From self-publishing to $2MM

[LettersFromTatyana]

I seem to remember an AH thread about Amanda Hocking, e-book seller extraordinaire, but I can't find it. In any event, the Times has an article about her transition from her first e-book last spring to a two million dollar deal with St. Martin's, which I don't think was in that first thread.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/magazine/amanda-hocking-storyseller.html?_r=1&hp

Perhaps others will find some comments about the publishing industry insightful, like this bit:

It’s a deal that pays less than what Amazon, in partnership with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, bid, but there were doubts about whether the big bookstore chains would carry a book published by their competitor. (Also, Hocking says, Amazon wanted to restrict e-book rights to the Kindle and offered a lower rate of royalties than she often gets from what has been self-published.)

I, of course, can't help but focus on the fact that she has a $7,000 life-sized Han Solo-in-carbonite model.

 

[Pure]

interesting story! thanks for the link. it's good to see an entrepreneur working somewhat outside the system. to see that the 'net has helped 'the little guy' on occasion.

for some reason she reminds me of the Penelope character (played by K. Vangsness) in tv's 'Criminal Minds'. eccentric, but her own person.

i suspect her stuff is a bit schlocky, but it's found its audience; and it's hardly the case that the mainstreamer publishers eschew schlock and worse.

 

[Firebrain]

I feel for Amanda Hocking. She was rejected everywhere and now those same people are throwing money at her because she makes money and is commercially successful. She's made a fortune and set an awesome example to self-pubbers in terms of marketing savvy, but she's never going to have that warm, glowy feeling that a lot of authors chase from being accepted by an agent (and I'm not saying that's right, but it happens anyway). Nomatter what you have, if that's the validation you want, not getting it still hurts.