Self-published authors who made it in the 2012 Amazon Self-Published Bestsellers showed that they are ready to level the playing field with traditionally published writers.
A number of today’s new breed of writers are raking in the big bucks. Last year, a thread on KindleBoards revealed a list of bestselling self-published authors with over 50,000 e-books sold. Amazon UK recently released a list of 10 bestsellers in 2012, half of which were all independently published. Indeed, 2012 marked the year of the literary indies. This trend is seen to continue over the next years.
Seeing the changing industry trend, traditional publishers are cashing on bankable indies. The likes of E.L. James, Amanda Hocking, and J.A. Konrath have secured major contract deals with mainstream publishing houses. These established writers have become household names in the e-book world and have proven that self-publishing is a good stepping stone to attract traditional publishers.
Sara Nelson, Amazon’s Editorial Director of Books and Kindle, noted that books aimed at female readers are selling well, as shown in the commercial success of the erotic trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey by British author E.L. James.
“It’s also interesting to note that four of the five contemporary romance titles in the top 10 list, including the Fifty Shades trilogy, were originally independently published and went on to become huge best sellers,” Nelson added.
Smashwords founder Mark Coker echoed the projected trend in self-publishing.
“Four years ago self-publishing was viewed as the option of last resort for authors, where failed authors went, but this attitude is changing dramatically. For a lot of authors, self-publishing is going from the option of last resort to the option of first resort. There was a lot of stigma associated with self-publishing four years ago and very little stigma associated with traditional publishing. I think over next few years we’re going to see that reverse. The stigma associated with self-publishing is quickly disappearing as we see more and more indie authors becoming commercially successful on their own merits, and as some of the problems with traditional publishing become more apparent,” he said.
Xlibris News will continue to bring you more up-to-date information about self-publishing. Read featured Xlibris authors at Xlibris Indie Authors Roundup.