TCK Publishing

What TCK Publishing does

TCK Publishing is a privately held, founder-led independent book publisher operating a traditional no-fee model under Indiana jurisdiction, founded in the mid-2010s (firmographic source lists 2011; detailed company history lists 2015). The company acquires completed manuscripts and book proposals through an open submission process with a stated 21-day response time, and never charges authors fees to publish. It produces titles across three formats — eBooks, print-on-demand paperbacks, and audiobooks — spanning roughly 14 genre verticals including Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Historical and Contemporary Romance, Horror, Science Fiction, Thrillers, Young Adult and Middle Grade, Children's Books, Self-Help, Business and Investing, Health and Fitness, Religion and Spirituality, and General Nonfiction.

The business is run by a sub-10-person team led by founder Tom Corson-Knowles, who is also a bestselling author of 27 books and host of the Publishing Profits Podcast. Core technical capability is a publishing and distribution platform that places titles on Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble Nook, Google Books, Kobo, Smashwords, and through wholesale distributor partners Ingram and Baker & Taylor. The company has accumulated 400+ published titles, multiple #1 international bestsellers, and cumulative unit sales of 350,000+ books, with one title credited with 4,000+ Amazon reviews in a single year.

TCK's revenue model is the classic traditional publisher model: it absorbs editing, design, formatting, distribution, and ongoing marketing costs upfront, then recoups through book-sale royalties under a no-fee author contract. Its go-to-market combines a content-led author-acquisition motion (an SEO-driven blog with 890+ articles, podcast, free writing courses, and Book Deals newsletter) with continuous year-round book promotion rather than launch-only marketing. Supplemental services — ghostwriting, paid book promotion, and paid writing courses — sit alongside the core publishing offering. The business is bootstrapped with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no recorded M&A or leadership changes.

Name

TCK Publishing

Legal name

TCK Publishing

Website

https://tckpublishing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TCK Publishing is a no-fee independent book publisher based in Indiana that publishes fiction and nonfiction across eBook, print, and audiobook formats for authors in all major genres, distributing through Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and Amazon while running an SEO blog, podcast, and courses business.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB), Audiobook Retail & Subscription Platforms (Direct-to-Consumer) (MPAJAIAD), Ghostwriting & Collaborative Writing Services (MPAJAJAI), Business, Personal Finance & Careers Trade Publishing (MPAJAAAK)

Keywords

• Independent book publishing
• Fiction nonfiction publishing
• Ebook print audiobook
• Book marketing services
• Ghostwriting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Granger

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Book Sales Revenue: Traditional publishing model where TCK Publishing earns revenue through book sales of eBooks, print books, and audiobooks. The company operates on a no-fee model, meaning they invest in production and marketing and recoup costs through sales royalties.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

TCK Publishing is a no-fee independent book publisher that acquires manuscripts from fiction and nonfiction authors and publishes them as eBooks, print books, and audiobooks across all major genres and niches. The company handles editing, design, formatting, distribution through major retailers (Amazon, Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google, Kobo), and provides continuous marketing and promotion. The company also offers supplementary services such as ghostwriting, book promotion, writing courses, and the Book Deals Newsletter.

Product overview

TCK Publishing is a true no-fee independent book publishing company offering fiction and nonfiction publishing across three core formats: eBooks, print books, and audiobooks. They provide a full-stack publishing service including editing, design, formatting, distribution through major retailers (Amazon, Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google, Kobo), and continuous marketing support without charging authors any fees. Their portfolio includes traditional publishing services, supplemental offerings like ghostwriting services and book promotion services, and educational resources including writing courses and the Book Deals Newsletter. The company has published over 400 books with multiple #1 international bestsellers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Book Publishing Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 350,000+ books sold without a big marketing budget
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• IngramcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIngram is a major book wholesaler/distributor used by TCK Publishing to make their books available to bookstores and retailers worldwide.
• Baker & TaylorcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBaker & Taylor is a major book distributor serving bookstores and retailers, used by TCK Publishing for wholesale distribution of their titles.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AuthorHouse: Hybrid/self-publishing services provider offering editing, design, and distribution to authors, comparable to TCK's author-services arm and multi-format publishing offering.
• Greenleaf Book Group: Independent hybrid publisher offering traditional-style services to authors with extensive marketing support, highly comparable to TCK's no-fee traditional positioning and author-services emphasis.
• Hay House: Independent publisher focused on self-help, health, and personal development with strong author-brand marketing, directly comparable to TCK's nonfiction/self-help vertical and content-marketing-heavy approach.
• Chelsea Green Publishing: Independent nonfiction publisher with a focused niche (sustainability, health, food) and a content-marketing-driven author development approach, comparable to TCK in scale and editorial orientation.
• New Harbinger Publications: Independent nonfiction publisher specializing in self-help, psychology, and health, overlapping with TCK's nonfiction/Health-Fitness segment and indie trade-publishing operating model.
• Berrett-Koehler Publishers: Independent trade publisher specializing in business and nonfiction titles, closely comparable to TCK's nonfiction business/self-help categories and similar small-team, mission-driven operating model.
• Sounds True: Independent multimedia publisher with a heavy emphasis on audiobooks, self-development, and spirituality, comparable to TCK's audiobook production plus self-help/spirituality categories.
• BenBella Books: Independent trade publisher covering fiction and nonfiction with a strong content/marketing orientation, similar in catalog breadth and small-team ethos to TCK Publishing.

Broad incumbents

• Amazon KDP: Dominant self-publishing platform for eBooks and print, competing with TCK for authors who might otherwise submit manuscripts; relevant as the primary alternative distribution channel TCK's prospective authors evaluate.
• Penguin Random House: Largest trade publisher globally, competing with TCK across all genres for authors, retail shelf space, and reader attention; relevant broad incumbent benchmark for pricing, advance, and marketing dynamics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TCKPublishing
• Facebookfacebook.com/tckpublishing
• Instagraminstagram.com/tckpublishing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tck-publishing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TCK Publishing