Author makes "millions" through independent e-publishing

from the Borders Sale thread:

per the earlier discussion about the possibility of people publishing e-books independently:

26-year old Amanda Hocking is the best-selling "indie" writer on the Kindle store, meaning she doesn't have a publishing deal, Novelr says.

And she shouldn't. She gets to keep 70% of her book sales -- and she sells around 100,000 copies per month.

http://www.businessinsider.com/amanda-hocking-2011-2?utm_source=feedburner#ixzz1FMsklkGD

― congratulations (n/a), Tuesday, March 1, 2011 12:21 PM (36 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

holy shit

― Rich Lolwry (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, March 1, 2011 12:27 PM (30 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

the original USA Today story has more details:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2011-02-09-ebooks09_ST_N.htm

― congratulations (n/a), Tuesday, March 1, 2011 12:41 PM (16 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

well there you go

― bows don't kill people, arrows do (Jordan), Tuesday, March 1, 2011 12:43 PM (14 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i'm not really sure why an author would want a traditional publishing deal at this point anyways. sure, there are lots of people who still can't afford e-readers and e-books, but they probably aren't going to be able to afford $26 hardcovers either.

― congratulations (n/a), Tuesday, March 1, 2011 12:51 PM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i wonder who the first big author is going to be who will figure out how much more $$$ they could make publishing their own e-books, a la Radiohead going out on their own. I think that'll be the big milestone that could really shift the thinking about this.

― congratulations (n/a), Tuesday, March 1, 2011 12:52 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I'm going to break this out into its own thread.

― congratulations (n/a), Tuesday, March 1, 2011 12:57 PM (0 seconds ago) Bookmark

She sells her e-books really cheap according to that article linked in the Borders thread.

H.P. Mallory, another self-published paranormal e-novelist, has sold 70,000 copies of her e-books since July. Her success caught the attention of traditional publisher Random House, with whom she just signed a three-book contract. "Selling e-books on Kindle and Barnesandnoble.com basically changed my life

Linked above, duh.

Why shouldn't she sell them really cheaply? Suits the market and medium and she still gets cash.

As for Mallory, presumably her already evident success plus knowledge of a handier royalty rate means that she didn't make the deal without some sort of way of locking in that equivalent. (If she didn't, she's got a terrible lawyer.)

They are cheap, but she makes 70 percent of each one she sells for $2.99, which is a little over $2 ... do authors personally make $2 per copy of each physical book that they sell?

gonna depend on the book innit? that doesn't seem unrealistic for a $20 book but I have no idea.

sell your blog

yeah there was also an article abt a british author doing this in the observer over the wkend - http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/feb/27/kindle-ebooks-amazon-stephen-leather

not to be all lol because this is something I am pretty serious about but lol @ young-adult paranormal novels

well "young-adult paranormal novels" makes sense to me because what's exciting about this is no longer having the middleman of a big publisher in between me and authors, deciding who is worth reading and who isn't. occasionally that works, like with the NYRB Classics, but most publishers don't really have that dependability or identity.

huh that came out kind of garbled. i just mean it makes sense that a niche genre is where this would happen, because now readers can choose what they want to read instead of having publishers choose what's worthy/profitable.

the other thing I think is exciting about this, and that I'm looking forward to, is hopefully authors will just release books that are as long as they need to be

deciding who is worth reading and who isn't

but this might come down to an author who has "aggressive self-promotion on her blog, Facebook and Twitter" and one who doesn't.

I don't see that side of things now so I'm only guessing...but an 8 or 10% royalty is standard-ish based on past jobs I have worked, and that means 8 or 10% of the profit from the book, not from the cover/sale price of the book. Remember, big retailers like B&N and Amazon only pay around 50-55% of the cover price, so for a $20 book, the publisher only sees around $11 to start with.

I just lol'd because that niche genre is like the only genre that exists now in many publishers' heads

which is why i can see an indie label approach to e-publishing being a good thing. small online publishers that have an aesthetic and a sense of quality but don't take a huge cut for physical distribution etc., so that the burden of promotion isn't entirely on authors.

xp

I get what n/a is saying though, because although all decisions of readers will be mediated by something, publishing is such a fucking gated world, its nice to add some wiggle room

right, like just imagine you write some insane 1,000-page avante-garde meta-novel ... the odds that a publisher would pick it up are pretty slim. so then you can either throw the whole thing away, or you can publish it as an e-book yourself and promote it directly to your audience and maybe sell 500 copies but hey that's 500 people who read your book that wouldn't have been able to access it at all otherwise. i dunno why i'm being so corny about this, i just think it's really cool.

