Selfpublishing success stories you need to hear about. After assuming complete control of his work, he kept his day job and began writing and releasing ebooks as well as some print books in his off hours, happy to be simply sharing his stories with whatever readers might find them. She selfpublished the first book in 2011 as an ebook and print on demand paperback through an independent publisher. In your self publishing career, its all about planning and perseverance so dont give up. After assuming complete control of his work, he kept his day job and began writing and releasing ebooks as well as some print books in his off hours, happy to be simply sharing his stories. This wasnt dumb luck, but the result of a strategy, based on years of marketing. The novel is another example of publishers looking at self publishing.
The most successful selfpublished scifi and fantasy. Most certainly, it has the scope and feel of the da vinci code, like the novels of jeremy robinson, another self publishing success story. Publishing their own ebooks has never been easier for authors. Adam croft british author adam croft is considered to be one of the most successful self published crime fiction authors in the world. I am a librarian with more than 15 years experience. The following slides are other bestseller success stories that started out as self published books. She selfpublished the first book in 2011 as an ebook and print on demand paperback. In kindle success stories, youll hear the stories of dozens of self published authors who are now selling hundreds of thousands of ebooks, and some who have even sold millions of copies online.
Omer, a 39yearold israeli computer engineer and selfpublished author, found initial success with his first ebook, spiders web, along with its. How much does an average self publishing author make on. He actually had a book published by pan books called the art of falling apart in 2000, which completely bombed. If youre not self publishing your books on kindle yet, youre missing out on a huge opportunity. Jan 12, 2012 a couple of years ago, amanda hocking needed to raise a few hundred dollars so, in desperation, made her unpublished novel available on the kindle. Self publishing success stories are all around us but its not often we get a glimpse into how, exactly, these authors manage to sell so many books on amazon. This story was originally published 7212016 and has been updated.
Book buyers are over discriminating between traditional published and self published books and ebooks. How i sold over half a million booksmy self publishing story and my top tips for success i am so excited to be talking about this today, because i know a lot of you have. How much do you think you could learn from just one person whos sold over 100,000 books in a year. Bestseller success stories that started out as selfpublished books. Nov 28, 20 about 2 years ago a friend of mine announced she was going to self publish some of her unpublished works on the amazon kindle platform. Read these selfpublishing success stories and get writing. Before i got my publishing deal, i self published a short story called veronika, using kdp, with modest success it has been in the amazon top 50. The secret selfpublish success stories mark dawsons self. Heres another one that simon and schuster picked up after it had been selfpublished. Selfpublishing success stories that will inspired you.
Because you are the publisher, youre also the marketer. Steve scott seemed to burst onto the indie nonfiction scene in early 2014, but in fact, he has 42 books and has had an internet business since 2006. This dad of two quit his job to become a successful author. Find out what are the most successful self published ebooks. Weve entered a brave new world where the tools you need to get published. Amanda hocking, the writer who made millions by selfpublishing. She self published the first book in 2011 as an ebook and print on demand paperback through an independent publisher. Dawson is one of the selfpublishing success stories that amazon likes to wheel out when journalists like myself come knocking. Just follow your dreams and magic may occur, says saiswaroopa iyer, sharing her own journey from nervous newbie to success. Apr 02, 20 im a selfpublishing failure i was hoping to become the next indie success story.
Get unlimited access to the best stories on medium and support writers while youre at it. Jun 25, 2019 a true indie ebook selfpublishing experience with smashwords, the author is considered to be the publisher of his or her ebook. When historians come to write about the digital transformation currently engulfing the bookpublishing world, they will almost certainly refer to amanda hocking, writer of paranormal fiction who in the past 18 months has emerged from obscurity to bestselling status entirely under her own selfpublished steam. I was happy to share this with my followers on twitter and thanks for your kind reply.
