Self-published author Hugh Howey landed a traditonal book deal for Wool, but he continues to lead our Science Fiction Self-Published Bestsellers list with another part of his popular series.
Our weekly self-published bestsellers list is often dominated by the popular genres of romance and erotica. In an effort to help GalleyCat readers find other kinds of independent authors, we will offer regular genre-focused bestseller lists for other kinds of indie writers.
To keep the list fresh, we’ve highlighted three top books from four different marketplaces. What other genres would you like us to analyze in future lists?
Science Fiction Self-Published Bestsellers List for February 2013
1. Third Shift-Pact by Hugh Howey: “The third and final chapter of the Shift saga. This is part 8 of the Silo Series, which began with Wool.”
2. Head of the Dragon by Ryk Brown: “The Alliance must strike deep into the heart of the empire.
This time, the Aurora will be going home, or going to her grave.”
3. Poor Man’s Fight by Elliott Kay: “When family upheaval brings his otherwise stellar performance in school to a disastrous end, Tanner’s plans for university lie in ruins. Facing homelessness and a mountain of debt, Tanner enlists in his home planet’s tiny navy.”
4. Eye of the Wizard by Daniel Arenson: “A couple failed squires. A jinxed wizard. A banished spirit of the forest. A childlike demon and her teddy bear. They are outcasts, failures, oddballs. They might just save the world.”
5. The Island by Michael Stark: “Stranded on Portsmouth Island, William Hill struggled to survive even as The Fever raced across the world leaving a wasteland of the dead and dying in its wake. The news brought stories of storms and riots, of people starving while governments promised food.”
6. The Steele Wolf by Chanda Hahn: “After finally settling into her new life at the Citadel, Thalia is reunited with her father, who is disturbed at the changes within her. Risking banishment, Thalia must work to prove to her clan and herself that she is still capable of leading them.”
7. Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework by Randolph Lalonde: “The crew of the Triton find themselves marooned in the Rega Gain solar system. Refusing to abandon the refugees and liberated slaves who joined them along the way, they make a deal with the Government to settle.”
8. Grappling with Survival by Vincent Berg: “A Post-Apocalyptic world unlike any other. Instead of banding together or fighting each other, here the survivors find a world with few resources, little trust and no desire to intermingle.”
9. Things You Can Create by StoneThread Publishing: “Here you will find everything from outrageous humor to spirituality to dreadful fear; artificial intelligence and alter egos; Kirlian auras and clowns and otherworldly beings and circuitous, post-apocalyptic journeys”
10. Elfin by Quinn Loftis: “when Cassie saw something that no human was ever supposed to see; in the blink of an eye she was thrown into the world of the Light and Dark Elves.”
11. The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt: “James, a high school senior, went looking for a job. But instead, embarks upon an adventure of a lifetime. Whisked unexpectedly to a world where magic works, he must learn to master its power, all the while searching for the meaning behind why he was brought there and what he must do.”
12. Ember by Jessica Sorensen: “For seventeen-year-old Ember, life is death. With a simple touch, she knows when someone will die. It’s her curse and the reason she secludes herself from the world. The only person who knows her secret is her best friend Raven.”
This list was created by collecting the self-published books from four different marketplaces: the “Science Fiction” Best Sellers list at Amazon, the “Science Fiction” bestsellers category at Barnes & Noble, the bestselling “Science Fiction” category at Smashwords and the top three recommended Breakout Books “Science Fiction” category at Apple’s iBookstore.
What do you think? If you believe your book should (or should not) be included in our rankings, feel free to email GalleyCat with your concerns.