Dawn of the DIY publisher

Aspiring writers can avoid the traditionally tougher routes and publish their books themselves. Cover prices are lower but royalties can be generous, says John Hearne

TWO years ago, American writer Amanda Hocking needed $300 to go to a convention in Chicago. Like other aspiring writers, she’d been banging on doors for years. She’d sent out 17 novels to agents and publishers. No one was interested.

Ms Hocking uploaded her fantasy fiction titles to Amazon, hoping to sell enough to get the fare. By March 2011, she had sold over 1m books and earned $2m. Since then, she’s sold 1.5m of her books, without the support of a publishing house.