Kerry Wilkinson on Tues, 25/2/2014 - Futurebook
Two and a half years ago, according to more than one national newspaper, I was the 'Kindle King'. Brilliant, yes? Except two of them also called me a "she", which gives you an indication of how deep their research goes.
Either way, I sold around 400,000 ebooks through self-publishing in the UK and it's been terrific for me in pretty much every way. In early 2012, I signed a six-book deal with Pan Macmillan for my Jessica Daniel crime series. Since then, I've also signed for eight more books on top, not all in the same series, or genre. It is quite the investment for both them and me.
Recently, there's been an increased debate about traditional publishing versus self-publishing and how things stand in 2014. Honestly? I've missed most of it. I don't live on Twitter – that's how I manage to actually finish writing books – and I don't keep up too closely with industry news. I'm more of a football man. But, after being copied into a few tweets, I've read Hugh Howey's self-publishing piece and a few other odds and ends.
I'm not going to argue with Hugh's numbers but the first thing that strikes me is that the UK market is not the US market. His examples of authors a lot lower down the Kindle charts making X or Y amount of money do not hold true across the pond, no matter what anyone argues. The market is smaller. I know a fair few authors who've self-published and make next to no royalties. It's not all about money, of course . . . unless a person wants to make a living from writing. If a person's goal is to create something of which he or she is proud, and then have it out there, then self-publishing is a winner every time. For most people, it's not the secret to fame, success or money. It wasn't in 2011 and it isn't in 2014.
That's also true of traditional publishing, of course.
Far more importantly, the issue surely isn't self-publishing versus traditional publishing, it's good publishing versus bad.
Either way, I sold around 400,000 ebooks through self-publishing in the UK and it's been terrific for me in pretty much every way. In early 2012, I signed a six-book deal with Pan Macmillan for my Jessica Daniel crime series. Since then, I've also signed for eight more books on top, not all in the same series, or genre. It is quite the investment for both them and me.
Recently, there's been an increased debate about traditional publishing versus self-publishing and how things stand in 2014. Honestly? I've missed most of it. I don't live on Twitter – that's how I manage to actually finish writing books – and I don't keep up too closely with industry news. I'm more of a football man. But, after being copied into a few tweets, I've read Hugh Howey's self-publishing piece and a few other odds and ends.
I'm not going to argue with Hugh's numbers but the first thing that strikes me is that the UK market is not the US market. His examples of authors a lot lower down the Kindle charts making X or Y amount of money do not hold true across the pond, no matter what anyone argues. The market is smaller. I know a fair few authors who've self-published and make next to no royalties. It's not all about money, of course . . . unless a person wants to make a living from writing. If a person's goal is to create something of which he or she is proud, and then have it out there, then self-publishing is a winner every time. For most people, it's not the secret to fame, success or money. It wasn't in 2011 and it isn't in 2014.
That's also true of traditional publishing, of course.
Far more importantly, the issue surely isn't self-publishing versus traditional publishing, it's good publishing versus bad.
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