Publishing E-Books For Dummies

Self-Publishing Case Studies and Success Stories

Plenty of self-publishers are doing quite well for themselves from e-books, by selling hundreds of thousands of copies of them via Amazon (www.amazon.com). No number officially signifies a bestseller, though 10,000 copies is a common rule of thumb.

The authors who succeed in self-publishing have varied backgrounds: Some have had long careers as authors working with traditional publishers, and others started out in self-publishing and quickly found success. What they all have in common is an initial online audience (not necessarily a large audience) and the willingness to experiment.

Following the example of established authors who are embracing self-publishing

Savvy authors are turning away from the traditional publishing world to make more money on their own by self-publishing e-books. Two examples are the genre authors J.A. Konrath, who writes thrillers and crime novels, and Holly Lisle, who writes fantasy and science fiction. Both have published multiple novels via traditional channels, and both have turned to e-books in recent years.

J.A. Konrath’s thriller and crime novels

If you haven’t yet come across J.A. Konrath’s popular and outspoken blog, A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing, give it a look. Figure 2-1 shows the site’s home page, and you can find the site online at http://jakonrath.blogspot.com .

I find Konrath’s tone acerbic at times, but at least he isn’t afraid to speak his mind — that traditional publishing ...