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Self-published e-book author: 'Most of my months are six-figure months'
CNN Tech ^ | September 7, 2012 | John D. Sutter

Posted on 08/05/2013 9:42:58 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

It's been called a "cure for rejection-letter fatigue."

Amazon on Thursday released new details about the success of its program for authors who want to self-publish on its Kindle e-reader devices. The company, which unveiled a suite of new e-readers and tablets at a press conference in Southern California on Thursday, says 27 of the top 100 Kindle books were created using a system called Kindle Direct Publishing.

That system allows authors to bypass traditional publishers and instead deal directly with Amazon, which claims to be able to publish their books digitally "in hours."

The authors receive 70% of the royalties from the sale of these books. And some of them are doing quite well.

"Most of my months are six-figure months," said Hugh Howey, a 37-year-old Florida author whose "Wool" series of digital books was highlighted by Amazon. "It's more than I ever hoped to make in a year."

The company says some authors, including Theresa Ragen, who appeared in a promotional video during the Amazon event, have sold hundreds of thousands of books.

During the event Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos displayed a quote from Kathryn Stockett, author of best-selling novel "The Help," in which she lamented being rejected dozens of times before a publisher accepted her.

"What if I had given up at 15? Or 40? Or even 60?" she was quoted as saying......

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: amazon; books; internet; publishing; selfpublishing
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I'm starting to think about it. Anyone else?
1 posted on 08/05/2013 9:42:58 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Definitely has my attention.


2 posted on 08/05/2013 9:46:43 PM PDT by Nachum
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Self-publishing will destroy the book industry in the end. They used to weld all this power, and they’d print any garbage that a big-name writer from twenty years ago produced...even if it was 3rd-rate stuff.

The limiting factor currently is that the mass of the public hasn’t flipped over to the e-book capability. We are still a decade away from the bulk of American society operating with e-books.


3 posted on 08/05/2013 9:47:58 PM PDT by pepsionice
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Me. Starting to... but of late, no real motivation for my writing-projects. :(


4 posted on 08/05/2013 9:48:07 PM PDT by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
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To: Nachum
I was thinking of something along the lines of the late Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series.
5 posted on 08/05/2013 9:48:21 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (I aim to raise a million plus for Gov. Palin. What'll you do?.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Yep. I’m ready to upload my 1st ebook next month. Just finishing my 10th rewrite. Lots of work but rewarding to just complete the process. If I make some $ even better.

So what are you working on ?


6 posted on 08/05/2013 9:50:58 PM PDT by jcon40
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To: pepsionice

Percentage of eReaders vs. Print
http://christinerose.wordpress.com/2011/05/02/percentage-of-ereaders-vs-print/

Survey finds increase in e-reading, drop in paper
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/12/28/survey-finds-increase-in-e-reading-drop-in-paper/#ixzz2bA4Xruy1


7 posted on 08/05/2013 9:52:02 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (I aim to raise a million plus for Gov. Palin. What'll you do?.)
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To: latina4dubya

ping


8 posted on 08/05/2013 9:52:13 PM PDT by scripter
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I think what will happen : very quickly : now this is set-up, is it will encourage good writing.

Not leftist writing. Not even conservative writing, though conservatives are under-represented enough they will likely cause a bigger movement than liberals.

But this will encourage authors to write, to write often, and to write very well.

I am quite interested in this.


9 posted on 08/05/2013 9:52:32 PM PDT by Cringing Negativism Network
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To: pepsionice

“Self-publishing will destroy the book industry in the end”

They will either adapt or go the way of the dinosaur. Or they could go the way of the recording industry and lobby Congress for special protection.


10 posted on 08/05/2013 9:53:37 PM PDT by Lurkina.n.Learnin (If global warming exists I hope it is strong enough to reverse the Big Government snowball)
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To: jcon40

A Robert Jordan “Wheel of Time”/Conan/LOTR type but not those, exactly. Somewhat like TOR publishes.


11 posted on 08/05/2013 9:53:40 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (I aim to raise a million plus for Gov. Palin. What'll you do?.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
I was about to say, this seems like a great vehicle for fantasy novelists.
12 posted on 08/05/2013 9:56:14 PM PDT by OddLane
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To: jcon40

Does Amazon let customers preview them?. I don’t know how to tell if they are any good


13 posted on 08/05/2013 9:56:31 PM PDT by Lurkina.n.Learnin (If global warming exists I hope it is strong enough to reverse the Big Government snowball)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I don’t believe it.


14 posted on 08/05/2013 9:56:42 PM PDT by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote; then find me a real conservative to vote for)
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To: freekitty

That they’re making that kind of money?


15 posted on 08/05/2013 9:57:17 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (I aim to raise a million plus for Gov. Palin. What'll you do?.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Self-publishing has it’s place, but if someone wants to really do a great job it would be good to hire an editor.


16 posted on 08/05/2013 9:57:19 PM PDT by Slyfox (Without the Right to Life, all other rights are meaningless.)
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To: pepsionice; All

Considering the cozy relation between Bezos and Obama, I predict that soon, in addition to Obama phones, we’ll have Obama Kindles. For the children don’t you know...


17 posted on 08/05/2013 9:57:28 PM PDT by pluvmantelo (A Greenie is one distraught that somewhere, someone is living above subsistence level.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Love that series. Got much done yet?


18 posted on 08/05/2013 9:57:57 PM PDT by jcon40
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Nah. Somewhere around book number nine in the series, or was it number seventeen, I started thinking: yeah, you can finish this series any time now mate. Just simply stopped reading the author.


19 posted on 08/05/2013 9:58:25 PM PDT by Utilizer (Ba'Kon Ah'hkkba'aar!)
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To: jcon40

Two chapters, but I’m not 100% happy with them.


20 posted on 08/05/2013 9:58:44 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (I aim to raise a million plus for Gov. Palin. What'll you do?.)
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