Gerard and Laia are about to sell their publishing business for $250,000. Not because it's failing. Not because they're burned out. But because it's working so well that selling it now—at peak performance—will fund their next, bigger move.

Last year, they generated $225,000 in revenue and nearly $100,000 in profit. One of their books alone brings in $100,000 annually in the U.S. market. The same book generates $10,000 per month in both Germany and France—$240,000 per year combined from just two international markets. In January alone, they hit over $30,000 in gross royalties in 24 days, with $17,000 in net profit.

But here's what makes their story different: they didn't stumble into this. They built it strategically, tested unconventional channels like TikTok, diversified across five countries, and now they're exiting at the top to scale even bigger.

This is a story about building assets, not just income. About knowing when to hold and when to sell. And about how a couple working from a small apartment in Barcelona turned book publishing into a business worth a quarter million dollars.

The Path Before Publishing

Gerard and Laia had been working together for seven to eight years before they found publishing. They started with a Twitch channel pre-COVID, putting in the work but earning nothing. Then they tried network marketing. They hated it. The "sell to friends and family" model didn't sit right with them. Next came Amazon FBA. They saw the potential, but the reality was messy. High upfront investment. Inventory management. Boxes stacked in their small Barcelona apartment. It wasn't scalable, and it wasn't sustainable.

That's when they discovered Kindle Direct Publishing. KDP had everything FBA didn't: no inventory to manage, worldwide distribution from day one, and a much lower barrier to entry. You didn't need thousands of dollars to stock products. You just needed a good idea and the ability to execute. They started with a simple activity book—a word search puzzle book—to test the model. They focused on three things: marketing, product presentation (specifically the cover), and launch strategy.

Within three months, they went from zero to $1,000 per month in royalties.

The Wellness Niche Strategy

From the beginning, Gerard and Laia focused on evergreen niches. Not trends. Not seasonal spikes. Evergreen topics that people search for year-round.

Their core brand is in the wellness niche—fitness, nutrition, health. They built around a consistent target audience, which allowed them to create multiple books that spoke to the same readers. This wasn't about chasing what was hot. It was about building predictability and stability.

They also paid close attention to market metrics. What were people searching for? What problems were they trying to solve? What gaps existed in the current offerings? And they optimized ruthlessly for royalties.

The Page Count Playbook

One of their key insights: page count is everything when it comes to maximizing royalties.

They aim for 108 pages for black-and-white books. They experiment with dimensions—6x9 or 8.5x11 inches—to fit content and optimize pricing.

Here's the counterintuitive part: a 150-page book doesn't necessarily price higher than a 100-page book. They've sold books for $32.99 with just 100 pages. It's not about length. It's about perceived value and how you structure the content. They focus on net margin per copy. If a book is making $100 in profit per month, that's a win. It's scalable. It compounds. And with AI workflows now available, creating high-content books is easier than ever. The complexity, they say, is almost zero—as long as you have expert review for the manuscript.

The TikTok Breakthrough

This is where their strategy gets interesting. They took their best-selling book, translated it into Spanish, and decided to promote it on TikTok.

Why TikTok? Because the algorithm shows posts to local audiences. If you're posting from Spain, your content gets shown to people in Spain. That made it easier to target their home market without expensive ads. They created simple carousel posts showcasing the book. No fancy production. Just clear, engaging content.

One post went viral. Then another. Between the two, they hit 8.5 million impressions. A single viral TikTok post generated $5,000 to $10,000 in sales. But here's the real payoff: the book started ranking on Amazon. And once it ranked, it kept selling—$1,000 to $1,500 in profit per month—even without additional viral posts.

Over 12 months, that one book generated $57,000 in profit from just $1,000 in ad spend. Their ACOS (Advertising Cost of Sale) was below 10%. Production cost? Zero. They did everything themselves—translation, formatting, cover design. The only investment was their time and the cost of posting.

This is the power of external traffic. Amazon favors it. When you drive traffic from outside the platform, Amazon rewards you with better organic ranking. And better ranking means more sales, even when you're not actively promoting.

Diversification Across Five Markets

Gerard and Laia don't rely on a single market. Or a single book. Their income is split across 5 countries: the U.S., Spain (which accounts for 50% of their income), Germany, France, and the U.K.

This diversification isn't just smart—it's strategic. When one market slows down, another picks up. When competition increases in the U.S., they have revenue streams in Europe to balance it out.

