Self-Published Authors Doing it Right!

Hugh Howey                                                                          Ksenia Anske                                                                           Chuck Wendig
The other blog I write for just posted a piece I wrote about self-published authors who are doing it RIGHT! Above are three of them, Hugh Howey, Ksenia Anske, and Chuck Wendig, that I discuss in the post, but I also branch out regarding others, including the "Kindle Million Club."

Here's an excerpt, and the link for the rest:

Quite a few other decently known self-pubbers can be found, among them Chuck Wendig, Amanda Hocking, and the indie-revered Hugh Howey (whose self-published book Wool is being made into a film with director/producer Ridley Scott). A noticeable trend found throughout is that after finding success with self-publishing, these authors were approached by a traditional publisher, signing several million dollar deals in cases.

Amanda Hocking, a 29-year-old from Minnesota, first experienced success when she self-published her YA paranormal books on Amazon and Smashwords in 2010; the rights to her Watersong series were sold for $2 million a year later. CJ Lyons, an ER pediatrician-turned-NYT’s-bestseller, is another hybrid author who touts traditional publishing as her end-goal: “I enjoy working with an editor, and I think my writing is ready to go to the next level,” Lyons said to USA Today about her 2011 contract with Minotaur Press. This quote is interesting in that, being an experienced self-published author, Lyons should recognize that there are hundreds of talented freelance editors at her disposal for self-publishing, and a contract with Minotaur Press didn’t suddenly tap into a specialized resource. If you’re work hasn’t been edited before self-publishing, then it makes it that much harder to impress a larger publishing house.

What Lyons, Hocking, and many others who’ve followed this path aren’t saying is that with traditional publishing comes a level of prestige otherwise withheld. The stigma around self-publishing still lingers, faded as it has become. But authors like Joel Friedlander and Kristine Kathryn Rusch offer lengthy thoughts on how e-markets have changed the game of publishing, making it easier for some to win. For many though, the mark of writing success is still that featured placement in the Barnes & Noble window shelves; it’s a dream not easily quelled.


To read the rest, go to Midnight Publishing's post!

Also, if anyone has any other suggestions for up-and-comers, I'd love to hear about them. I am starting my interview series tomorrow with self-published/publishing authors, beginning with the wonderful Jenny Bravo! Come back to learn more about what Jenny's currently working on, why she decided to self-publish, and a little secret about her NO ONE KNOWS (until tomorrow).

Stay tuned for my interview as well with one of my all-time heroes, Ksenia Anske, in the coming weeks.

Until then, keep writing and keep dreaming!