And you thought self-published books were all rubbish. Author Boyd Morrison sold two books, the first one called The Ark, to Simon & Schuster. Boyd uploaded and sold the books himself and raised awareness for his novels by being a member of Kindle Boards and generally self-promoting.
He will be published in hardcover in 2010 and is working on his next book featuring swashbuckling adventurer Tyler Locke.
I’m sorry I went into radio silence mode for a while, but I had to keep a low profile while our negotiations were ongoing. It was hard staying quiet for so long. I have been monitoring the boards, though, and I’m so grateful for all the kind words.
Now the big news: Today I received confirmation from my agent that The Ark will be published in hardcover in summer 2010 by Simon and Schuster’s Touchstone imprint. I couldn’t be more excited! The two-book deal is for The Ark and the next book in the Tyler Locke series, so Locke’s adventures will definitely be continuing. I also have book deals in seven other countries so far. We’re still working on The Palmyra Impact and The Adamas Blueprint, but those will be back in readers’ hands at some point.
Note to all you aspiring authors: Boyd seems to have his act together. He already has a road-map of books he’s planning and is attending a number of conferences for writers to spread the word. Not everyone, as we see from this self-published page, is going to get a two book contract with Mssrs. Simon and Schuster
Okay, I thought I just commented on this. Anyway, I really like the idea on how the author used new creative ways to standout. Just reminds us that we need to think outside the box to succeed. Awesome!
- Darren at AdExcel dot Com
I was thinking about self-publishing my novel on twitter or blogger, but I won’t make much money.
Wow, I have try so many times but still i can’t so can you please tell me very clearly how to do that!!!!
Nice post. This post is different from what I read on most blog. And it have so many valuable things to learn. Thank you for your sharing!
Spelling mistake:
“And you though self-pubished books were all rubbish.”
you’re missing a t.
Spelling mistake:
“And you though self-pubished books were all rubbish.”
and you missed an “l” in pubished :)
Indeed he did miss the “l”, but I think he just did a copy paste of that sentence, in which “published” was misspelled in the article.
Bunch of word snobs! The discussion is about all sorts of things and you comment on the mis spelled words!!!
Word snobs, handshaking and voice-mails all things that really should be outlawed!
Klueless!!! (with a K for knothead!)
If your making money then worrying about a missing letter is the last thing on your mind! Get your heads out of the gutter and think about how you can make money!
Yo Matt,
You screwed up on the word “you’re.”
It’s “if you’re making making money…”
Not “if your making money.”
You screwed up not just the spelling but also the grammar.
lol
what happened to me this morning. geez
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Siegler gets away with it day after day. Though we’ve seen less of him lately, maybe Arrington wised up.
Arrington wise up? That’s an oxymoron.
It’s great to hear about Boyd, but aspiring authors should be aware that he is the very, very rare exception. Yes, it is possible to gain a book deal after self-publishing, but fiction authors should go the self-publishing route as a last resort.
Always aim high. Start with agents, move to commercial publishers, and then small presses with distribution beyond Ingram and Taylor.
The key is to be patient. You can always go with an eBook publisher or self-publisher later rather than sooner.
That’s good advice, actually. I did read some analysis recently that suggested it was more lucrative to self-publish in the long run, but I can’t find that article now. I think it was on BoingBoing.
So bad . . . it’s so good.
That excerpt you posted (http://imgur.com/5dkGc.gif) is awesome.
I’d seroiously pay money to read the entire book.
“He already has a road-map of books he’s planning is attending a number of conferences for writers.”
Run-on sentence. Please edit your post before posting.
Self-published books to publishing houses are like blogs to traditional media. Most are horrible, but some can make it and compete well.
Another word snob! You are lame with your sense of self importance…..
“Run-on sentence. Please edit your post before posting.”
This is a blog!!!!! speLLLLing and run on sentences are cool :-)
Again my question to you is…..Are you making money doing the work you love? Ummm i would guess not!
How about his for bad English: “aint nuthing strange about yo daddy…. it was strange what yo daddy had to go threw, but aint nut-in wrong baot yo daddy !!!” ?
The Reverend Albert Sharpton at Michael Jackson’s Funeral
As a self published Author who is also on Kindle, could someone tell me how to go about getting an agent and who the top five are?
thanks.
Without taking the conversation too far from the subject, you should check out Jeff Herman’s guide to publishers, editors and agents to get a basic understanding of the industry and how to go about getting published by a commercial publisher.
