Author: Don Daffron
Date:   10-03-09 15:11

I know a cop who has written a crime/mystery novel. He says it’s been on his publisher’s best selling list for four months and is into its fourth printing. He spends all his time off from his job traveling to promote his book, and he seems to be selling books. But, and this is a big but, his publisher is Dorrance Publishing which is an old vanity press publisher.

I see Amazon places his book at #958,000 and Barnes and Noble places it at 113,000.

I have no idea what this relates to in number of copies sold. The guy is working his butt off and spending a lot of time and money on promoting his book. I wonder though if it is worth it. I have never heard of anyone making any real money with a vanity-published book, most lose money and wind up with a garage full of books they can’t sell. He seems to be happy though, and I do not want to insult him by asking him if he has made any profit for all his work.

Has anyone heard of a starry-eyed author like him actually making any money this way? And has there ever been a case where a real publisher picked up a self-published book? He thinks he has a chance to get a “big house’ as he puts it, interested.

I think I know the answer is no, but I thought I would ask, because this guy is really enthused over his chances.

Author: Cathy C
Date:   10-03-09 18:06

Here's the best explanation of Amazon I've seen to date. But it's not the be-all/end-all. Still, it helps illustrate your friend's predicament.

http://www.fonerbooks.com/surfing.htm

Yes, commercial publishers have picked up self-published books---when they feel there is enough interest from the public to justify the sale. But the number they consider "enough interest" is quite high. For a novel, expect that 10K unique sales (not the author buying from the publisher and selling from his car trunk) could justify it. For non-fiction, probably 5K.

A lot depends on the manuscript, of course. But to get a 'big house' interested isn't just going to be based on sales in the marketplace. It's all about the quality of the book.

Author: Josh Lemay
Date:   10-03-09 18:49

Christopher Paolini's Eragon book was first self published(kind of) and then picked up by a larger publisher. His case is somewhat unique, though.

His book was first published by his parent's very small publishing company(pretty sure it was vanity/self publishing, but I can't find information on it now), so obviously there was some favoritism going on there also. He, somehow, went on a very large tour of schools, libraries, and book stores for promotions. Not sure how many bookstores, but supposedly ~135 schools/libraries. He basically promoted his book through there and would do self promotion in book stores while dressed up in a medieval outfit.

In one of the bookstores, another author's stepson picked up a copy of Eragon and really liked it. The author brought the book to the attention of his publisher and the publisher sent an offer to Paolini soon after.

That's the only one that I know of. Obviously you can tell from the oddness of the story that it's not something that will have a high chance of happening to most people. At least I don't know many people who have parents that own a small publishing company, then have enough money somehow(I assume from parents) to go on a huge promotional tour, and then get extremely lucky in having the right people notice the book and send it to someone who is in a position to offer them a publishing contract.

Author: Don Daffron
Date:   10-04-09 02:49

After checking the info on Cathy’s site, I feel sorry for the guy. His book ain’t doin’ too well. He’s a great guy, but I think he’s looking up a tree full of incontinent monkeys and about to take a shower.

Thanks for the info anyway

Author: Frank Baron
Date:   10-05-09 00:08

Remember, Amazon's numbers only reflect sales made through Amazon.Those numbers probably have no correlation at all to his overall sales. He may well be doing okay by his, or even a semi-objective person's viewpoint, if he's managing to sell a fair number of copies from the back of his car.

Author: Steve Howard
Date:   10-06-09 05:58

Well, he seems to have the motivation part of it down if he has written, published, and is actively selling his book. Assuming he's not going into massive debt to buy copies of his own book I say let him be. If he doesn't sell enough books (however many that may be) maybe he will write another book and try publishing it through a more respectable agent or publisher.

Author: James Olsson
Date:   10-12-09 00:52

Our naivety and our enthusiasm keeps us going. My "method," or lack thererof, is put the first book out there for free. Then put the second book out there for free, etc., etc. all the while keeping my day-job. The idea is that somebody will realize the significance of the work long after I'm dead-and-gone and the fortune generated from posthumous sales will go to someone wholly undeserving. It worked for Jane Austen, Sylvia Plath, and a host of other poets, writers, musicians and artists... I'm confident I can emulate their success.

Author: Gary Kessler
Date:   10-12-09 01:19

If you were living in the era of Jane Austen, that might have worked, because that was a typical way of doing it then. I draw a "huh" on Sylvia Plath, though. By the age of 18, she was writing for pay for national-level magazines.

Author: L C
Date:   10-27-09 11:18

<< Has anyone heard of a starry-eyed author like him actually making any money this way? And has there ever been a case where a real publisher picked up a self-published book? He thinks he has a chance to get a “big house’ as he puts it, interested. >.

Don, I know precisely one guy who makes money with his self-published book. It's non-fiction, a technical drawing book. He's a designer and is invited to lots of colleges to give seminars on technical drawing. Where, of course, he sells his book.

It's a fine book, written and illustrated well. And he did get the eye of one of the big houses. Nothing came of it because they wanted him to up his game from a basic technical drawing book to an advanced one. There are dozens of basic drawing books on the market and his doesn't offer anything they don't. An advanced one is needed. He wasn't willing to put in the work to do that, so no deal. Which he's fine with, as he's content selling through his seminars.

I personally think he's short-sighted, as a textbook pub will bring him markets way, way beyond his own, but whatever. His business.