In a recent feature, Newsweek turned its sights on the world of self publishing.
Check it out: “According to a recent Bowker report, the market for ‘nontraditional books’ in the United States grew by more than 750,000 new titles in 2009–a 181 percent increase over 2008. Five of the top 100 bestsellers in the Kindle store–which now produces more sales than Amazon’s hardcover list–are currently self-published.”
The story focused on how 25 publishers said “No thanks!” to Boyd Morrison’s novel, The Ark. By this time, Morrison had already written three complete novels and expended over twelve years trying to get published in print. Check out our interview with Morrison.
He uploaded three novels to Amazon’s Kindle store in March 2009. This action proved to be a winning choice because three months later, Morrison’s was selling 4,000 books a month. Simon & Schuster took notice and The Ark was finally released in hardcover in May 2010. Morrison calls the moment he first learned of his hardcover deal from his literary agent to be, “one of the most amazing moments of my life.”