information to explain the model and invite readers and authors to follow its growth. - Bob Batchelor joined Market First Publishing as Executive Editorial Consultant.

The details: - Platform Publishing is built around audience development during manuscript production, with the book’s readership built before the title reaches the market. - Market First Publishing says authors will not be left to market books alone or only after publication. - 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. - Joseph Lawrence has led editorial at a book publisher and run his own imprint. - 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. - Bob Batchelor is a cultural historian and biographer known for Stan Lee: A Life, The Bourbon King and Roadhouse Blues.

Between the lines: - Market First Publishing is positioning itself against the traditional model, where marketing typically ramps up after a book ships. - The company is also distinguishing itself from hybrid publishers, which generally market books as a fee-based service. - By saying it invests in the titles it signs, MFP is signaling a more hands-on, publisher-backed approach to launch strategy.

What's next: - Market First Publishing plans to use its new website as the public face of the Platform Publishing model. - The company is inviting prospective authors and readers to track its early growth. - The launch suggests MFP will now start signing titles and building audiences before publication rather than after.

The bottom line: - Market First Publishing is betting that books sell better when readers are assembled before the first copy ships.