So, you like the idea of publishing your novel as an e-book, especially with so many folks toting Kindles, Nooks, Ipads, etc. around these days, but you’re wondering if it’s worth your time. Can you actually make money selling ebooks?
The short answer is yes, and you don’t necessarily need to be an established print author to make it happen (though it can’t hurt!). Let’s take a look at a few folks who are doing well:
Joe Konrath is a thriller author who talks a lot about e-publishing on his blog, and he’s quite open with the money he’s making selling on Amazon.
Some of his notable blog posts:
- Can E-books Outsell Print? “Print books start out strong, then over the years they earn less and less…Contrast this to my seven top selling self-published ebooks. Those earn me $11,120 a month, and rather than slowing down, they’re picking up speed.”
- 2009 post (great to see how far he’s come!) Kindle Numbers: Traditional Publishing Vs. Self Publishing “If I had the rights to all six of my Hyperion books, and sold them on Kindle for $1.99, I’d be making $20,580 per year off of them, total, rather than $4818 a year off of them, total.”
Joe Konrath admits he has a lot of e-books for sale on Amazon (the more books you have out there, the more chances there are of being found!) and he first established himself as a print author.
What about up-and-comers who chose to self-publish out of the blocks? Folks who started as nobodies when they listed their first e-book for sale? Are any of them making money? As it so happens… yes.
Karen McQuestion started self-publishing her e-books on Amazon after years of trying to get published professionally. Through her success selling to Kindle readers, she’s now making good money and her novels’ popularity has earned her attention from print publishers:
“Once my novels had been up for awhile, I started to get good reviews on Amazon and positive emails from readers who enjoyed my books. A few months of this and I was no longer looking for a publisher, in fact, oddly enough, I’d stopped caring. I was making some money and people were reading my books–I was in writer heaven. Of course, that’s when I got an offer out of the blue.”
More articles about and from her:
- Celia and the Fairies: From Self-Published to AmazonEncore
- Kindle Bestselling Author, Karen McQuestion on Her Movie Deal (interview on GalleyCat)
- The FAQ on her website (lots of information on her road to success).
Thriller author, Boyd Morrison, is the last success story we’ll take a peep at today.
After numerous rejections on his earlier novels, he landed an agent for his thriller, The Ark, but there weren’t any editors interested in buying the book. Until he e-published it on Amazon where its success soon landed him a print deal.
He tells his story on Joe Konrath’s blog. “As far as we can tell, I was the first author to get a Big Six publishing contract for a self-published Kindle book. Touchstone acquired The Ark and its sequel in a two-book deal.…”
If you’re thinking e-publishing, definitely check out these authors and their blogs. Their stories are inspiring and educational.
