15 Successful Self-Published Authors Who Made It Big

Here are fifteen successful self-publishing authors who you can draw inspiration from.

Writing a novel is difficult, but finding someone to publish it is even more challenging.

As a result, many authors struggle through rejection after rejection in a bid to get publishing deals that never come.

In the past, there was a lot of snobbery about self-published authors.

However, the demise of traditional publishing houses and the rise of digital distribution have significantly changed that perception.

The fact is that there are lots of big-name authors who have gone down the self-publishing route for their writing and had remarkable success.

Here is a list of self-published authors who have taken the literary world by storm without a publishing deal.

#1. Margaret Atwood

That’s right Margaret Atwood actually started as a self-published author!

Thanks to the Netflix drama “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Margaret Atwood is a household name now.

However, things weren’t always that way. Atwood started her literary career in the 1960s with a series of self-published poems entitled “Double Persephone.”

Atwood’s DIY skills weren’t limited to just writing.

She designed and pressed the book herself, using a Lino block. The book only had just over 200 copies, but it was a success. When “Double Persephone.” won the E.J.Pratt medal, Atwood’s career began to take off, and she soon found a publisher.

Atwood’s hard work, grit, and determination — mixed with immense talent — show that it’s possible to succeed and generate a buzz, even from the humblest of beginnings.

#2. EL James

What started out as self-published Twilight fanfiction turned into a runaway success for EL James.

“Fifty Shades of Gray” sold an incredible 150 million copies worldwide.

Yes, the writing isn’t masterful.

Perhaps the structure could be better too.

But James’ book captured the imagination of the market with her racy themes of power and submission.

James’ road to best-selling author was entirely self-driven.

She started posting to fan fiction websites before launching a website for her trilogy.

When that picked up steam, she released the first book through The Writer’s Cafe, building up a vast readership that grew and grew.

#3. Andy Weir

The story of how Andy Weir’s self-published science-fiction novel, “The Martian,” went from an obscure, niche piece to a Hollywood blockbuster is as remarkable as any piece of fiction.

Weir released the book on his website in serialized format.

When he completed it, he self-published it online.

While the author never intended for the book to be a critical hit, the mix of hard science gave the piece an authentic, grounded feel despite being set on Mars.

The Martian wasn’t Andy Weir’s first work. He also published a comic book and several short stories, including “The Egg.”

#4. Amanda Hocking

In 2010, Amanda Hocking was feeling hopeless.

She’d written nine novels, each of which had been rejected.

Then, she heard that the Muppets were coming to Chicago and that she couldn’t afford a ticket.

Desperate to raise some money so she could attend the event, Hocking decided to put her writing up on Amazon and other e-book sites.

She aimed to raise the $300 she needed to see the Muppets.

She gave herself six months.

Fast forward to the day of the event, and Hocking had made the $300.

She’d also 150,000 copies of her books. Then, over the next few years, the total turned into 1.5m books and a cool $2.5m dollars.

One of the keys to Hocking’s success was her pricing model.

She put the first book in the series up for $1.

It gave readers a low-risk option to get hooked on her book. As it turns out, many people accepted this “trial” version, and the quality of the writing did the rest.

#5. Lisa Genova

After several rejections, Lisa Genova had lost faith that her work would ever get picked up by a publishing house.

She told a booking agent she would self-publish; he warned her against it, stating that it would ruin her career.

Thankfully, Genova didn’t listen. She self-published the novel “Still Alice” and started selling copies out of the back of her car.

People loved the book, and it has gone on to be a New York Times bestseller and a movie.

Genova did the work on the ground of generating buzz. This organic growth led her to attention and some literary prizes.

She hired a publicist, and slowly things started taking off.

Soon, she sold the book at auction to publishing house Simon & Schuster for six figures.

Genova’s story should give hope to authors that a rejection doesn’t automatically mean your writing is terrible and that sometimes your writing just needs to find an audience.

#6. Rupi Kaur

Rupi Kaur had been writing and performing her poetry for several years.

However, when she wanted to self-publish it, the advice she got from her creative writing professor was not to bother.

Toronto-based Kaur used Instagram as the format to get her short poems in front of readers.

She quickly gained half a million followers, which led her to self-publish a book of her writing in 2014, called “Milk and Honey.”

Soon, it was a New York Times bestseller, and she landed a deal with Andrews McMeel Publishing.

A few years later, she sold 500,000 copies, an incredible amount for a poetry book.

Kaur’s story shows that if authors can generate interest in their writing through social media, they can leverage this for a successful self-published run.

#7. Robert Kiyosaki

Robert Kiyosaki’s book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” was turned down by several New York Publishers.

However, he and his wife believed the advice in the book was necessary, so they self-published 1000 copies.

He asked a friend to put 24 in his car wash businesses, and they quickly sold out.

One of these books was given to Bill Galvin, who purchased the remaining stock.

Soon, they began promoting the book on TV and Radio, which generated enough buzz to win a place on the New York Bestselling list.

By 2021, the book had sold almost 50m copies and had been translated into 40 different languages. It’s safe to say that the executives and agents who turned down the book might regret it now.

#8. Hugh Howey

Hugh Howey was working at a bookstore and honing his craft.

