Self-Publishing Success Stories
Listed below are a few self-published authors who have found success. There are many, many more if you care to look for them. Your dream of becoming a successful, self-published author can come true just like it did for these authors.
• Arthur Agatston, originally printed his diet ideas on pamphlets and handed them out to patients. Several years later he sold the rights to what became The South Beach Diet.
• The One-Minute Manager, which has now sold more than 12 million copies, was originally self-published by authors Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson and sold for $15 per copy. The book is now published in more than 25 languages.
• Originally self-published as a guide for Episcopal priests who need help adjusting after leaving the priesthood, What Color Is Your Parachute by Richard N. Bolles, was purchased by Ten Speed Press and has spent 288 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. A new edition comes out each year.
• Ruby Ann Boxcar, Trailer Park newspaper columnist and website host, self-published her first book, Ruby Ann's Down Home Trailer Park Cookbook, through a print on demand publisher. Kensington/Citadel Press bought the rights soon after and has gone on to publish a holiday cookbook for the author as well.
• Legally Blonde was a print-on-demand book which was optioned as a movie of the same title. This was author Amanda Brown's first novel.
• H. Jackson Brown self-published his Life's Little Instruction Book. It was bought by Rutledge Hill, and went on to sell more than 5 million copies.
• Deepak Chopra vanity published his first book. The rights were sold to Crown Publishing and the book. went on to become the author's first New York Times bestseller.
• Richard Paul Evans self-published The Christmas Box and initially printed 8,000 copies. He eventually sold many thousand copies in his area. Major publishers became interested in the book and there was a two-day auction for its rights. Simon & Schuster won and paid Evans a $4.2 million advance. The book has sold more than 7 million copies and is published in 17 different languages.