For decades, the literary world dismissed self-published authors as amateurs and hacks who lacked the talent to land a book deal. But that attitude gradually began to change with the rise of e-books and the arrival of Kindle from Amazon, which gave authors direct access to millions of readers. Over the last five years, close to 40 independent authors have sold more than a million copies of their e-books on Amazon, the company said. … Last year, a third of the 100 best-selling Kindle books were self-published titles on average each week, an Amazon representative said.
~~Alexandra Alter— “Meredith Wild, a Self-Publisher Making an Imprint,” New York Times
Not long ago few writers considered any type of publishing other than what we now call “traditional publishing.” Now many writers who have had books published through traditional or independent publishing houses are turning to self-publishing.
Each one has a different reason. Some of the more common are
- More product control. The author has complete control of layout, cover design, and price, for example. Of course, complete control also means complete responsibility.
- More profit. The author receives all the net proceeds rather than a percentage.
- Faster time to market. It’s not unusual for a traditionally published book to take two years after the contract is signed to make it to market. Self-publishing often takes more than one week or thirty days, as some promote. But it’s not years.
- Guaranteed publication. This is especially important to writers with books targeted at a small audience.
- Notice by traditional publishers. Joanne Bischof DeWitt self-published The Lady and the Lionheart. Her book won a 2017 Christy Award. Joanne now writes for Thomas Nelson. Not only are award-winning authors receiving attention, but those with a proven sales record are being considered by traditional publishers and agents.
With about 2.3 million self-published books in 2022, it’s worth consideration.[i] If we are aware of what’s happening in the self-publishing world, we can make a better decision about what’s best for our books.
Famous Self-Published Writers
- Mark Twain
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning
- Rod McKuen
- James Redfield (The Celestine Prophecy)
- Stephen King
- Richard Paul Evans (The Christmas Box)
- Andy Weir (The Martian)
Mark Twain started his own publishing company to be able to keep more of the profit from his books. That company eventually closed.
Stephen King was one of the first best-selling authors to self-publish an e-book in 2000. At the time, he said he thought e-books would become 50 percent of the market by 2013. (According to Statista website, e-book sales are projected to be about $15.5 billion in the United States by 2027.[ii])
The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans was rejected numerous times. So, Evans self-published it and sold it through local bookstores in 1993, and it became a local best seller. The next year it was number two on the New York Times best-seller list, which resulted in an auction among top publishers for the rights.
Andy Weir’s The Martian, a sci-fi thriller, was turned into a movie starring Matt Damon, which grossed over $630 million.
[i]. Jim Milliot, “Self-Publishing Is Thriving, According to Bowker,” Publisher’s Weekly, February 17, 2023, accessed October 21, 2023, https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/91574-self-publishing-is-thriving-according-to-bowker-report.html.
[ii]. “E-Books—Worldwide,” Statista, accessed October 21, 2023, https://www.statista.com/outlook/dmo/digital-media/epublishing/ebooks/worldwide.