How can self-published authors become bestsellers?
After all, only twenty per cent of traditionally published books make a profit, so I’ve often wondered how a self-published author can manage it, when they have no marketing or sales support, only themselves.
So, I selected three self-published bestselling novels: Wool by Hugh Howey, The Martian by Andy Weir, and Yesterday’s Gone by Sean Platt and David Wright.
By analysing what these authors did, I noticed that each used variations of the same strategies to launch their books successfully. These are outlined below.
- Wool by Hugh Howey.
Wool is a post-apocalyptic thriller. People live in a silo, where just asking to go outside leads to death.
Howey released Wool as a 60-page short story on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing in 2011. It became very popular, and so he expanded it into a novel and then a book series. After Wool’s success attracted the attention of many publishers, Howey worked with a literary agent, Kristen Nelson, to negotiate a six-figure deal with Simon & Schuster for print rights while retaining his digital publishing rights—the first time any author secured such a deal.
How did Howey get so many self-publishing sales?
Mailing List
In 2013, he started receiving emails from around the world. He didn’t want to lose these readers, so he created an email list and a monthly newsletter to stay in touch with them.
Low Pricing
Wool was priced at $0.99 for the Amazon ebook. This made readers willing to try it, even though Howey was an unknown author at the time. Wool received a high number of downloads, triggering Amazon’s recommendation algorithm and resulting in increased sales.
Extensive Reading
For many years, Howey read an entire book every day, whether fiction or non-fiction. He believes that while marketing helps, the book must have a gripping story, and that writers can only achieve this if they read extensively.
Community
Howey fostered a writers’ community where he and his writer contacts promote each other’s work. He doesn’t view other authors as competition, but instead hopes they’ll succeed too.
For more excellent writing and publishing tips, visit Hugh Howey’s website https://hughhowey.com/writing-insights-part-four-publishing-your-book
2. The Martian by Andy Weir
In The Martian, a scientist stranded on Mars must use his expertise to survive and find a way home.
Weir originally wanted to get The Martian traditionally published, but it was rejected. Instead, he released it for free on his website, serialising it chapter by chapter. In 2011, he published it on Amazon. When it achieved high monthly sales, Penguin Random House offered Weir a traditional publishing deal, which he accepted. It was made into a film of the same name starring Matt Damon.
So, how did Andy Weir manage to make The Martian a success when traditional publishers didn’t think the book had potential?
A substantial mailing list
Weir already had a Mailing List of over 3,000 subscribers in 2011 when he first released The Martian on Kindle. He had been building his mailing list for nearly ten years by giving away freebies on his website, which included short stories, serialised fiction, and webcomics. (Weir had been writing stories for over 20 years before The Martian became a success.)
Using Reader Magnets to create a fan base for The Martian
Serialising The Martian and giving it away for free on his website built a community of readers who became avid fans.
Technical Authenticity – unusual for science fiction at that time
Weir was a software engineer and had the skills to ensure that The Martian was technically accurate. In Reddit science and physics forums, his book was championed. These readers sent him detailed feedback on early chapters, which he used to make improvements to the novel.
Community
Through his mailing list, Weir incorporated feedback from early readers and made the early chapters available for free, fostering a deep connection with his readers and cultivating a sense of community.
“I wrote The Egg in an evening but it took years to write The Martian. Sometimes I’m a little sad that The Martian wasn’t anywhere near as popular, but I guess it’s a niche readership. Hard sci-fi isn’t for everyone.” Andy Weir wrote in an AMA Reddit for The Egg in 2011 before he released The Martian on Amazon.
In response, one of the Reddit posters answered, “I have no idea what The Egg is, or who you are, but because of seeing that you’re a good guy and everyone here loves your work, I’m going to read The Martian first and then The Egg. If you have a store or something, I’ll get it based on this website’s endorsements.”
This shows how Reddit users supported Weir. It was the quality of his stories, which readers could download for free from his website, that created his community.
Cheap pricing on Amazon
Weir self-published The Martian on Amazon in 2011 for $0.99, with monthly sales of 20,000 to 35,000 books. Once a book achieves such high sales, Amazon’s recommendation algorithm further boosts sales.
3. Yesterday’s Gone by Sean M. Platt and David Wright
In Yesterday’s Gone, most of the world’s population vanishes without a trace. Those left behind discover they were chosen for a reason. They realise children are either a threat or the key to understanding what is happening, and that everyone was chosen to survive. But they don’t know why.
Set up their own publishing company to self-publish Yesterday’s Gone.
Reader Magnets
They gave episode 1 away for free to build their mailing list and create a fan base. Many readers went on to purchase the entire book series.
Reader Funnels
They gave away future episodes and offered behind-the-scenes content to readers who subscribed to their mailing list. They used freebies to encourage readers to buy more books in the series.
Serialisation
Serialised the book by publishing short 20,000-word novellas weekly on Amazon Kindle. Each novella was set up like a TV episode, with multiple points of view, and concluded with a cliffhanger.
Podcast and a Non-Fiction Book about Their Self-Publishing Journey
Their nonfiction book, about the lessons they learned from self-publishing, is titled Write. Publish. Repeat with Johnny Truant, and their podcast of the same name, increased their visibility and audience, and consequently, their book sales.
Build Emotional Connections to Readers/No Hard Sells
Initially, they tried hard-selling techniques, such as time-limited offers, to sell the book. However, these approaches were ineffective, so they focused on building a rapport with readers, which worked over the longer term.
“Write great stuff, get that great stuff out into the world, connect with your readers, and then do that same thing over and over and over again.” A quote from Write. Publish. Repeat with Sean M. Platt and Johnny Truant with David Wright.
What these bestselling self-published authors had in common
These writers did many of the same things:-
Used free chapters as reader magnets.
Built their mailing lists through reader funnels.
Worked to create a community.
Had low prices for the book in a series on Kindle.
Read avidly.
Spent years practising and studying the craft of writing.
Had well-plotted books with compelling characters.
The authors all wrote because they loved to write and were ‘promotable’ authors.
The foundations of their self-publishing success were built over years, not months—a combination of hard work, persistence, and a love of literature.
“You have to actually write. Daydreaming about the book you’re going to write someday isn’t writing. It’s daydreaming. Open your word processor and start writing.” Andy Weir, Reddit 2017 Ask Me Anything.
In the comments section, I’d love to hear about your experiences with audience building and what worked and didn’t work for you.
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