What do you know about self-publishing?

I would like to tell you about self-publishing and indieBRAG

First, what do you know about self-published books?

That they are books that couldn’t find a publisher – probably because they aren’t good enough?  Well, there was a time when that was a fact – but not so any longer. It has become a very popular choice for writers who want to have more control over their work.

You would be surprised at the successful books that have been self-published today (not to mention some of the old classics like Beatrix Potter’s books).

Here are a few that might sound familiar-

1. The Martian by Andy Weir- which not only became a best seller, but also a successful movie.
2. Wool by Hugh Howey – a founder of the “hi-bred” publishing. He sold the print rights to Simon & Schuster (for a sum of$500,00!), the movie rights to 20^th Century but has retained all rights to continue distributing online himself. He was able to do this due to the success of his Self-published books.
3. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki. This was the first self-published book to make it to the New York Times Best Seller List!
4. The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer. Rombauer a 52 year old widow had 3,00 copies printed in 1930 – it is now a perennial best seller.
5. The Eragon Series by Christopher Paolini. Paolini was just a teenager who traveled across the country giving talks at bookstores, schools, and libraries. His book found the right audience and is now a bestselling series.
6. We’ve all heard of Fifty shades of Grey by E.L.James. It originated as fanfiction and was actually boosted by word-of-mouth chatter to become one of the biggest selling books and in 2015 was adapted for a film

The list goes on:

The Celestine Prophecy

Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Switched by Amanda Hocking

Double Persephone by Margaret Atwood

The Shack by William P. Young

Self-publishing is now a first choice for many authors, and it is growing every year. Therein lies the problem- everyone can now publish their book, and many shouldn’t! Many are sub quality and just not good stories.

Here is where indieBRAG was born.

We send submitted self-published books out to a number of readers and they provide us with a report card on what they think of the story, writing, and quality and professionalism.  Our Reader list is comprised of editors,  academics, authors and the readers who buy books- the audience writers are after. Those that meet our stringent process, are given the B.R.A.G.Medallion (Book Readers Appreciation Group).  These books are not judged separately from the traditionally published books, they must have the same quality as any well done published book.

Our medallion signifies a book is worth reading. We have given medallions to books in every genre – informative Non-Fiction, serious Historical Fiction, charming Children’s Literature, educational Middle Grade books, humor and even vampires and gory Horror stories.

It is difficult today for any author to rise above the avalanche of books published each year and reading the ones that have met high standards supports worthy authors. Do not make the mistake of dismissing a book that is self-published.

Go to indieBRAG (www.bragmedallion.com) and find books that are not vying for a Pulitzer or Booker Award but are books that are worth you time and money for a good read!

Stop by and find a great list of books and support authors who deserve the attention of the reading public.

Much information gleaned from an article by Kaelyn Barron at TCK Publishing