However, in the digital age, with a plethora of self publishing companies available and the option to market your book on social media, self publishing can lead to bigtime, traditional success. Weve taken all the great aspects of nook press and created one unified experience to make publishing your print or ebook. Jun 02, 2016 crofts success comes in the wake of a new report from enders analysis, published by the bookseller, which found that 40 of the 100 topselling ebooks on amazon us in march were selfpublished. How this selfpublished author sold 800,000 copies of her books. Six figure success selfpublishing nonfiction books with. You write, you rewrite, you edit, you tweak and when its perfect, you submit. Can anyone achieve selfpublishing success on amazon. Cnet executive editor david carnoy offers some basic tips for e book publishing and lays out your best options for publishing.
This book mostly consisted of a half dozen success stories along with a lot of selfpromotion by the author for his other products. Nevills short story collections have also been a success, as well as a key. Dawson is one of the selfpublishing success stories that amazon likes to. How i sold over half a million books selfpublishing youtube. This type of doubt is what sets many writers back, and they convince themselves that if a traditional publisher does not want their book, that it would be a failure. These selfpublished authors are actually making a living. At the end of the ebook, paperback, and audiobook, i have a prominent, clear call to action asking specifically for a. Stephen first took my program at the end of 2015 and now has a 6figure per year kindle ebook publishing business that he works on parttime. Bestseller success stories that started out as self. The anatomy of a kindle bestseller theres nothing wrong with ambition, especially when others have walked the path before us. Oct 10, 2017 how this selfpublished author sold 800,000 copies of her books.
Indie author kristen james shares the secrets of her success. And all without waiting for years and wading through mounds of rejection from traditional publishers. Anyone can publish anything now, whether thats a novel, a novella, a set of short stories, or a really long, rambling poem. I was one of those fortunate writers who has achieved self publishing success.
When you think of self published authors, you tend to think of smalltime writers with minimal sales and impact. Read self publishing success stories to inspire your writing self publishing success story. I have identified seven factors that can propel a book onto the bestseller lists if you can get them all lined up and firing. She then decided to selfpublish these novels as ebooks and gained huge success. Jan 28, 2019 arguably the most wellknown selfpublishing success story is e. Arguably the most wellknown selfpublishing success story is e. Snooki, ebook sales and facebook sponsored stories. Sep 18, 20 last july, we self published the casebook as an ebook via scribd and gumroad. Amazon now sells more kindle ebooks than physical books every single day. Could you imagine writing seventeen novels and not one being accepted. Amazon does not release sales figures, but croft says he had sold around 350,000 books.
Lindsay buroker let the first book in her emperors edge series. Like you wisely point out, the fact that its no longer a rare experience to have success with ebook self publishing. Bestseller success stories that started out as selfpublished. Waldman self published our allies have become our enemies, the first ebook in. Arguably the most wellknown self publishing success story is e. After all, she figured there were lots and lots of big success stories out there about writers who suddenly made huge incomes seemingly overnight on the self publishing platform. About 2 years ago a friend of mine announced she was going to self publish some of her unpublished works on the amazon kindle platform. Amazon book trailers ebooks editors picks life stories self. James started life as twilight fan fic before being self published and becoming a huge success.
There are lots of success stories and testimonials. How to make money by publishing and selling short stories. How to make money by publishing and selling short stories and short books on amazon there is a demand for publishing short stories, but the money is in ebooks. Here are some inspiring self publishing success stories of writers who made it big as indie authors. She published it on fan sites and eventually decided to turn it into an original erotic trilogy.
My goal is to showcase some of these prodigious writers and learn how they accomplished their astounding sales success. Croft has since selfpublished eight more books, seven of which are parts of his kempston hardwick and knight and culverhouse series. Thats why i hunted down librarian marlene harris for an interview. The ecommerce giant has finally made selfpublishing lucrative. Apr 17, 2015 dawsons recent success isnt representative of his time in publishing, however. April 22, 2015 most of the self publishing success stories we hear revolve around selling books on amazon. Jan 02, 2012 so, you want to get your selfpublished book andor ebook into the library, where lots and lots of new readers can discover you. Toprated resources for tips on kindle self publishing. How hugh howey turned his selfpublished story wool into. This is, of course, a big lie and you can find great success in self publishing. Luckily, bookbaby has worked with more than its fair share of topselling indie authors.
