8 FAMOUS BOOKS THAT WERE SELF-PUBLISHED

Our bookish community, who know us as trustworthy traditional publishers, might not be aware that we do self publish writers too! Traditional publishing and self-publishing under one roof, one might ask. Yes, indeed! This is why:

There are a lot of decision-making factors in the written world, such as cost estimates, market share, distribution commission... and so sometimes really creative manuscripts get overlooked because of these things. We don't see any problem with turning to self-publishing if you know the value of your work. In fact, we rather advocate it at certain times. 

The world might have never seen these gems, if the writers hadn't thought to go ahead and shoot their own shot! Here are 8 famous books that were actually self-published... 

1. FIFTY SHADES OF GREY - E.L. JAMES

Alright, so we understand it's not everyone's cup of literary merit. Author E.L. James believed she was on to something nonetheless, and she self-published the first Fifty Shades of Grey book as an eBook in 2011. A year later she was taken on by Vintage, owned by Knopf Doubleday - the same publishing house that took on the Inheritance Cycle, by the way. After the book being picked up by a traditional publisher, Fifty Shades of Grey became massively popular around the world. This self-published wonder quickly turned into movies, merchandise, and more - the sort of thing every writer dreams of! 


Interested? We do have a pre-owned copy in the online bookstore.

2. THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT - BEATRIX POTTER

Tale has it that Beatrix Potter's famous children's book was rejected because she was a female and the opinion at the time was that women could only write Chick Lit. Another version is that she wanted it set on small paper, and the publisher refused (side note: creative control is a big advantage of self-publishing.) Either way, she went ahead and did her own books, which sold really well. The book was then picked by a traditional publisher, made to her specifications, AND turned into a BBC animated series!

3. LEGALLY BLONDE - AMANDA BROWN

 Here's a movie many didn't know was based on a book. And that the author attended Stanford Law School! Amanda Brown, the daughter of lawyers, naturally thought law school was her destiny. She didn't enjoy it much, however, and felt the other students were so different from her - the premise of the book/movie. She kept a journal of the typical law student she met and differed from. She turned this journal into a work of fiction and switched it up to become a writer instead. The movie is one of the greatest Chick Flicks ever made. This self-published gem turned into a fortuitous career change for the author!

 4. ERAGON - CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI

Christopher Paolini was just a 15-year-old boy, schooling from home, when he self-published the first book, Eragon, in what would become a worldwide fantasy series phenomenon. He carried the copies around,marketed, and sold the books himself - not an easy feat if you've seen these hefty reads. He was picked up by Knopf Doubleday and the subsequent books in the series were published by them. The fantasy phenomenon led to a movie, and now an offshoot book series. Paolini holds the Guinness World Record for the Youngest Author of a Bestselling Book Series.

5. THE SHACK - WILLIAM P. YOUNG

This theological fiction story that sparked worldwide religious controversy and debate, was originally written for his friends and family as a Christmas gift. Only 15 copies were made. After being encouraged by his loved ones to try get it published, the author put much effort into rewrites, and submitted it for consideration. After being rejected by 26 different publishers, the author decided to set up his own imprint. The imprint, called Windblown Media, was solely created for Young to self-publish this book. After being self-publishished, the book went on to become No. 1 on the Times Bestseller list.

6. RICH DAD POOR DAD - ROBERT KIYOSAKI

This financial how-to that placed No.1 on the New York Bestseller List for 6 years, didn't come without initial problems. It was first self-published in 1997 before Robert Kiyosaki became the icon that he is today. He was rejected by numerous publishers, turned down by Barnes and Noble for stocking, and accused as doling out bad advice. Still, Kiyosaki went ahead an self-published the book, which did remarkably well. It was picked up by a traditional publisher, and went on to sell over 32 million copies worldwide. The book has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show, and is still selling well today.

7. A CHRISTMAS CAROL - CHARLES DICKENS

Yes, self-publishing existed in the days of Dickens! This particular book of Dickens' was self-published in the year 1843. Dickens' previous publisher had been having little success getting his prior works off the ground and refused to take this one on. Perhaps it was the best decision Dickens could have made to self-publish his book. The book was released on December 19th and sold every single copy by December 24th. The self-published book gave Dickens a renewed writing credibility and publishing potential. He got taken on by a new publisher and produced some of the greatest works ever written.

8. THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE - WILLIAM STRUNK JR. 

Honestly, if you've heard of this book, we are SO IMPRESSED! You see, this book is the writing and editing Bible in all the Commonwealth publishing houses (this includes SA.) The book was self-published in 1918 by Professor Strunk for his students to aid them in their writing craft. It was picked up by Pan Macmillan in 1959 and added to over the years. It is now called Strunk and White's The Elements of Style. It documents stylistic rules for writing. The book is freely available online for writers who wish to turn in beautifully-edited pieces. It is well worth a look at - your publisher will be able to tell.


 

SHOULD I SELF-PUBLISH?

Here are some pros and cons, to help you make a decision.

PROS:

• You have complete creative liberty with what you want you want your book to look like.
• You get to keep all the money made from book sales.
• You keep all of your book rights - your baby is yours alone!
• Chain stores are now accepting self-published books - hooray for progress :)

CONS:

• It can be a little out of budget for the writer's salary - we're looking at around R20 000 for 100 copies of a short-to-mid length novel
• You have to take on all the admin involved, which can be a little tedious and overwhelming for the creative spirit.

Read this blog post for a full comparison of self- and traditional publishing. 

We hope you've enjoyed this one, and most importantly that we've encouraged a little open-mindedness about self-publishing. Whichever route you choose to go, we hope it's with KREST Publishers! We're reputable and reliable, and believe in taking a chance on YOU.

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