He’d finished the first installment of his Silo series and was toying with the idea of self-publishing his writing. He sought the advice of other authors and experts, but all of them told him it was a terrible idea.

Undeterred, he released the first portion of his book as a novella on Kindle Direct Publishing.

Howey set a price of $0.99. In the following months, the novel slowly sold 1,000 copies. He wrote more installments, and then it really picked up.

He was featured in the New York Times e-book fiction bestseller list and won an e-book award.

Soon, he was selling 30,000 copies of his book each month, and it was time to quit the book store.

Publishers began to take notice and offered Howey six and seven-figure deals, each of which he turned down.

Finally, Howey accepted an offer from Simon and Schuster that allowed him to keep the digital rights for his books.

#9. James Redfield

In 1989, James Redfield left his job as a therapist to write full-time.

He self-published the novel “The Celestine Prophecy,” giving away the first 1,500 copies for free to promote his writing.

He sold the first 100,000 copies from the back of his car before Warner Brothers offered him a deal.

Since then, the book has sold over 5m copies worldwide and been translated into more than 30 languages. “The Celestine Prophecy” was turned into a movie in 2006, and new installments have sold well too.

Redfield is an excellent example of backing your writing and putting in the work.

#10. Mark Dawson

Mark Dawson used to commute more than 90 minutes each way.

Instead of staring out the window and wondering how to fill his time, he decided to use the three=hour daily trip to start writing a novel.

He was working as a lawyer and had two published books.

Neither were great sellers, although the “Art of Falling Apart” has gone on to some success.

However, when his third book was rejected in 2012, he decided he would self-publish.

Soon, he realized that the percentage he could take from each book was far more significant as a self-published author — 70% instead of 7%.

He went down Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing route.

His novel, “The Black Mile,” didn’t really take off there either, so he decided to give it away for free. That weekend, 50,000 people downloaded a copy of his book.

But that’s not the most notable aspect of this author’s approach.

His whole process is about engaging his audience, doing talks, conferences, and more.

From here, he has built a mail listing that he uses to distribute his work. It’s a business-like approach that brings results, with six to seven-figure years the norm.

#11. Jamie McGuire

Jamie McGuire began writing her first novel as a passion project. She never expected it to take off. However, once she had completed her first work, she was encouraged by my friends and family to publish it.

She sent it to 15 publishers and got 14 rejection letters. The last letter offered her some advice to cut the story down.

Soon after, McGuire self-published “Providence”.

She was inexperienced in the emerging world of e-books and sold around 300 copies in the first year.

Her small readership begged for a follow-up, and soon “Beautiful Disaster” started doing small but decent numbers.

However, “Beautiful Disaster” gathered momentum and was featured in the top 100 lists and in the New York Times bestseller list.

She was soon inundated with publishing deals for her new adult fiction novels.

McGuire did sign a publishing deal; however, she has since returned to self-publishing because of the increased profit margins.

#12. LJ Ross

In 2014, LJ Ross left a job in financial law to pursue crime writing.

The United Kingdom-based author sent her writing to publishing houses.

She was offered a deal from a mid-sized firm, but she turned it down. Ross didn’t go down the traditional route and instead self-published her work.

In January 2015, she released an e-book version. It sold a modest amount initially, but it was top of the Kindle store by May.

In the subsequent years, she has released over 20 books and sold 7 million copies. It’s a remarkable rise that owes a lot to the promotional power of being featured on Kindle’s bestseller list.

#13. H.M. Ward

H.M. Ward turned to self-publishing in 2011.

Ward, an adult romance writer, quickly understood that presentation was a big part of success and soon had success with “Damaged” and “Scandalous.”

In the last decade, H.M. Ward has appeared at the top of the New York Times and Amazon best sellers list, selling millions of books.

Her biggest sellers are the Fero Family series. Her website suggests these books alone have sold around 13 million copies.

#14. Stephen Leather

Stephen Leather had publishing success writing big international thrillers for Hodder & Stoughton. However, when the publishing house rejected three of his novels because they didn’t fit his brand, he decided to put them up on Kindle in 2011.

Leather realized that the Kindle was going to revolutionize the way people consume books. However, he also reasoned that once people bought their favorite novels, they’d start looking for cheaper alternatives.

He prized his novels at $0.99 and promoted them on forums. Soon, he hit the top 20 best seller list and was making five figures per month. Leather’s success is a great example of identifying a gap in the market and taking it with both hands.

#15. John Locke

John Locke owned an insurance agency in Louisville, Kentucky.

In 2009, he started writing fiction and came up with the character Donovan Creed.

Over the next few years, he had four titles on the Amazon Best Seller list, selling more than 1 million copies of his nine books.

The elements of Locke’s success are down to a few different things.

Firstly, his pricing structure of $0.99 per book helped him gain new followers. Soon, Locke was the first self-published author to sell 1 million copies on Amazon.

However, controversy soon struck when it was revealed that Locke had paid for around 300 positive reviews.

While this may have been a reason for some of his success, it’s impossible to say that it’s the only reason he broke through.

Locke has continued to release new novels, although the review scandals have harmed his reputation among authors, if not his audience.