Youll find amazon self publishing success stories, self published ebook success stories and discover is self publishing on kindle profitable. Im a selfpublishing failure i was hoping to become the next indie success story. How this selfpublished author sold 800,000 copies of her. Selfpublishing has become a vital part of the publishing industry and has proven. He continued, between ebooks and paperbacks ive sold around 50 copies so far. But dawsons success isnt down to simply publishing his crime. To say that self publishing your book means instant success would be disingenuous, as much as amazon wants you to believe it. The story behind read an ebook week amazon says ebook sales to overtake paperbacks by next year. She hit the top of amazons kindle ebooks best seller list seven times last. Amazon uk recently released a list of the ten biggestselling self published books of 2012.
Exclusivity vs publishing wide for ebooks, print books, and audiobooks. Selfpublishing success stories that will keep you motivated. Selfpublished book success stories how writers used free tools to get their books noticed. Here are stories from people who became wildly successful. Getting your selfpublished book into the library, tips from. In the past, the best advice to new authors was to have a fantastic book cover, a great book description to hook readers, and to have a book properly edited. But before talking about me, i want to look at another self published success story. In 2011, my writing partner louise voss and i hit no. Amanda hockings self published ya fantasy titles have earned her millions. She also resents how her abrupt success has been interpreted as a sign that digital self publishing is a new way to get rich quick.
Like you wisely point out, the fact that its no longer a rare experience to have success with ebook selfpublishingthats a message that we all have to work hard to let people know about. We spoke to three selfpublished authors to find out how theyre getting. Self publishing is the publication of media by its author without the involvement of an established publisher. Unlike some other ebook selfpublishing services, smashwords allows its authors a great measure of control over pricing, and over access to the work. After all, she figured there were lots and lots of big success stories out there about writers who suddenly made huge incomes seemingly overnight on the self publishing. Learn the secrets to success from dozens of bestselling self published kindle authors you could be the next great self publishing success story.
Two years ago, i self published my first science fiction novel, where the hell is tesla. In fact, heres a list of selfpublished ebook authors and their sales for one month. How an unknown indie authoress made millions from ebooks daily mail self published author amanda hocking makes millions from ebook sales huffpo good enough is how. Amazon self publishing success stories a listly list. Amanda hocking, the writer who made millions by self. Kristen james, who writes from the north west pacific coast of the usa, shares the secrets that have enabled her to achieve such success, along with some memorable quotes to inspire you. At first, hugh howeys decision to walk away from a small press contract and self publish didnt seem all that remarkable. I read about how american authors were self publishing and have quite a bit of success. These are self publishing success stories that need to be shared with the next generation of wouldbe authors. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using pod print on demand technology. Aug 05, 2011 and im sure everyone is aware of the success of amanda hocking who was actually the first person i heard of who was making a huge success from her selfpublished ebooks. While selfpublishing doesnt equal instant success, youll learn the principles behind the successful creation and distribution of an ebook or print edition. In 1931, irma rombauer wrote the joy of cooking, with her daughter, who not only illustrated the book, but also helped test the recipes.
The first wave self published success stories such as amanda hocking, stephen leather and john locke are great examples of this. Drawing on the past 14 months of data, this post explains why i consider the self publishing experiment a success. Oct 14, 2014 if you want a six figure income from your books, its a good idea to model people who are already making this kind of money. Includes traditional publishing and selfpublishing options, as well as details on print books, ebooks, and audiobooks. Traditional, selfpublishing, print, ebook and audiobooks information on how to get your book published. Should you sell your ebook on amazon or your own website. Publishers rejected me, but i went on to earn sixfigures. Amazons kindle unlimited is a boon for some authors the atlantic. Its a big success story for amazoncrossing, which identifies books selling well in other. How hugh howey turned his selfpublished story wool into a. Mar 12, 2018 how i sold over half a million booksmy self publishing story and my top tips for success i am so excited to be talking about this today, because i know a lot of you have been asking about. Last july, we self published the casebook as an ebook via scribd and gumroad. And the advent of ebooks played a major part in his success. Youve considered self publishing, but you have your doubts.