Three Famous Authors Who Self-Published (and How They Did It)

Read this tip to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Self Publishing News and other Self Publishing topics.

Three Famous Authors Who Self-Published (and How They Did It)

Many people assume that an author can’t be successful without the support of a traditional publishing house. However, that's no longer true. Here are three authors who achieved fame and fortune through self-publishing.

E.L. James

British author E.L. James began her writing career by publishing stories online. A small Australian publisher, The Writer’s Coffee Shop, eventually picked up James’ erotic Fifty Shades trilogy and offered the novels via e-book and print on demand. Vintage Books acquired the rights to James’ work, and the rest is history. To date, James has sold over 70 million books worldwide and a film adaptation of her famous novel, Fifty Shades of Grey, is slated to hit theaters on February 13, 2015.

Lisa Genova

In 2007, neuroscientist Lisa Genova penned a novel about a professor who struggles with Alzheimer’s disease. Lisa had no luck with traditional publishers, so she decided to self-publish with iUniverse. The novel, Still Alice, received rave reviews, and Genova landed a lucrative deal with Simon & Schuster. Still Alice eventually debuted at number five on The New York Times Best Seller List.

G.P. Taylor

Graham Peter Taylor, or G.P. Taylor, was a parish priest when he penned his first novel, Shadowmancer. Taylor spent thousands of dollars to self-publish his work, but the investment paid off as he quickly sold several thousand copies of the novel. Following Shadowmancer’s success, Taylor landed a deal with a major publishing house for six additional novels.

No luck getting your novel published? Perhaps self-publishing is for you. Who knows, you could be the next big success story!

   

Comments

Nobody has commented on this tip yet. Be the first.



Name:


URL: (optional)


Comment:


Not finding the advice and tips you need on this Self Publishing Tip Site? Request a Tip Now!


Guru Spotlight
Susan Sayour