Publishing with Purpose: A Conversation with the Founder of Familius
An Interview with Christopher Robbins, CEO and Co-founder of Familius
Publishing companies get created for all sorts of reasons but in today’s interview with Foreword’s Executive Editor Matt Sutherland, Christopher Robbins credits the unique opportunity inherent in book publishing for his decision to launch Familius in 2012: where else do you have the opportunity to change the world?
Parents to a large and growing family, Robbins and his wife, Michele, understood that the best way to have a global influence in publishing was to build their new company around the family unit—and for fourteen years now, Familius has published dozens of bestsellers and changed the lives of countless children, parents, and grandparents.
“No one has ever told me they didn’t want a happy family,” Robbins explains. “With the challenges in the world, I felt a focus on helping people through publishing would excite me and others. And it’s proven to be so.”
Enjoy the conversation.
In 2012, after twenty years in publishing, you decided it was time to launch your own independent publishing house. Please take us back: What opportunities did you see?
I had navigated Gibbs Smith through a near bankruptcy in the mid nineties, the high returns of the Borders and B&N growth, two recessions, the bankruptcy of Borders, and then navigated the company through the great recession, while producing double digit growth for thirteen consecutive years and growing the company from a small western-focused publisher to a midsized, national publisher and leader in multiple categories. After nearly seventeen years doing that and after the Great Recession, I was fairly burned out and I was no longer happy in my role. I felt that a new start would reignite my love and passion for the industry. I was also forty-four years old and that midlife “crisis” might also explain it.
What separates Familius and its books from other independent publishers?
What separates Familius is that it’s a mission-driven company that appeals globally, regardless of demographic. We have a mission to help families be happy, no matter what type of family you have. We simply want people to benefit from what we promote as the ten habits of happy families. No one has ever told me they didn’t want a happy family. With the challenges in the world, I felt a focus on helping people through publishing would excite me and others. And it’s proven to be so.
Why do you personally hold families (the family unit) in such high regard?
Great question. Families are the foundational unit of society. We understand and embrace that all families look different, but fundamentally, our society is based on some form of family structure. Families are where children receive the most foundational education, either positive or negative. And that foundation influences our society. We encourage families to embrace our ten habits, knowing that those habits lead to happier people as well as more successful and contributing adults.
Through the untamed growth in social media usage, everchanging political winds, a global pandemic, and all manner of challenges in book publishing, how has your publishing vision changed or adapted over those fourteen years? What’s your secret to staying nimble in publishing?
Publishing is a tremendously challenging business. It’s never been easy and now, with all barriers to entry broken, and competing with all forms of entertainment and content distribution, it’s never been more competitive. So, like other successful publishers, Familius focuses on providing value to our market. And we do think of ourselves as a brand, so we work to market through the trade and directly to our core audience. There is a market that values curated, artistic content. And, as for being nimble, Familius has to consider itself a venture capitalist. Each book or product is an entrepreneurial experience. Every book is a kind of test. We invest wisely, keep what works, jettison what doesn’t, and never bet the farm.
What’s currently happening in publishing that you never imagined all those years ago? And—put your futurist’s hat on for a moment—what changes do you anticipate over the next fourteen years?
I think what has amazed me the most are, first, the ability to self publish within specific genres and be tremendously successful. I’m meeting self published authors who are making seven figures. I’m amazed at their business prowess and ability to churn out content. There’s much to learn from them. The second thing that amazes me is how social media and YouTube have allowed people to create a new form of publishing and generate a tremendous amount of money from those mediums. What we’ve seen in publishing is a case study of Clayton Christiansen’s famous book The Innovator’s Dilemma. What I believe we’ll see over the next fourteen years is additional consolidation as that’s a safer way for companies to grow. Further, I think we’ll see creators using AI to find ways of publishing all forms of content through multiple mediums and a large segment of our markets will consume it. It will further disrupt the industry and force us as publishers to continue to lean into giftable, value-focused products.
Tell us about some of your 2026 releases and what we can look forward to?
I’m stoked about 2026. We’ve spent years developing this list and I expect 2026 to be a very good year. A few titles that come to mind include Unchecked by Karen Kleiman, the third book in our maternal mental health series, which includes the industry’s number one maternal mental health title Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts. This series has literally saved lives, and I’m proud that Familius has created a unique package to help these moms. Another title is Hear them Sing, a really well illustrated book plus soundboard that allows kids to learn about fourteen North American birds and hear their actual calls. It’s stunning. And, being somewhat selfish, I’m excited about Fly Fishing with Papa, a children’s picture book about the joy and bonding that comes from taking our children and grandchildren fly fishing. I’m the president of the Fly Fishers for Conservation and have found great joy sharing this “artful sport” with my children. And, of course, we are happy to continue to strengthen our Spanish language series of titles, knowing that our Spanish speaking neighbors need more content.
Are there any company goals you’re striving to meet in the coming years?
The most important goals beyond revenue growth and profitability are strengthening our gift and direct market work. Our non trade sales have become the most important area of our business. To stay relevant, Familius needs to continue to challenge the paradigm that we’re not just a book publisher; we are a media company with a mission to help families be happy.
Where can librarians, booksellers, and avid readers learn more about Familius?
Obviously, the best place to learn about Familius is through Familius.com. A more focused look at the Familius Habit Hub and our Helping Families Be Happy podcast will provide a better understanding of who we are, why we do it, and what we’re up to.
Matt Sutherland