You can also join a good writers discussion forum like AbsoluteWrite:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/index.php
Rare happenstance, but inspiring nevertheless.
Exactly. I’m happy for Mr. Morrison and wish him all the best in landing this deal in a down economy (could have something to do with it!).
How many self-published authors are there for Kindles, though? How many with agents? The law of averages was going to come up with someone, eventually, and who’s to say this isn’t part and parcel to a legitimizing strategy by Amazon? ;)
All I wants to know is this: What happens at the shuttle launch on Halloween?!? I’m on the edge of my seet, Mr. Biggs!!!
You wrote: “And you though self-pubished books were all rubbish.”
Did you mean: “And you thought self-published books were all rubbish. ” ?
(Please feel free to delete this comment at any time.)
Another word snob!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LAMER!!! Lame lame lame!
Get a job!
I know Boyd’s secret to success. Years of hard work and perseverance – coupled with well above average intelligence and talent.
Congratulations Boyd – you deserve it!!!
I dont know why so many articles lately about Indie because accoding to my sources India is still one of the poorest country in the world the illiteracy rate is one BILLION people not know how to read and they say India also have the highest poverty rate about 40% of the Indian population make not more than $1.25 per day and so if you thing about it and thing hard you will see India not worth it to invest into theyr’e infrastujure it not woth it because that’s guy he tell me nothing in the population to advertise to becaseu they dont have no money to buy what they see even though they only see what you avertise.
Isn’t any of you word snobs going to comment on Momar’s masterpiece?
I thought Momar was going to pull a Gilda Radner and say, “Never mind!”
Simon & Schuster started this tradition with New York Times bestselling novelist Thomas Greanias. He was the first major novelist to break through on the web with Raising Atlantis in 2002.
I followed the mysterious webisodes about a “secret U.S. military dig in Antarctica” for a year before Raising Atlantis came out as a No. 1 ebook on Amazon and then a No. 1 audiobook on iTunes. Then Simon & Schuster bought it at auction like The Ark. It was an OK book, but hit the big bestseller lists in print. The second novel, The Atlantis Prophecy, was way, way better and made me a fan. I’m looking forward to his new one, THE ATLANTIS REVELATION, next month in hardcover.
If Boyd Morrison can prove himself in print the way Thomas Greanias has big time, I think their breakthrough experiences will, hopefully, become more common for new voices in fiction.
I also thought The Atlantis Prophecy was vastly superior to Raising Atlantis, and The Atlantis Revelation looks better still.
I wonder if some kind of metamorphosis happens when an author like Greanias and now Morrison finally sees his ebook in print and then adjusts how he writes the next one.
Maybe the difference between digital and print books isn’t limited to the reading of them. Maybe it involves the writing of them, too.
To the idiot that pointed out the article contained an incorrect spelled word that could not spell himself. Yes, everyone knows you feel humiliated. Karma sucks. I hope you find a friend that can keep you occupied. Next time send a private message to the writer so you do not seem like a 50 year old virgin.
Goes to show that self promotion pays off.
Presumably the big publishing company made him yank the novel from Amazon, because right now it seems to be unavailable.
So I hope his contract’s worth it, because he must be missing a ton of sales right now while he’s getting all this free publicity.
Love it–these are the kid of stories we need about someone crushing it!
A great story but not the first time a self published author has been approached by a traditional publisher.
Sometimes self-publishing can be more profitable. I know several authors in the online space who have turned down six and seven figure offers from publishers.
That linked-to page at the end the article raises the bar for literary badness. I’m amazed some people manage to dress themselves in the morning, yet alone turn on a computer.
If your budget is tight (or non-existent like mine) UniBook.com released in the last week or so that they will publish your book and list it in their online bookstore for free.
They previously had an obligation to purchase 5 copies but even that is gone now. From what I can tell there are no hidden costs or obligations and their prices look very reasonable.
Their hard covers are cheaper than lulu’s.
How wonderful for you. Congrats! You deserve your success.
I’m curious as to how many books Boyd sold on his own before being recognized. This is something I’m facing right now. I’m at 50/50 with agents that are either requesting to see my full manuscript (completely aware that it is self-published and has not sold anywhere near 5000 copies like they say you need) and agents that say that I’ve ruined all my chances by going this route. I really hope not!
Ps- I’m HAPPY to see so many spelling and grammar mistakes! It makes me feel so much better about all my previous blunders.
Pps – Real website up and coming!
It is never going to be the smooth barked, multi-stemmed, often mis-pruned tree growing throughout the south. ,