Freiling Agency

What Freiling Agency does

Freiling Agency is a privately held hybrid book publishing company headquartered in Warrenton, Virginia, with an additional office in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The firm produces books on behalf of influential authors across multiple verticals — executives and CEOs, professional speakers and coaches, faith-based and mission-minded authors, military and law enforcement, health and wellness experts, public policy and civic leaders, and journalists — through a hybrid model that combines professional editorial services (ghostwriting, outlining, research, cover design) with global wholesale distribution to 40,000+ retail channels and digital/social marketing support. The company operates three vertical-specific imprints: MERCHANT (executives), UPWARD (faith-based), and FRONTLINE (military/law enforcement), and runs the Executive Roundtable, a weekly live virtual discussion capped at 12 participants that functions as a mid-funnel acquisition tool. Revenue is generated through quote-based project fees for each book engagement plus ancillary ghostwriting and platforming services; pricing is not publicly disclosed.

The business is led by Chairman and CEO Tom Freiling, a 30-year publishing industry veteran and former VP/GM at NASDAQ-listed Salem Media Group whose previous publishing company was acquired by a NASDAQ-listed media company and generated more than $100M in revenue. He is supported by Vice President Christen Jeschke, a best-selling author and experienced ghostwriter. Freiling Agency was ranked #765 on the 2023 Inc. 5000 and recognized among the top 10 fastest-growing media companies in the U.S., and Tom Freiling holds external affiliations with Forbes Business Council, the Fast Company Executive Board, and Entrepreneur Magazine. The company claims a published output of 40+ books per year and 2X-4X higher sell-through versus the industry average, with a track record of multiple #1 national best-sellers. Underlying technology is conventional: a Wix-hosted website, standard editorial and design tooling, and third-party wholesale distribution partners; no proprietary platform, API, AI capability, or patent portfolio is disclosed. The firm is bootstrapped, founder-controlled, and operates without disclosed institutional capital, acquisitions, or subsidiaries.

Name

Freiling Agency

Legal name

Freiling Agency

Website

https://freilingagency.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Freiling Agency is a privately held hybrid book publisher that produces, ghostwrites, and globally distributes books for CEOs, executives, faith-based authors, military/law enforcement, and other influential clients through three vertical imprints and a white-glove service model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Publishing Services

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Other Publishers (51319)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Self-Publishing Platforms (KDP-style Marketplaces & Portals) (MPAJAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ghostwriting & Collaborative Writing Services (MPAJAJAI), Editorial & Production Services (Copyediting, Proofreading, Formatting, Typesetting) (MPAJAJAG), Author Marketing, PR & Launch Services (Ads, Book Tours, Influencers) (MPAJAJAL), Cover Design, Illustration & Book Interior Design Services (MPAJAJAH), Self-Publishing & Author Platforms (BPAMAJAF)

Keywords

• Hybrid book publishing
• Professional ghostwriting services
• Author book marketing
• Global book distribution
• Thought leadership publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Warrenton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Publishing Services: Hybrid publishing model combining professional services (ghostwriting, editorial, design) with distribution. Authors invest in their book project, receiving professional production and global wholesale distribution to 40,000+ retail channels, online and brick & mortar.
2. Ghostwriting Services: Full-service ghostwriting transforming client stories and expertise into published books with professionalism and confidentiality. Service includes interviewing, outlining, research, and writing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Freiling Agency is a hybrid book publishing agency that produces, designs, and globally distributes books for influential authors. Authors invest in a publishing project and receive end-to-end services — ghostwriting, editorial, cover design, and wholesale distribution to 40,000+ retail channels across online and brick-and-mortar outlets. The agency operates three specialized imprints (MERCHANT for executives, UPWARD for faith-based authors, FRONTLINE for military/law enforcement) and supplements production with digital and social media marketing.

