10 Successful Self-Published Books That Became Best Sellers – TCK Publishing

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There has long been a stigma around self-publishing, an assumption that a book published directly by an author can’t be of the same quality as a traditionally published book.

However, the history of desktop publishing actually goes back a long way, and some of the most beloved authors of all time began publishing their own work.

You are reading: Best selling self published books

In this post, we’ll show you 10 self-publishing success stories, with books that have become bestsellers and even award-winning movies.

successful self-published books

here are 10 books you may not have known were originally self-published. prove that despite initial setbacks or rejections, determined and persistent self-published writers can reach the same heights as those who started out the traditional route.

1. the martian by andy weir

the author andy weir is the son of a particle physicist and electrical engineer, with his own background in computer science. He began writing The Martian in 2009, tediously compiling research to make the book as realistic as possible based on existing technology.

weir had already been turned down by literary agents when he tried to publish previous works, so for this book he opted to publish one chapter at a time for free on his website.

After publishing the book on Amazon Kindle at the request of its fans, the book rose to the top of Amazon’s best-selling sci-fi titles list, selling 35,000 copies in three months. this caught the attention of publishers and weir sold the rights to crown in 2013.

The book debuted on the New York Times bestseller list and was adapted into an award-winning film starring Matt Damon.

2. beatrix potter’s tale of peter rabbit

This childhood favorite was hardly ever published. When Beatrix Potter sent her Peter Rabbit manuscript to publishers, she received a series of rejections, with some publishers wanting a longer book and others a shorter one.

Most wanted color illustrations, but Potter had a clear vision of what his book should look like. she herself decided to publish the book in 1901, and the first 250 privately printed books were distributed to her family and friends. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle even purchased a copy for her children.

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frederick warne & co. He reconsidered the book, and Potter dropped his resistance to color illustrations. he struck a deal with warne for an initial commercial publication of 5,000 copies. but even before the tale was published in 1902, 8,000 copies had been sold.

3. hugh howey wool

hugh howey first published this post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel as a stand-alone short story through amazon kdp in 2011. howey chose this option because of the freedom that self-publishing offers.

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As the series grew in popularity, Howey wrote more installments. She began applying for international rights in 2012, eventually signing a print-only deal worth around $500,000 with Simon & Schuster the film rights were sold to 20th Century Fox. however, howey retains all rights to continue to distribute wool online himself.

The story follows a community of men and women who live in a giant underground silo, hundreds of stories deep. Their society is filled with regulations meant to protect them, but when Sheriff Holston dares to ask permission to go out, he sets off a dramatic series of events.

4. rich dad poor dad by robert kiyosaki

After being turned down by every publisher he contacted, Robert Kiyosaki opted to self-publish Rich Dad Poor Dad in 1997. Kiyosaki and his wife printed 1000 copies of the book, of which a friend bought 976 copies and agreed to sell them at his car wash business.

three years later, the book had made the new york times bestseller list, the only self-published book on the list at the time.

warner books later picked it up and the rest of this iconic personal finance book is history.

5. the pleasure of cooking by irma rombauer

irma rombauer was widowed at age 52 and was left with only $6,000 in life savings. Her children encouraged her to compile her recipes and thoughts to help her cope with the loss of her husband.

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In 1930, Rombauer paid for the B.C. clayton printing company $3,000 to print 3,000 copies of The Joy of Cooking: A Compilation of Trusted Recipes with an Informal Cook Talk.

In 1932, with most of the 3,000 printed copies sold, Rombauer began looking for a new publisher. The Bobbs-Merrill Company published an expanded second edition in 1936, and several newer editions were published over the next several decades.

6. eragon by christopher paolini

When he was a teenager, Christopher Paolini began handwriting the first draft of Eragon. After more than a year of rewriting and editing, he showed the final manuscript to his parents, who immediately saw the potential of the book and decided to publish it through their small publishing company, Paolini International.

paolini traveled the usa. uu. with her parents to promote the book. he gave 135 talks in bookstores, schools and libraries, often dressed in medieval costume, but even so the book did not receive much attention.

In 2002, writer Carl Hiaasen was on vacation when his stepson bought a copy and immediately fell in love with the book. hiaasen pointed the book out to the publisher alfred a. knopf, and after another round of editing, knopf released eragon in the summer of 2003.

7. Fifty Shades of Gray by E.L. jaime

the revised and expanded version of master of the universe was divided into three parts: the first, entitled fifty shades of grey, was released by the writers cafe, an australian-based virtual publisher, as an e-book and pod pocket-size. the second and third installments followed in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

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Sales were driven by advertising from book blogs, but mainly by word of mouth recommendations. news networks in the usa uu. began reporting on the trilogy’s viral popularity in 2012, and due to increased interest, Old Books picked up the license and republished Fifty Shades that same year. in 2015 the first film adaptation was released.

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8. it’s still alice by lisa genova

In 2007, neuroscientist and writer Lisa Genova self-published Still Alice after receiving numerous rejections from literary agents.

genova sold copies of the book from her car and did her best to market the book on her own, scheduling two book events each month, frequently updating her website, and creating profiles on the most reader-facing websites. important.

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After seven months, the book caught the attention of the local press and Genoa hired a publicist. After nine months, she found an agent who loved the novel and sold it at auction to Simon & schuster.

The story, which follows a woman suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s, was adapted into a 2014 award-winning film starring Julianne Moore.

9. james redfield’s matchmaker prophecy

james redfield self-published the matchmaker prophecy in 1993, as he couldn’t find a publisher willing to take it on.

After selling 100,000 copies from the trunk of his car, Warner Books agreed to publish it. The Matchmaker Prophecy spent 165 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and a film adaptation was released in 2006.

The book follows a main character who embarks on a journey to find and understand a series of nine spiritual insights from an ancient manuscript in Peru.

10. legally blonde by amanda brown

In 2000, Amanda Brown met with film producer Marc Platt, who helped her turn her manuscript into a novel. In the meantime, she brought in screenwriters to adapt the book into a movie.

Brown legally self-published Blonde as a print-on-demand book through Authorhouse in 2001, the same year the film was released. the book was later republished in 2003.

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