Famous Authors Who Self-Published: Why Self-Publishing Can Be a Good Fit for Your Book

Have your manuscripts collected enough dust? Perhaps you have considered self-publishing your novel; a poetry collection, a book of short stories, or even those recipe cards you thought to compile into a family cookbook. Nevertheless, you've always thought that self-publishing was just a waste of time, not respected in the industry. There is success, however, for the author who wishes to self-publish.

Take the case of Beatrix Potter who on September 4^th, 1893, sat down to write a picture letter to five-year old Noel Moore. Noel, who was feeling rather ill, was the son of Beatrix's ex-governess. She really didn't know what to write to the child so she penned him a story-a story about four little rabbits. "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" was soon turned into an exercise book and Ms. Potter sent it off to six publishers. Each of the publishers sent her a rejection letter.

Beatrix Potter, not deterred by these rejections, proceeded to self-publish a limited edition of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" in 1901. Only 250 copies were printed. Publisher Frederick Warne, who had also rejected Peter Rabbit, changed his mind when he saw the finished product. "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" seemed to have commercial possibilities after all and was published with color illustrations in 1902. Since then, Ms. Potter's picture letter to a sick child about Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail and Peter has sold over 40 million copies. And still selling, I might suspect.

Then we have the extraordinary accomplishment of Irma Rombauer to consider. It all began with pickling cucumbers and preparing jellies for the annual fall cook-up, or cook-out, whichever you prefer, for her church. She gathered and wrote down a few recipes for a class she was asked to teach there. Her cakes, no doubt, were very popular with her students and with the rest of the neighborhood. It seemed that her love for gardening manifested itself through the wild roses which cascaded over the sides of her famous wedding cakes.

And when her beloved Edgar (Rombauer) passed away in 1930, it was her children who persuaded her to finally start writing a cookbook. She locked herself away in a small inn near Charlevoix and began to put together the book we have come to know and love, "The Joy of Cooking." She and her daughter signed a contract for $3000 (most likely from her husband's estate) with a printer and published the first edition of "The Joy of Cooking" in 1931. It boasted 500 tried and tested recipes that even the worst cook could follow and show off successful soufflés. Needless to say this cookbook has since then sold millions of copies. (Little Acorn: The Story Behind the Joy of Cooking 1931-1966, Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1966).

However, if you are still not convinced to send your master piece on the path of self-publishing, let us explore the mind of Mark Twain. Mr. Twain was not pleased with the antics, or the foolishness, of his previous publisher and decided to self-publish "Huck Finn." Mr. Twain's plan to market "Huck Finn" was quite elaborate. He used the subscription system which meant the book was printed only for private circulation. It was his desire not to even start printing the novel until he had 40,000 subscriptions. People actually bought a sort of subscription to the book before it was printed. "Huck Finn" could not be bought in stores. Instead sales agents went door to door selling subscriptions to "Huck Finn." When Mark Twain established his own publishing firm he never hesitated to implement the subscription system and, of course, "Huck Finn" was his best marketable commodity.

Additionally, you might be somewhat surprised to know that Edgar Allan Poe self-published his first book, "Tamerlane and Other Poems." And "War and Peace," considered to be one of the greatest novels in literature, was printed by its Russian author, Leo Tolstoi for 4,500 rubles.

Furthermore, for all you non-fiction writers, we present William Strunk's self-published book, "The Elements of Style" which he wrote for his classes at Cornell University. Every writer considers Mr. Strunk's book a must read as a standard reference source. "The Elements of Style" was later revised by his student E. B. White and published by a traditional publisher. The book continues to sell thousands of copies every year.

At last then, we come to a more modern-day success story of British Vicar Graham P. Taylor. In 2002, Mr. Taylor self-published his young adult novel, "Shadowmancer." The good reverend was advised that traditional publishers would probably not be interested in a novel about Christianity and black magic set in the 18^th century. It cost him ₤3500 (approximately $6,956) to self-publish "Shadowmancer." This book sold thousands just by word of mouth.

Eventually Penguin Putnam bought the US rights for $500,000 and Graham Taylor sold the film rights to "Shadowmancer" for a cool $4.5 million to Universal. Quite a nice deal, wouldn't you agree?

So there you have it. If you do decide to self-publish your masterpiece you are in good company. Make sure your manuscript has been edited, polished and probably re-edited a second or third time. Check for spelling, grammar, and you might even want to purchase a copy of William Strunk's "The Element of Style." Spend a few dollars and get your manuscript professionally edited and proof read, it is well worth the small investment.

Nevertheless, find yourself a reputable self-publishing firm like WinePress Publishing, Xulon or Authorhouse. Lulu, a print-on-demand self-publishing online company, is also something you could look into. With them, however, you will want to learn about page layouts, pdf files, and cover designs as everything on Lulu is done by you. If you have friends who are respectable authors, or experts in the genre that you wrote about, ask them for a good review and print it on the back cover.

In conclusion, whichever company you choose, do your research well and decide for yourself if self-publishing is for you. Like Mark Twain, learn to market your book as well as yourself and with a little bit of imagination and hard work you could become the next self-publishing success story.