How long until we start seeing this used as stealth marketing by the major publishers, though?

i worry a little bit about what this means for the editing process but on the whole i cant imagine that having MORE outlets for writers is a bad thing

Thinking about this today, and thinking about Samuel Delany's troubles in getting his next novel published (was sold and scheduled, publisher went busto), makes me wish he'd try this route with the next book.

n/a it is really cool! I mean, I'd rather have 200 people read my book than to just scrap it after a publisher rejects it. It will be really neat to watch this unfold across the industry. Maybe Pynchon can be the first to pull a Radiohead! (riiiiight)

yeah the editing thing is interesting. i was thinking about how maybe traditional publishers could benefit from this trend if it gets big, by not having to guess at what books will sell, instead tracking authors that sell a lot of e-books and then offer them publishing deals, with the added incentive of professional editing. it's hard not to make music analogies here, but it's like an indie band signing with a major label so they can record with daniel lanois at abbey road.

sell your blog

― puff puff post (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Tuesday, March 1, 2011 2:06 PM (42 minutes ago) Bookmark

Just a bit of fun, so lets be cool.

a lot of people complain that editors dont edit anymore, too busy begging their authors to tweet and whatnot, which is obvs part of the same greater sea change as these self published ebooks

go and do likewise, gents

the other thing I think is exciting about this, and that I'm looking forward to, is hopefully authors will just release books that are as long as they need to be

With the corollary that 99% of self-published books should probably never have been any length at all (though this probably applies to most publisher-published books, too)

Would there possibly be a market for independent editors to work with self-publishing authors for a flat fee or cut of the sales?

I love it. I think it's great. Publishing houses are way too snobby, as are the literary journals. Let's take this TO THE STREETS

xp

Yeah, I think that's likely, tho I suspect these editors would have to sell themselves on nuts-at-bolts stuff that authors might be insecure about (spelling, grammar, consistency, tech things - formatting, structure for kindle, other devices); I think it'll be trickier to do the plot-and-characters blue-pencil stuff when the power has swung so far towards the author (unless an editor can get their name consistently attached to successes).

I'm glad all this is finally happening. It's felt inevitable for a while now (I've been thinking about the editorial stuff while waiting for it to happen). It'll be a nasty few years for publishing, but there are new spaces for bright middlemen.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5053/5543339001_077853c2ce_z.jpg

via http://whatever.scalzi.com/2011/03/20/the-electronic-publishing-bingo-card/

could apply to the music industry with some pretty minor changes

I have a friend who's publishing one of these things.

A TREATISE ON SLAUGHTERING CHRISTIANS!

Hocking has signed a four-book deal with St. Martins btw
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/books/amanda-hocking-sells-book-series-to-st-martins-press.html?src=twr

I'm probably going to do this with the 400 page sci-fi comedy novel I wrote when I was 16-24. going back and re-reading it it doesn't interest me personally very much, but it would interest other people who are the right age and it seems a shame that something I labored over for so many years of my young life sits forgotten in a corner of my hard drive.

If you do it before midnight tonight you have a dark horse write-in chance to win the ▪▫■□▪▫■□▪▫■□▪▫■□▪ ILX ALL TIME SPECULATIVE FICTION VOTING THREAD & MARGINALIA ▫■□▪▫■□▪▫■□▪▫■□▪▫■□▪▫■

http://booksandpals.blogspot.com/2011/03/greek-seaman-jacqueline-howett.html

Amusing fight in comments section when author retaliates.
Incidentally, the phrase "Don and Katy watched hypnotically Gino place more coffees out at another table with supreme balance." does actually sound like it's been put through Google translate.

Oh man actually her page is wonderful:
http://authorjacquelinehowett.weebly.com/

Living amidst the creme de la creme of Arabs in London, behind the scene, Madam Cass falls in love in Cairo, but then the head games begin with love triangles in Paris and a secret friendship blooms with the other woman, but for good enough reason. This is just the beginning as Cass experiences an explosion of psychic powers developing after a death experience plotted by the Arab Mafia who decide her fate. She is redeemed, born anew but she must walk back into the past with a vengance. And this is all I shall reveal for now.

oh wow I love that a lot

I can feel the heat closing in. Living amidst the creme de la creme of Arabs in London, behind the scene, Madam Cass falls in love in Cairo, but then the head games begin with love triangles in Paris and a secret friendship blooms with the other woman, but for good enough reason. This is just the beginning as Cass experiences an explosion of psychic powers developing after a death experience plotted by the Arab Mafia who decide her fate. She is redeemed, born anew but she must walk back into the past with a vengance. And this is all I shall reveal for now.

This novel os based on a true story. Enjoy.

ok reading the response and its just marissa merchant shit

The Greek Seaman novel.

What is an eighteen year old newly wed doing travelling on a massive merchant ship anyways? Hadn’t she gone to Greece on tour in a ballet as a dancer? These are questions, Katy asks herself while travelling the high seas with Don her chief officer husband. However, little do they know a smuggling ring is also on board for this ride, on a blue diamond exchange and when explosions and threats to sink the ship also happen, they must try to save themselves.

ah, see it is "massive merchant" shit actuallly.

yeah I got a strong MM vibe p instantly on reading it

Hahahaha.

I like how she starts off well meaning but illiterate, continues by posting good reviews evidently written by her friends, and then deteroriates into just shouting "fuck you!!!"

It does? I missed that...