They also don't rely on one bestseller. Their top 2 books generate around $3,000 per month in profit. The next 4 to 5 books bring in $500 per month each. The rest contribute $100 to $300 per month. It's a portfolio approach. Not every book is a home run. But together, they create a stable, scalable income.

Why They're Selling at the Peak

Most people sell a business when they have to. When it's declining. When they're burned out. When they need the cash. Gerard and Laia are doing the opposite. They're selling because the business is performing well. The KPIs are strong. The revenue is consistent. And the valuation—between $230,000 and $280,000—reflects that.

They're timing the sale around Valentine's Day (2026), when their books see a seasonal sales peak. This maximizes the business's attractiveness to buyers. But the real reason they're selling? To fund their next move.

They want to enter more competitive niches.

They want to invest in higher-budget projects.

They want to scale beyond what their current business allows.

Selling now gives them the capital to do that. And it frees them from the operational weight of managing the current portfolio.

"It's better to sell a business when you don't need it," they explain. "Sell when things are going well and KPIs are good."

This is the mindset of asset builders, not income earners. They're not just making money. They're creating value, capturing it, and reinvesting it into the next opportunity.

What's Next: TikTok Shop and Beyond

Gerard and Laia aren't slowing down. They're expanding. They're growing Laia's account. They're entering TikTok Shop in the U.S., seeing it as a massive opportunity for early movers. They're developing a new business model related to KDP that can be sold as a service.

TikTok Shop requires more upfront investment—around $10,000 per book for initial stock—but it opens a new channel for driving traffic to Amazon. And they're approaching it the same way they approached their Spanish TikTok strategy: start organic, go viral, then scale. They're also investing in expanded distribution beyond Amazon. More platforms. More markets. More leverage.

The Couple Advantage

One of their biggest strengths is how they work together.

Gerard focuses on the strategic and analytical side—numbers, ads, market analysis. Laia handles production—content creation, design, execution. This complementarity is what allows them to move fast. They're not waiting on freelancers. They're not bottlenecked by a single skill set. They can ideate, execute, and optimize in real-time.

And they're aligned on the bigger goal: freedom.

"The true wealth is freedom and the lifestyle the business provides, not just the money," they say. This is what keeps them motivated. Not the revenue. Not the profit. But the ability to work from anywhere, build something together, and control their own time.

The Breakdown: How the Numbers Work

Let's look at the math behind their business.

• Revenue: $225,000 last year.
• Profit: Nearly $100,000.
• Top book (U.S.): $100,000 per year.
• Top book (Germany + France): $10,000 per month each = $240,000 per year combined.
• January performance: $30,000+ gross royalties in 24 days, $17,000 net profit.
• TikTok book: $57,000 profit over 12 months from $1,000 ad spend.
• Business valuation: $250,000 (range: $230,000–$280,000).

This isn't luck. It's a system. And the system is built on a few core principles:

1. Evergreen niches with predictable demand.
2. Optimized page count and pricing to maximize royalties per sale.
3. External traffic (TikTok) to boost Amazon ranking.
4. Diversification across markets and books.
5. Portfolio thinking—not every book needs to be a bestseller.

Key Lessons for New Publishers

If you're just starting out, here's what Gerard and Laia's story teaches:

1. Start simple.

They started with a word search book. Not a complex, high-content masterpiece. Just something to test the model and learn the process.

2. Focus on royalties, not just sales.

Page count, pricing, and structure all impact how much you make per sale. Optimize for profit, not volume.

3. Leverage external traffic.

Amazon rewards you for driving traffic from outside the platform. TikTok, Instagram, Facebook—wherever your audience is, meet them there and bring them to Amazon.

4. Diversify early.

Don't rely on one book or one market. Translate your winners. Test international markets. Build a portfolio.

5. Know when to sell.

If you build something valuable, don't wait until it's declining to exit. Sell when it's strong, and use the capital to scale your next move.

6. Use AI, but don't skip the review.

AI makes book creation faster and cheaper. But you still need expert review to ensure quality. The tools are there. Use them wisely.

The Bigger Picture

Gerard and Laia's story isn't just about making money from books. It's about building assets, capturing value, and reinvesting strategically. They didn't get stuck on one business model. They didn't cling to a single revenue stream. They built something valuable, and now they're selling it to fund the next chapter.

This is what separates people who make money from people who build wealth. It's not about holding on. It's about knowing when to let go.