Product overview

Freiling Agency is a hybrid book publishing services company offering a comprehensive suite of services including publishing, ghostwriting, and marketing/distribution. The company operates three specialized imprints (MERCHANT for executives, UPWARD for faith-based authors, and FRONTLINE for military/law enforcement) and provides an Executive Roundtable educational service. The core offering combines editorial, ghostwriting, cover design, and global distribution capabilities to serve CEOs, business leaders, faith-based authors, speakers, and professional authors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UPWARD Imprint: Dedicated imprint for mission-minded, faith-based authors who understand their calling deserves professional publishing treatment.
• FRONTLINE Imprint
• MERCHANT Imprint

Products and services

• Publishing Services Hybrid publishing solution providing editorial, cover design, distribution, and marketing services for authors seeking to publish and distribute their books globally through both online and brick-and-mortar retail channels.
• Ghostwriting Professional ghostwriting service that transforms client stories and voices into polished manuscripts, including interview and content capture, outline conceptualization, research, and editorial coordination.
• Marketing and Distribution (Platforming) Book marketing and distribution service connecting authors to over 40,000 wholesale book distribution channels, domestic and international retail partners, Amazon sales experts, metadata distribution, and social media promotion tools.
• Executive Roundtable Live, interactive virtual discussion hosted by Tom Freiling and Christen Jeschke, limited to 12 participants per session, providing insights on writing, publishing paths, audience building, and the strategic role of books in careers or business.
• UPWARD Imprint Mission-driven publishing imprint for faith-based and mission-minded authors, providing editorial, design, and distribution services aligned with organizational values and purpose-driven impact.
• FRONTLINE Imprint Service-driven imprint exclusively for military veterans, law enforcement professionals, and first responders, offering publishing services that honor their operational experience and leadership under pressure.
• MERCHANT Imprint Dedicated publishing imprint exclusively for CEOs, founders, and C-suite leaders, offering editorial vision, design standards, and distribution strategy tailored to executive authors and their career-caliber books.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2X-4X more books sold compared to industry average
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hay House: Established publisher specializing in self-help, wellness, and spiritual content with an author-services arm — comparable in faith/wellness category overlap with Freiling's UPWARD imprint, but operates as a broader incumbent publisher.
• HarperCollins Leadership (HarperCollins imprint): Major traditional publisher with a leadership/executive book imprint that competes for the same CEO and thought-leadership authors Freiling targets, but at much greater scale and with traditional advance-based economics.

Emerging players

• Berrett-Koehler Publishers: Independent business book publisher focused on leadership, business, and self-help titles — comparable in targeting the executive and business-author persona that drives Freiling's MERCHANT imprint, though primarily traditional advance-based.

Direct peers

• BookBaby: Self-publishing services platform offering editing, design, printing, and distribution to authors — overlapping with Freiling's publishing and distribution offering across a broader, less executive-skewed author base.
• Mascot Books: Hybrid book publisher providing editorial, design, and distribution services for authors, comparable in service bundling and target market (thought-leadership and niche nonfiction authors).
• Amplify Publishing: Hybrid publishing house under Amplify Media Group offering publishing, distribution, and marketing services to business and thought-leadership authors — directly comparable service mix and target persona.
• AuthorHouse: Long-standing self-publishing services company offering editing, design, printing, and distribution — a comparable paid-publishing model, though broader and less premium-positioned than Freiling.
• Greenleaf Book Group: Hybrid publisher combining editorial, design, and distribution services for business and thought-leadership authors — directly comparable in business model and author persona to Freiling Agency.
• MindStir Media: Hybrid/self-publishing company offering ghostwriting, publishing, and marketing services for authors, with category specialization similar to Freiling's vertical imprint approach.
• Scribe Media: Hybrid book publisher and author services company offering ghostwriting, publishing, and marketing for executives and thought leaders — a near-direct competitor in the same target persona (CEOs, experts, influencers) with a similar bundled service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/tomfreiling?lang=en
• Facebookfacebook.com/freilingagency
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freiling-publishing
• Instagraminstagram.com/freilingpublishing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Freiling Agency