Self-publishing isn’t for every book. There are
some genres that significantly outperform others, and it is important that
authors in pursuit of self-publishing their books using tools like Kindle
Direct Publishing are well-aware of the types of
books that sell well as self-published titles.
Romance
Romance novels are the best-selling books by self-publishing authors. Books in this genre that have been published independently make up 66 percent of the market share. In fact, Big Five publishers earn just 18 percent of the profits generated by romance books. For reference, the Big Five publishers are Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster.
Romance novels are the best-selling books by self-publishing authors. Books in this genre that have been published independently make up 66 percent of the market share. In fact, Big Five publishers earn just 18 percent of the profits generated by romance books. For reference, the Big Five publishers are Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster.
Meredith Wild is one of the best-selling
romance novelists. She self-published her debut novel, “Hardwired” in 2013, and
eventually became stocked in brick-and-mortar bookstore chains across the
country. By 2014, she was listed on the Bestsellers lists of the “New York
Times” and “Wall Street Journal”. She has sold millions of books worldwide and
her novels have been translated into 20 languages.
Science
Fiction and Fantasy
In the self-publishing market, Science Fiction and Fantasy are a close second behind Romance with 56 percent of all sales in these genres coming from self-published authors. Some of the most successful self-published Fantasy and Science Fiction authors include J.R. Rain (400,000 copies sold), B.V. Larson (250,000 copies sold) and David Daglish (175,000 copies sold).
In the self-publishing market, Science Fiction and Fantasy are a close second behind Romance with 56 percent of all sales in these genres coming from self-published authors. Some of the most successful self-published Fantasy and Science Fiction authors include J.R. Rain (400,000 copies sold), B.V. Larson (250,000 copies sold) and David Daglish (175,000 copies sold).
Mystery,
Thriller & Suspense
Earning 26 percent of its sales from
self-published authors are the Mystery, Thriller
and Suspense genres. One of the most successful self-published authors in this
genre is Adam Croft. He used Kindle Direct Publishing to distribute his 2011
debut novel “Too Close for Comfort”, which saw huge success on the platform.
Over the course of the next five years, he has self-published a further eight
books and has sold over 350,000 copies. In 2016, his novels generated $1.4
million in sales.
Non-Fiction
Self-publishing is the perfect outlet for non-fiction writers, with 26% of all sales in this genre coming from self-published outlets. There are a number of advantages to publishing non-fiction books yourself, and it is ideal if your topic is a niche one. Previously, you would have to sell your idea to agents and publishing houses, who may not see the need to publish a book on a subject that they deem too specialized to sell well. However, self-publishing allows you to directly reach out to those who are interested in that particular niche.
Self-publishing is the perfect outlet for non-fiction writers, with 26% of all sales in this genre coming from self-published outlets. There are a number of advantages to publishing non-fiction books yourself, and it is ideal if your topic is a niche one. Previously, you would have to sell your idea to agents and publishing houses, who may not see the need to publish a book on a subject that they deem too specialized to sell well. However, self-publishing allows you to directly reach out to those who are interested in that particular niche.
One of the major
benefits of self-publishing non-fiction e-books is
that you can make updates and revisions as necessary. When new information on
your subject becomes available, you can update your book’s digital file to
include it and keep readers in the know about the latest developments. With
print books, you would have to wait for sales to dictate if a new edition is
necessary before you make any changes.
The
Bestselling Self-Published Authors
Some of the most successful writers in recent history are self-published authors who specialize in the above genres. They knew their readers and were able to forge successful careers with self-published novels that were eventually printed by Big Five houses and optioned for movies.
The most popular example is E.L. James who wrote
the “Fifty Shades of Grey” erotic romance trilogy. Before becoming one of the
bestselling print novels ever, it was originally published on fan fiction sites
since it was based on the “Twilight” series. Her stories eventually went viral
and James was eventually offered a contract worth over $10 million by Vintage Books.
By the end of that year, the trilogy had sold 70 million copies around the
world.
Hugh Howie, author of “Wool” went a more
traditional route for self-published authors. In July 2011, he published the
opening chapters of his dystopian sci-fi trilogy as an e-book novella using
Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing tool. Over the course of the next few months,
he released four more installments, which put his name at the top of the Amazon
Bestsellers list. Eventually, Howie was selling up to 30,000 copies of “Wool”
every month.
After negotiating with plenty of publishing
houses, he was offered a six-figure advance by Simon &Schuster to finish
his trilogy. The rights for the “Wool” have been purchased by 20th
Century Fox, and several big names have signed on to produce the film. Nicole
Perlman, who wrote the screenplay for “Guardians of the Galaxy”, will write the
film, while
Ridley Scott and Steve Zallian are
producers.
If you’re writing a Romance, Science Fiction or
Mystery book, you can look forward to tapping into a great market for
self-published authors. These are just a few of the success stories out there,
and you can certainly follow their examples in forging a fruitful career as a
writer.
Are you working on self-publishing your next
book? Leave a comment. We’d love to hear more about your project!
Author
Bio: Faith is a technology blogger for Secure
Thoughts,
a leading cybersecurity resource, and her
content aims to help creatives keep their work safe online. She also has a
passion for reading novel thrillers. As a huge fan of authors like Stephen
Leather, Hugh Howie and Adam Croft, she
is fascinated with their success in self-publishing.
E-Books
ReplyDeleteStephen, Thanks for thinking about us, the writers in the trenches! I also want to congratulate you on the film The Foreigner, based on The Chinaman. As I watched it, I kept thinking to myself this reminds me of The Chinaman,and was rewarded to see your novel in the credits. I had read it several years ago, and enjoyed it. It was the scene in the forest that galvanized it in my mind. Hopefully, you will read my novel in the near future. Keep writing!
ReplyDeleteTom Corson-Knowles, the author who founded Bestseller Ranking Pro, spent six long years trying to get a traditional publishing deal (and failed miserably). He finally decided to self publish his first book on Kindle in February, 2012.
ReplyDeleteThat one decision changed his life (and the lives of the more than 30,000 authors he's since taught how to write, publish and market their books professionally).
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In Bestseller Ranking Pro, Tom will share with you his step-by-step system for becoming a bestselling author.
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If you're going to write, publish or promote a book this year, you need to see this:
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If there’s one online income source I like talking about most, it’s definitely self-publishing on Amazon. I’m normally a pretty modest guy but I’ve gotta say… I rock at self-publishing!
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The post on how I make money self-publishing has been one of the most popular on my personal blog so I wanted to update it with everything I’ve learned over the last few years. I’ve included updates on how to turn your books into a passive source of income and how to make the whole process easier.
Ok, so $2K a month isn’t huge money but it’s getting there and it’s growing very quickly.
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I can't recommend it enough. That's how I got started almost three years ago.