Transformational Nonfiction News
Sounds True Sells Book and Audiobook Business to Macmillan
Last week, Publishers’ Weekly announced the acquisition of Sounds True’s book and audio catalogue - including backlist and future publications - by Macmillan. Tami Simon will continue to run the Sounds True platform for online learning, events and digital media, such as the Power of Storytelling program where I was a featured speaker, and the recent Power of Ai program for which I recently contributed a bonus video training.
You may or may not already know that Hay House sold to Penguin Random House in December 2023, with Reid Tracy remaining CEO (I think the term is for 3 years after acquisition, but I can’t find that info now).
So the two biggest global publishers of transformational nonfiction are no longer independent.
What does this mean for authors in the transformational nonfiction genre?
Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash
At an operational level, not much may change while Tami Simon (founder of Sounds True since 1985) and Reid Tracy (close friend and collaborator with Louise L. Hay) both remain as CEO. But there are a couple of key differences.
Sounds True has sold its entire book and audiobook business. So if you have previously been, or would like to be, published by Sounds True, you will now be published by Macmillan. I’m not sure what this means for open submissions at Sounds True, but I’m guessing that may soon be gatekept and agented via Macmillan, because - essentially - Sounds True won’t be publishing books any more. It’s worth downloading their Book Proposal Outline, which can be a useful guide for Transformational Nonfiction proposals in general.
Hay House has a Writers’ Boot Camp and various pathways through a membership and other paid Writing Workshop events which typically lead to an open submissions competition window. These can be great ways of networking with other writers, meeting the publishing and editing team, and being in with a shot of publication.
Other smaller independent publishing houses still exist in the transformational nonfiction field, such as Shambala (since 1969) and others - a quick search can turn up useful and surprising results for this. However, another prominent publisher in this field, Red Wheel Weiser, is owned by Mango Publishing, which is currently winding down operations (October 2025).
While the wellness and personal development industries are booming, traditional publishing seems to be struggling to maintain a hold on the growth trajectory in this field for smaller independent publishers.
Acquisition by larger publishing houses can be a positive in terms of keeping the original imprint going, but I think it’s also important to look at who owns those larger parent companies and the ethics that drive the “Big Five” global publishing conglomerates.
Many indie authors in the Transformational Nonfiction space prefer to publish independently through the growing self-publishing industry or with help from a hybrid publishing partner. This is how I help coaches, healers, therapists, practitioners and professionals to bring their transformational nonfiction books into the world. And I believe there’s never been a better time for it!
If you’re ready to write your Visionary Book, you can get my free training on How to Write Your Visionary Book Outline, here. It’ll help you to plan your transformational nonfiction book so that whenever you sit down to write, you’ll know exactly what to say.
