In an earlier post, I referenced Amanda Hocking, a self-publishing sensation who became a millionaire from selling her books online. She may be a member of the self-publishing 1 percents, but she's not the first or the last to hit unexpected success. In the forward of The Complete Guide to Self Publishing by Marilyn Ross and ---, many of these examples are detailed.
Many would imagine that the first self-publisher in America would be someone in the late nineteenth century or early twentieth century-or, at least, that's what I thought. But Ben Franklin is actually credited to be the first American self-publisher. Tom Paine followed soon after, and soon, many other American authors made the plunge.
Mark Twain, for example, self published his story of Huckleberry Finn (which I read in freshman year). Many other recognizable and popular names grace the list, such as Walt Whitman, Anais Nin, Virginia Woolf, Edgar Allen Poe, and James Joyce. Many of these names are behind the classics that we read every day, and without self publishing, some of their timeless works could have been lost.
Of course, some of the other names she listed I didn't recognize, but from the titles, I could imagine how they became hits. John Muir self-published How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive in 1969, which lead to many more handbooks that were eventually acquired by traditional publishers. The One Minute Manager, written and published by Ken Blanchard, Ph.D., and Spencer Johnson, M.D., has sold 20,000 copies, and Feed Me! I'm Yours, Vicki Lansky's guide to making homemade baby food, has sold more than 2 million copies-even though she was rejected by forty-nine publishers. If that's not success, I don't know what is.
Not everyone will reach these numbers. In fact, almost no one will reach these heights. But knowing that so many successful authors have also had their hand at self-publishing, whether it was a secondary effort or their last resort, is encouraging to us all.
Hope this was interesting. :)
T
Many would imagine that the first self-publisher in America would be someone in the late nineteenth century or early twentieth century-or, at least, that's what I thought. But Ben Franklin is actually credited to be the first American self-publisher. Tom Paine followed soon after, and soon, many other American authors made the plunge.
Mark Twain, for example, self published his story of Huckleberry Finn (which I read in freshman year). Many other recognizable and popular names grace the list, such as Walt Whitman, Anais Nin, Virginia Woolf, Edgar Allen Poe, and James Joyce. Many of these names are behind the classics that we read every day, and without self publishing, some of their timeless works could have been lost.
Of course, some of the other names she listed I didn't recognize, but from the titles, I could imagine how they became hits. John Muir self-published How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive in 1969, which lead to many more handbooks that were eventually acquired by traditional publishers. The One Minute Manager, written and published by Ken Blanchard, Ph.D., and Spencer Johnson, M.D., has sold 20,000 copies, and Feed Me! I'm Yours, Vicki Lansky's guide to making homemade baby food, has sold more than 2 million copies-even though she was rejected by forty-nine publishers. If that's not success, I don't know what is.
Not everyone will reach these numbers. In fact, almost no one will reach these heights. But knowing that so many successful authors have also had their hand at self-publishing, whether it was a secondary effort or their last resort, is encouraging to us all.
Hope this was interesting. :)
T