200 blank pages: Book called What Every Man Thinks About Apart From Sex sells more than Harry Potter and Da Vinci Code

Is he doing a kindle version?

Ah, not appropriate for the thread then.

(oh, actually I was doing a 'funny' based on "they are using it as a fancy notebook", not disqualifying yer)

they used to have the exact thing at Spencer Gifts (US novelty store chain), except it was called "Is there Sex after 50?"

testing new screen name

Nae mind Mark G!

I like how she starts off well meaning but illiterate, continues by posting good reviews evidently written by her friends, and then deteroriates into just shouting "fuck you!!!"

― Matt DC, Thursday, 31 March 2011 11:29 (19 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Haha, I thought you were joking - but she really does. She's fantastic.

Wow, pretty sure I would never want to read/see/listen to any piece of art in which the creator trolled every minor blog on the planet to post "better" reviews in the comments section. I mean, is there anyone that doesn't think NAGL?

I haven't found this..

nm, found the link above the link above.

OK, one point:

Authors need agents/publishers/whatevertheyrecalled after all.

to 1) check typos, and sentences that will read just fine to the author but need more punctuation to scan properly to everyone else
and 2) to deal with reviews and mind pro and anti reviews.

Is she more or less barking than some well-known authors? I'm sure you could suggest a few.

Wow, pretty sure I would never want to read/see/listen to any piece of art in which the creator trolled every minor blog on the planet to post "better" reviews in the comments section.

and yet I would read a book that collected all of their comment box posts into one handy volume

think I might have 2K11 DISEASE ;_;

I hear that Greek seaman is harder to clean up than some of the other kinds.

Sometimes I walk down to the docks and see all kinds of seamen there, so I know whereof I speak.

and yet I would read a book that collected all of their comment box posts into one handy volume

Yeah, definitely.

The first time I clicked on that link I stopped before she started dropping the "fuck off" responses.

have u guys seen amanda hocking btw

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/AmandaHocking02.jpg
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/ap/books%20amanda%20hocking-819532413_v2.grid-4x2.jpg

looks like someone who's got about a million dollars more than anyone on ilx

200 blank pages: Book called What Every Man Thinks About Apart From Sex sells more than Harry Potter and Da Vinci Code

― La descente infernale (Le Bateau Ivre), Thursday, March 31, 2011 7:34 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

oh man when i was an 18 y/o bookstore employee we had that book on the counter by the register only it was titled 'everything men know abt women' - customers would pick it up all day and lol and turn to me like omg have you seen this - of course ive seen it and its dumb and i h8 u

I'm totally gonna write goony wish-fulfillment fantasy for nerds, self-publish through Amazon and rake in the buxxx. I just need to add an extra letter to my initials and think up a neato last name...

of course ive seen it and its dumb and i h8 u

irl snickers

and then they would usually BUY IT! the whole scenario was shameful

btw i know someone who sold hella self published books through amazon (irl books pre kindle iirc) abt how to organize yr life or some shit - she was way up near the top of amazons list for a while

"goony wish-fulfillment fantasy for nerds"

what kind, like dragon slaying, or 'the social network'?

Viceroy: I don't know your initials but I think an excellent pen name would be I.C. Buttz (you can totally have that btw)

ice cr?m <3

icey do you know

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/4a/28/32c5c0a398a0d34ff6fc0210.L._V192561709_SL250_.jpg

Julie Morgenstern, founder and owner of Task Masters, is the author of the New York Times bestseller Organizing from the Inside Out and Time Management from the Inside Out. Her column, "Getting Organized," appears monthly in O, The Oprah Magazine. A speaker, media expert, and corporate spokesperson, she lives in New York City.

haha no actually i just did some research abt the person i was thinking of and p much every detail of the story as i presented it was wrong so plz ignore me

lol

what kind, like dragon slaying, or 'the social network'?

hmm... how about BOTH!!!

It was late in the night as the misshapen forms crawled around outside the sturdy gates of the city wall. Pengatrix saw them from his vantage point near in his room near the very top of Castle Morgo. He shuddered and turned back to his computer screen. Only coding could shut out the horror of the dark ones, only coding could shut out the noise of the wind -- only coding could temporarily relieve him of his desperate loneliness (even though in reality he technically had a girlfriend at the time).

Castle Morgo was totally a jock dorm.

According to the Freakonomics blog, under traditional publishing deals, publishers make more profit on e-books than on physical books, while authors make smaller royalties on e-books than on physical books.

mmm, funny that.

https://twitter.com/juspar/status/310839237438210049/photo/1

Author loses "millions" through non-independent e-publishing

have we discussed academic publishing anywhere on ILX? I would like to say I don't understand how it works cf this kind of thing, but I think I do, and I think it's that every single aspect of it is so ridiculous and stupid that they somehow all hold each other together.

Sounds like a fun thread to have. I think the tide is turning against the Elseviers of the world. Slowly of course, because it is academia, but it's turning.

Can we write one of these

can we sell the kick a ball in the street thread