This month’s Kindle Direct Publishing news letter has an article by romance and mystery writer Stephanie Bond on her success in self publishing.
Bond is an author who was traditionally published but experienced many frustrations in working with her publisher. The publisher, for instance, would drop series that she felt were developing an audience.
But the biggest problem I had/have with traditional publishing is the protracted production schedule; when a writer has to deliver a manuscript a year to eighteen months prior to its release, he/she can’t respond to reader and market demands.
All of Bond’s complaints are common among traditionally published authors.
But here’s what happened when she transitioned to self publishing:
My sales were slow in the beginning, but after a couple of months, things started to pick up enough that I realized I could actually pay my bills with self-publishing. And then another writer friend shared her great experience with the KDP Select program. Coming from the traditional side of the business, I was reluctant to make my books exclusive to one retail source, but I’m so glad I did!
Offering my books for free to avid Kindle readers expanded my readership by leaps and bounds…my sales exploded. I’ve had several titles in the Kindle Top 100 paid list, and I’ve sold over 200,000 copies of two titles; one of them, STOP THE WEDDING!, is a romantic comedy my publisher turned down three times.
My book OUR HUSBAND, which a former print publisher sold at less than impressive levels, was the best-selling self-published Kindle book of 2012. To date, I’ve sold over a million copies of my own books. Now I’m able to continue series my publishers ended prematurely, and launch new projects. I love that my books are no longer static, that if a cover or a price isn’t working, for example, I can change it. If I had any qualms about leaving traditional publishing, they were settled last fall: the royalty check I received from my publisher representing six months of sales for over 40 projects was less than I’d made the previous day in KDP royalties for about 12 books.
Publishers, if they want to stay in business, should pay attention.
Get a FREE copy of Kill the Quarterback
Get a free digital copy of Jim Stovall's mystery novel, Kill the Quarterback. You will also get Jim's newsletter and advanced notice of publications, free downloads and a variety of information about what he is working on. Jim likes to stay in touch, so sign up today.
Tags: self publishing, Stephanie Bond