Self-Publishing Indie Author Amanda Hocking Signs with Publisher

kjk · 03-25-2011, 04:58 PM

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/bo...ress.html?_r=2

Quote:

In the past year Ms. Hocking, a 26-year-old from Minnesota, became an indie heroine in the literary world for publishing nine books that sold a total of more than one million copies, nearly all of them in e-book form, earning almost $2 million for her efforts.

But for Ms. Hocking, self-publishing has had its limits. On Thursday she announced that she had sold a four-book series to St. Martin’s Press, ending a frenzied weeklong auction that involved nearly every major publisher in the business, including Random House, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins.

Quote:

“I’ve done as much with self-publishing as any person can do,” Ms. Hocking said in an interview on Thursday. “People have bad things to say about publishers, but I think they still have services, and I want to see what they are. And if they end up not being any good, I don’t have to keep using them. But I do think they have something to offer.”

Hope she writes about her experiences!

mr ploppy · 03-25-2011, 07:16 PM

Interesting. Did she go to them, or did one of them approach her first? The website just says she was sold at auction to the highest bidder. Did she give away ebook rights as well, or just realbook rights?

SlowRain · 03-25-2011, 11:03 PM

It's interesting to see a few authors go from traditional publishing to self-publishing, and to see a few go from self-publishing to traditional publishing. I'd like to see a round-table discussion where these authors get together and discuss what they feel are advantages and disadvantages or each method.

JeremyR · 03-25-2011, 11:39 PM

Well, to be blunt, there are probably few non-celebrities that get a $2 million advance. So of course she took the deal.

Heck, I bet the vast majority of people working as offers have never made $2 million in their career. A lot of semi-big names couldn't even support themselves full time as a writer and had to work second jobs. Or if they do, they do a lot of editing work.

John Carroll · 03-26-2011, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

Interesting. Did she go to them, or did one of them approach her first? The website just says she was sold at auction to the highest bidder. Did she give away ebook rights as well, or just realbook rights?

Just the rights for a four book series. From her blog: http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/

Quote:

Did my agent push me into this? Nope. This exactly how the conversation went: Steve (my agent): "Have you thought at all about going the traditional route?" Me: "Yeah, I have. And I have a series that I'm ready to pitch." Steve: "Great. Send it to me when you're ready."

The reason I took this deal wasn't for the money. At least not the upfront money. Also, let's be honest - if I self-published the Watersong series on my own, I could probably make $2 million within a year or two. Five years tops. I am fully aware that I stand a chance of losing money on this deal compared to what I could make self-publishing.

OtterBooks · 03-26-2011, 12:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeremyR

Well, to be blunt, there are probably few non-celebrities that get a $2 million advance. So of course she took the deal.

Heck, I bet the vast majority of people working as offers have never made $2 million in their career. A lot of semi-big names couldn't even support themselves full time as a writer and had to work second jobs. Or if they do, they do a lot of editing work.

The article seems to say that she made 2 million just from her self published sales, but didn't state her advance. At least that was how I interpreted the bit quoted by the OP. No doubt her advance was hefty, though. Edit: reading through it, it appears I was mistaken.

J. Strnad · 03-26-2011, 12:36 PM

If the major publishers were in competition for her series, she made out like a bandit. I'd do the same in her position!

Well, actually, if I were in her position, I'd take my $2 million and retire.

VegasWriter · 03-26-2011, 12:46 PM

Interesting that someone who makes millions with e-Books still needs that old-fashioned authentication in the form of a print book. Good for her. Let's keep BOTH formats viable.

Seli · 03-26-2011, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VegasWriter

Interesting that someone who makes millions with e-Books still needs that old-fashioned authentication in the form of a print book. Good for her. Let's keep BOTH formats viable.

If I understand correctly she is doing it to get some more time to actually write books, in stead of a lot of other stuff that needs to be done to sell the amount of books she has. I really do not think it has anything to do about authentication. Although I do imagine it is a nice feeling of there being a bidding war over your work.

caleb72 · 03-26-2011, 07:07 PM

Interesting. I know of the author and of her books. Never read any though.

I hope she gets something out of it.

Regards
Caleb

Frida Fantastic · 03-27-2011, 04:21 PM

I think she made a wise decision. Four books is nothing considering her backlist and her writing speed. She's continuing to self-publish everything else. She's giving up some potential self-published $$$ for more exposure and to get into big stores like Walmart, which I think is really smart. I'd do the same. Good for her.

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03-25-2011, 07:16 PM	#2
mr ploppy Feral Underclass Posts: 3,622 Karma: 26821535 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Yorkshire, tha noz Device: 2nd hand paperback	Interesting. Did she go to them, or did one of them approach her first? The website just says she was sold at auction to the highest bidder. Did she give away ebook rights as well, or just realbook rights?

03-25-2011, 11:03 PM	#3
SlowRain Addict Posts: 311 Karma: 9553 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: a Canadian expat in Taiwan Device: HTC 10, Asus Phonepad	It's interesting to see a few authors go from traditional publishing to self-publishing, and to see a few go from self-publishing to traditional publishing. I'd like to see a round-table discussion where these authors get together and discuss what they feel are advantages and disadvantages or each method.

03-25-2011, 11:39 PM	#4
JeremyR Guru Posts: 973 Karma: 2458402 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: St. Louis Device: Kindle Keyboard, Nook HD+	Well, to be blunt, there are probably few non-celebrities that get a $2 million advance. So of course she took the deal. Heck, I bet the vast majority of people working as offers have never made $2 million in their career. A lot of semi-big names couldn't even support themselves full time as a writer and had to work second jobs. Or if they do, they do a lot of editing work.

03-26-2011, 12:36 PM	#7
J. Strnad Guru Posts: 915 Karma: 3537194 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo, Kindle 3, Paperwhite	If the major publishers were in competition for her series, she made out like a bandit. I'd do the same in her position! Well, actually, if I were in her position, I'd take my $2 million and retire.

03-26-2011, 12:46 PM	#8
VegasWriter Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Sin City Device: kindle	Interesting that someone who makes millions with e-Books still needs that old-fashioned authentication in the form of a print book. Good for her. Let's keep BOTH formats viable.

03-26-2011, 07:07 PM	#10
caleb72 Indie Advocate Posts: 2,863 Karma: 18794463 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Kindle	Interesting. I know of the author and of her books. Never read any though. I hope she gets something out of it. Regards Caleb

03-27-2011, 04:21 PM	#11
Frida Fantastic SF/F book blogger Posts: 270 Karma: 502030 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Vancouver, Canada Device: Kindle 3	I think she made a wise decision. Four books is nothing considering her backlist and her writing speed. She's continuing to self-publish everything else. She's giving up some potential self-published $$$ for more exposure and to get into big stores like Walmart, which I think is really smart. I'd do the same. Good for her.

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