The self-publishing era: can author-entrepreneurs make it on their own?
In August of this year, LJ Ross (a.k.a Louise Ross), a self-published British author, managed to knock J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter off the first spot on Amazon’s Most Read Fiction chart (Arthurs, 2019). Ross published her first novel back in 2015 with the help of KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) and has managed to make a living off of writing crime novels. She essentially went from zero to a hundred in the publishing sphere. Just like E.L. James and her erotic novel Fifty Shades of Gray, which we all have read by now (for research purposes, of course…). Aptly called a “money machine” (Cuccinello, 2017), ‘Fifty Shades of Gray’ became a worldwide bestseller shortly after E.L. James self-published the fanfiction in the form of an eBook.
While self-publishing is not without its drawbacks and is at times equated with vanity and synonymous with poor quality (Shaw, 2016; Matulionyte et al., 2017), writers consider it as transformative. And rightly so. But what exactly do these “author-entrepreneurs” do to become the next best thing? And why have they decided to turn their backs on traditional publishers?
Sick and tired of rejection
Just like Beatrix Potter back in 1901 with her, eventually, bestselling children’s story, writers regularly get served with rejection emails. Tasha Harrison, the author of Package Deal, confessed that she “was sick of rejection”, while trying to publish her book in 2012. She then chose the self-publishing route and became one of many author-entrepreneurs, which gave her a lot more control over her work and turned out to be “liberating”. Indeed, self-publishing seems to be less arduous and time-consuming than traditional publishing. However, authors are then faced with a 'make or break situation' — they have to make their work visible without relying on publisher's brand and reputation.
Another one bites the dust?
Well, not quite.
After the work is published in the chosen format(s), the authors must cultivate a following for themselves, in order to actually make the book discoverable. In the case of E.L. James, engaging with people online was crucial to her success, which in itself was a sort of promotional agenda. Indeed, marketing efforts of self-published writers have been a hit with readers invoking a rather positive response (Shaw, 2016). Authors try to increase their discoverability by being social media savvy and focusing solely on consumers, rather than retailers, unlike traditional publishers. Ergo crushing the myth that industry validation equals legitimacy (Warner, 2019). And thank goodness for that. Or rather, Amazon.
But what if readers are not your measure of success? What if you have a burning desire to become another “money machine”?
Well, the harsh truth is, you shouldn’t be in it for the money. Unless you’re J.K. Rowling or E.L. James, you’re probably going to struggle to make a living off book sales. Whether you choose to self-publish your work or take the more traditional route with a publishing house, becoming one of those success stories is like winning the lottery. It doesn’t happen very often. That’s why it makes the news.
Arthurs, D. (2019) 'How to self-publish a best-selling book, by the author who knocked JK Rowling off the top spot', Metro, 6 September. Available at: https://metro.co.uk/2019/09/06/self-publish-best-selling-book-author-knocked-jk-rowling-off-top-spot-10695260/ (Accessed: 30.09.2019)
Cuccinello, H.C. (2017) Fifty Shades Of Green: How Fanfiction Went From Dirty Little Secret To Money Machine. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hayleycuccinello/2017/02/10/fifty-shades-of-green-how-fanfiction-went-from-dirty-little-secret-to-money-machine/#1e1d3335264c (Accessed: 30.09.2019)
Matulionyte, R., Paton, E., McIntire, P. & Gleadhill, D. (2017) 'The system of book creation: intellectual property and the self-publishing sector of the creative industries', Creative Industries Journal, VOL. 10, NO. 3, 191–210. Available at: https://oxfordbrookes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&bquery=(AU+matulionyte+AND+(IS+%26quot%3b1751-0694%26quot%3b)+AND+DT+2017&type=1&searchMode=Standard&site=ehost-live (Accessed: 04.10.2019)
Shaw, D. (2016) Is self-publishing coming of age in the digital world? Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35482345 (Accessed: 30.09.2019)
Warner, B. (2019) Knowing Your Worth: Finding Value in Self-Publishing. Available at: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/81007-knowing-your-worth-finding-value-in-self-publishing.html (Accessed: 04.10.2019)
