maybe you saw this but I just came across it. Self E-Publisher tried to make a grand - ended up with 200,000 dollars selling her e-book for 3.99 on amazon while Colleen Hoover was still getting rejection letters even after she hit the new york times best sellers - she since published her third book http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/adult-sexy-book-genre-young-adult-readers-18572859
not vouching for the quality - just that it sold and she did all on her own... Both she and her husband packed in their jobs and moving from a trailer to a purpose built house - fair play to her huh?
The way the article reads is pretty bad from what I could see. I couldn't tell properly who was saying what, so the disclaimer immediately after the article seemed to be very true, hence my "You're not kidding..." statement. Edit: I note there may be a video of the Nightline show, but that's unviewable here in the UK so I'm only able to read the transcript above the video.
Getting back to the original post, thanks for posting, erebh. The video raises a few issues -- one of which is the 'what is literature' and what is good writing that has been popular lately on several threads here. I think this does show that it certainly is possible to self-publish to wild success. But we hear about these stories because they are the exception. It is, as they acknowledge in the video, like hitting the jackpot. But it does happen, so for people who want to go this route or who end up pushed into it because they aren't finding success the traditional way, this is a great inspirational story and it's proof that it can happen. Also, though, I think that erotica and quasi-erotica are a little bit different than other genres, and that they lend themselves better to internet-based and electronic forms of publishing, due to their nature.
This is the equivalent to Stephen King in trade publishing. We can all hope for that kind of success, but not something to bet the farm on. But hey, if it keeps the dream alive...
I love these stories. Truly, it is an inspiration to any amateur writer. But it glosses over all the pavement tread between the starting gun and the finish line. These people are not only self-publishers but self-marketers, self-promoters, self-graphic artists and self-business managers. There are probably one thousand ebooks self-published a day and very good reasons why only a handful rake in over $200K, regardless of the quality of the writing.
the video seems to angle the book between erotica / romance. I read the reviews on amazon and while the first book has over 1300 reviews, over 1000 5star a lot of the readers, huge fans of YA fiction were dissapointed there was no actual sex scenes so the honest reviews totally go against the marketing. Funny business publishing.... reviews here from a range of readers, women in the 30s and 40s as well as teens from both ends. http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B00AQ3K8IU/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1 I'm just wondering, for writers who want to be published to make money - is this stuff you should be writing? By the way, she has also sold the rights to both books to a movie company and her third book is in the best pre-sellers list - its not out till May I think.
Well, Romance is the best selling genre, so I suppose if you wanted to pick the genre that is most likely to sell that would be it. But, romance writers don't view it as vapid fluff -- their heart, so to speak, is really in it. They're serious writers with a commitment to the genre. So, unless you feel a personal pull to write in that genre, I don't expect that you'd find the success you're seeking. You really need to write what's in your heart and head.
I wish I had that kind of marketing gusto. A google search shows how well-linked her name is across the net. Maybe I should write a trashy, dirty novel for some quick $$$
Maybe you should. It does make one wonder. There is the old saying in sales by Zig Ziglar, "People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons." And people buy what they want, not what we think they need. As writers we tend to get caught up in what we might think people should read instead of what they actually want to read. I think it is important to write to an audience or to a market who would buy my product. In reading through this forum there have been many complaints about the junk that is published out there. Most of us could put out a written work in a much more professional way than some of the things that find high sales. Obviously it isn't always about how well it is written but rather how well it conveys. Sometimes it is about reaching into your audience to place an idea in their minds that swirls around and lingers long enough to come up in conversation at the water cooler.
Hey, I've got got some acreage to sell you, away from the bustle of the city, with access to recreational wetlands on three sides.
"I think this does show that it certainly is possible to self-publish to wild success. But we hear about these stories because they are the exception." That statement is true no matter what publishing route you take, the fact is getting published by a traditional publisher doesn't really change that equation one iota.
Self-publishing turns the equation on its head, but doesn't reduce the amount of work an author needs to do. In traditional publishing, the author has to do tons of work (and have an incredible amount of luck) to get an agent and publisher to notice them and take them on—but after that, the work of distribution and marketing is done by the publisher, and the author can relax a bit. With self-publishing, it's easy to get your book into print, but then the real hard work starts for the author. Marketing and distribution is a nightmare, and takes up a lot of time the author could be spending writing another book. One guy I know who has self-published a moderately successful book says that promotion amounts to a full-time job. Interestingly, though, he prefers self-publishing because it gives him control over his writing and HOW he markets it! So there isn't really any 'easy' way to get books out there and get them sold. It's work work work at either end of the process. Unless, of course, you're one of the incredibly lucky ones...
Colleen Hoover's writing is awful... At least with 50 Shades it's written well. EL James was rather clever about the way she built the story up. Hoover's is just... rambling.
I think the point is that writers shouldn't use these 'wild successes' as reasons to self-publish. They are the exceptions, and most self-publishers (especially those who have not been trade published previously) are not going to make that kind of money. They probably will make very little. It's a matter of realism versus idealism.
True. But most traditionally-published authors also aren't going to hit the jackpot, or even be able to quit their day job.
And most writers who submit their work to trade publishers will never make a cent, because they'll never sell a novel.
