In 2011, a small Australian press published a few thousand copies of E L James’ Fifty Shades of Grey.
James won her publishing deal even though she had self-published the book for free on a fan-fiction website.
That deal turned out to be a smart move.
Her books have sold over 150 million copies worldwide, and been translated into around 50 languages, Alexander Alter wrote in the New York Times last year.
James became the highest-paid author in the world in 2013, with an annual income of USD95 million, according to the US business magazine, Forbes.
That’s one example of good news for self-published authors.
Today, you can win a publishing deal if your self-published book sells well. This is a marked change in attitude on the part of traditional publishers.
Self-published authors used to be shunned forever by traditional publishers.
The self-publishing choice is no longer either/or.
And that is Tip #10 of my series, 10 Fabulous Reasons to self-publish your book.