Did any famous authors ever publish their own books?
The late Oral Roberts did. He had the marketing ability to sell his books -- and little need for a publisher.
Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic strip and book series self-published an original e-book, God's Debris, in 2001 as a way of testing the market for that book. As a result, he was able to get what he called an “unusually good deal” from his publisher when he sold the rights.
What Color is Your Parachute was self-published by Episcopal clergymen Richard Nelson Bolles. Ten Speed Press saw it and made him an offer. It has now sold 5 million copies and spent 288 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.
In 1998, Arthur Agatston, author of The South Beach Diet, began by self-publishing several hundred pamphlets outlining his diet ideas for patients. Several years later, he sold the rights to Rodale Press, publishers of Prevention. Within a year, the book had sold almost seven million copies.
Edgar Allen Poe didn't trust publishers and printed up his own books. First editions today are enormously valuable.
The One-Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson sold over 20,000 copies locally before they sold publishing rights to William Morrow. It has now sold over 12 million copies in 25 languages.
Beatrix Potter sat down to write a picture letter to a five-year old friend. She really didn't know what to write to the child so she penned him a story about four little rabbits. The Tale of Peter Rabbit was rejected by numerous publishers, so she self-published 250 copies. Publisher Frederick Warne, who had rejected the book, changed his mind when he saw the finished product. One hundred years later, it is still selling well.
John Bartlett financed the publication of the first three editions of his famous book of quotations.
The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E. B. White was originally self-published for Strunk's classes at Cornell University in 1918. Today it has sold millions. White went on to author Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little.
John Grisham sold his first bestseller, A Time to Kill, out of the trunk of his car.
L. Frank Baum, author of the Wizard of Oz, was his own publisher for several of the books in what was a multi-volume Oz series on which the Judy Garland movie was based.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning published her first book of poetry on her own without a publisher.
Alexandre Dumas, author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo published and marketed his own works, which also included plays and short stories.
Benjamin Franklin printed and marketed Poor Richard's Almanack in 1732 and continued to do so for years.
The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer was self-published in 1931. Today Scribners sells more than 100,000 copies each year.
Vicky Lansky sold 300,000 copies of Feed Me, I'm Yours before she sold the rights to Bantam and they sold 8 million more.
The 87-page book The Christmas Box took Rick Evans six weeks to write. He published it and promoted it himself, then signed with Simon & Schuster for $4.2 million. It hit the top of the Publishers Weekly bestseller list and has been translated into 13 Languages.
