I'm listening to a podcast of a session I missed at Book Expo America / uPublishU. The session is "50 Shades and More of Self-Publishing." According to the info in the session/podcast, so far 10 million copies of the book (all three books or just the first book?) have been sold accounting for about 25% of all current book sales. WHAT!!?? Also, I fell out of my seat when I realized that it was an indie / startup publisher.
That is just epic. EPIC.
#50shadesofgrey #blog
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"50 Shades" and More of Self-Publishing | CCC's Beyond the Book
Recorded last week at uPublishU, the day-long self-publishing pre-conference program of BookExpo. Featuring Jenny Pedroza, co-founder of the Writers Coffee
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I would like the next exciting step in self-publishing to concern books that are less terrible.
It comes down to choices, and now we readers have to be more discerning about what we purchase. That, for me, is a big benefit of sites like Goodreads.
I'm glad that people are focusing on some of the positives. Even if people don't like the series, it's had a positive impact on society in so far as the discussion of female sexuality as well as shown that self publishing is a viable solution.
I agree with Sara. Something other than erotica (porn with its pinky out–just my opinion), and vampires. Or werewolves. Or kid-killing. Would Dickens even get published today?
You take a dig at something for having its pinkie out, and then you mention Dickens? lol.
The books are what they are. What is exciting to me is that it came to be without a big traditional publishing house. Authors are now seeing why we love being bloggers. We no longer have to wait for someone else's approval or recognition to put our words out to the world.
JUST. CLICK. PUBLISH.
I may have given the wrong impression – I'm fine with erotica. It's just so badly-written.
+Sara Keesler agreed. But it is probably the first 'mainstream' erotica that most women have exposure to. I first heard of the book from my sister-in-law, who described it as mommy porn. HUA!? She's not exactly a well-read person (self-admittedly) so I was shocked to hear this from her. Apparently it was secretly making its way around the soccer mom circle (or so she tells me). The entire underground viralness of it just blows my mind.
Of course if my SIL ever read REAL erotic, she might just implode <grin>.
Randi, you got me on that one. Sorry. Maybe I unfairly 'tuded on the subjects. If so, apologies.
I'm with Sara – it's kind of sad that anyone's first exposure to erotica would be to badly written erotica. But yes, it does highlight the growth of independent publishing…
It's a no-choice indy hit. Any indy hit is good, but I'm waiting for the by-choice indy hit: an author, with traditional publishing offers, forgoing them and self-publishing with success.
what a way to multitask for my own projects.