The Martian started as a self-published book.
Its author, Andy Weir, said he didn’t think the book had mainstream appeal and was surprised anyone was interested.
It began as a series on Weir’s website, and when readers complained it was hard to read the stories sitting at their computer, Weir listened to his audience and put it out as an ebook and then on Amazon’s Kindle.
It then got picked up by a small Canadian audiobook company.
Then Random House was interested, and before he knew it, Weir had a movie based on a book he started writing on his website that he went on to Self-Publish.
The Martian would later be nominated for several Oscars.
Self-publishing doesn’t just benefit authors who wish to go Independent, but it could also help authors who want to attract the attention of publishing houses.
Everyone’s publishing journey is different, and there is no telling where yours might take you.
Going the traditional route doesn’t make you a sellout, and self-publishing doesn’t mean your book is trash.
If you take the time to craft a well-written, high-quality book that people just can’t stop talking about, the sky is not even the limit of where it could take you.
Remember, The Martian did not automatically go to print by a traditional publisher. It first got picked up as an audiobook which, according to Weir, made him more money than the movie!
For a more personal example, I didn’t intend to give the platform much attention when TikTok launched. I thought it was for kids, I don’t dance, and I didn’t think I had time to learn another app.
But I took a chance and have grown my account to over 18K followers (updated: We are now at 23.6K!) went viral at 1.3million views, started a TiKTok shop, and have over 20 new email sign-ups that came directly from TikTok.
I am not telling you to start a TikTok account. I am telling you not to limit yourself.
In the words of Maya Angelou: “Pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.”
The PBS Blog 