As someone who manages distribution and marketing services for thousands of independent publishers at IngramSpark, I have a unique vantage point. Every day, my team and I see what actually moves the needle for book discoverability—and what doesn’t. And as an indie author and publisher myself, I also understand the frustration of investing time and money in strategies that promise visibility but deliver disappointing results.

Over the past five years, the landscape of book discoverability has shifted dramatically. What worked in 2020 doesn’t necessarily work in 2025. After analyzing distribution patterns, marketing service utilization, and sales outcomes across our platform, three clear trends have emerged that every indie publisher needs to understand.

Trend 1: Metadata Quality Has Become the Great Divider

It’s hard to quantify, but we know in practical terms that indie authors and publishers have much more power over their metadata than traditionally published authors. Learning how to effectively wield it is the new superpower. Metadata is the lifeblood of a book, affecting everything from where it’s virtually displayed on e-commerce sites to where a library might shelve a physical copy in a rural town. The industry’s reliance on strong metadata is accelerating because discoverability is so often system-to-system before it’s person-to-person. 

BISACs offer a great insight into this improvement over time:

Indie Publications
Number of BISAC Subjects	2020 Books	2025 Books	Five-Year Change
1	99%	99%	0%
2	80%	87%	9%
3	66%	77%	17%

This represents 9% and 17% gains in the presence of these important subject codes from indie publishers. Many metadata fields reflect this improvement.

The publishers who invest time in comprehensive keyword research, accurate categorization, and compelling book descriptions consistently outperform those who don’t. But what surprises many publishers is that strategic selection is just as important as filling in every field. More isn’t necessarily better; it’s just more. So, retailer-friendly and accurate metadata should be your goal wherever you host your metadata distribution.

What Fields Should You Prioritize?  

• Cover Images: But wait, cover images aren’t metadata! Yes, they are. They communicate genre, age, quality, time frame, author gender, author authority, awards information, style, energy, and so much more. Unless you are one, hire a designer. This is your first impression with readers. Aim high. Don’t forget, most images are shared via a feed, not a downloaded jpeg, so who is sharing your metadata is also probably controlling access to your most current cover image.  
• Keywords: Don’t forget to use phrases; max out the character counts if you can do so while staying relevant to the content; keep keywords current. If you want to know if they’re working for you, go to retailers’ sites and search for them. Does your book come up or get lost in the shuffle? Iterate. It’s worth your time. 
• BISAC: Libraries and professional booksellers use these as essential search tools for finding content, but so do online retailers! There are often direct relationships between what you enter as your BISAC subjects and what drop-down menus you appear under for your favorite booksellers. And no exaggerating or stretching it. That means don’t put the BISAC for chemistry because the character in your novel is a scientist. Accuracy, accuracy, accuracy.     
• Thema: Like BISAC, Thema subject codes are important for categorization. They’re also becoming increasingly popular with international markets. This is where you can set yourself apart from others and really narrow in on subject and content categorization. Take some time to select quality codes with your metadata distributor or platform.
• Annotation: A good annotation is almost as make-or-break as a good cover. Learn best practices and lean into it. Optimize your annotation for the websites where you plan to send most of your would-be readers/customers. What’s above the fold? What looks good for paragraph breaks? What sparks interest? The annotation is probably the last thing shoppers consume before making a buying decision.  

Trend 2: Wide Distribution + Strategic Marketing = The Winning Combination

One of the most revealing patterns over the past five years: Publishers who distribute broadly while focusing their marketing efforts strategically significantly outperform those who do either in isolation. You need a wide strategy for both print and digital book distribution, or else you are leaving discoverability (and probably sales!) on the table.

The consumer trends don’t lie; readers are becoming more siloed into different purchasing channels.

The industry has seen enormous growth in channel diversity. Our data at IngramSpark shows indie publishers are selling more of their total volume across greater numbers of channels. The top 10 retailers’ share of the market has fallen by 7% since 2023, while the total market size has increased.

Independent booksellers, local retailers, event sales, and a network of online retailers that have homed in on specific content categories have taken share and grown the total market.

Average annual sales by channel have shifted away from the top 10 retailers and increased 18% over the same period. Wide distribution is a must for your reach.

Said plainly: Readers want diversification of retailers and places to buy their books, including directly from their favorite authors through platforms like IngramSpark’s Share & Sell, TikTok, and Instagram.  

Be strategic with where you invest your promotional dollars. Marketing efforts where your readers are is better than presence where any readers are. I’m a firm believer that no book is for everyone. So, don’t market to everyone! Market specifically. Laser in.

For example, some books are going to be smash hits at middle school classroom libraries (where cover design reigns supreme with kids) but do lower volume online (where marketing needs to be targeted to parents). Or another example, some books are going to be BookTok category leaders and never make their way to indie bookstores, and vice versa.

Ask yourself: What do I have? Who is it for? Then ask yourself where those readers are and spend your marketing there. Publishers who make their books accessible across multiple retailers while concentrating their marketing budget on one or two key channels consistently see the best results. You can achieve this through platforms with big networks like IngramSpark. Other services like Ingram iD make marketing that’s targeted to verified reader audiences on Facebook, Instagram, or Google possible with just a few easy clicks. 

Trend 3: The Professionalization of Indie Publishing

Perhaps the most encouraging trend over the past five years is watching indie publishers adopt the strategic launch methodologies that traditional publishers have used for decades. I believe in indies. The gap between “hobbyist” and “professional” indie publishing has never been wider—and it shows in the results.

• In 2025, more than 50% of indie titles are launched with future pub dates. This is up from around 29% in 2020.
• More publishers are utilizing community readers and advance reader copy (ARC) campaigns to ensure quality market entry and directly build their reader engagement.
• Preorder campaigns are standard for the serious.   

Five years ago, many indie publishers operated on a “publish when done” mentality. Today, the successful ones are building three- to six-month launch timelines with coordinated marketing and publicity efforts. They’re thinking like book marketers: ARCs, coordinated review campaigns, strategic preorder periods, and launch timing that considers market conditions and competition.

I can’t emphasize enough how truly caring about your project at all stages can transform your publishing journey. Professionalization that extends beyond writing the book and into the launch strategy is transformative.

Successful indie publishers are treating their craft as a business. They’re patient, they’re strategic, and they’re willing to invest time in planning rather than rushing to market. The publishers who embrace this professional approach consistently outperform those who treat publishing as a purely creative endeavor without business discipline.

Commit to Discoverability

Discoverability in 2026 isn’t luck. As someone who sees thousands of publishers navigate these challenges daily, I’m convinced that indie publishers who approach discoverability systematically, track their results, and adapt based on evidence will continue to find their readers.

The good news is that the strategies that work are accessible to everyone. You don’t need a major publisher’s budget, you need a little patience, clarity in what you have and who it’s for, and a commitment to execution that matches your commitment to the book itself. Power to the indies!

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