: Who are some examples of recent famous self-published authors? What famous authors, within the last 40 years, were self-published?

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Christopher Paolini - Eragon (Bestseller.)
Richard Paul Evans - The Christmas Box (#1 Bestseller.)
Mark Danielewski - House of Leaves (cult classic, initially self-published
online, it was issued in print by Pantheon Books.)
Catherynne M. Valente - The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Inaugurated a best-selling series. Initially self-published online, later issued in print by Feiwel & Friends.)
Becky Chambers - The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Critically acclaimed SF novel. Originally self-published it via a Kickstarter campaign; it was subsequently re-published by Hodder & Stoughton.)

It's worth noting that while critical reaction to these books has been mixed (mostly bad for Paolini and Evans, mostly good for the other three), they all share one important trait --their authors were all exceptionally good at promoting their own work. As I've said repeatedly, that's the one most important trait for a successful self-publisher.

In point of fact, the three internet-published authors all successfully built a community of engaged fans as the book was being written. That certainly seems like a new model for a successful self-publisher, the modern equivalent of the newspaper serials that built Dickens' fame.

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Here's a list of nine writers who had exceptional success that all began when they self-published their first books (within the last 40 years):

Wool Trilogy by Hugh Howey (sold to Simon & Schuster for $.5M)
Still Alice by Lisa Genova (made into a film starring Julianne Moore)
The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield (translated into 34 languages)
Riyria Chronicles by Michael J. Sullivan (followup was sold for over 0K)
The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton (bestseller in Canada)
Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker (led to a successful career)
Damaged by H.M. Ward (start of a series with 4M copies sold)
My Blood Approves series by Amanda Hocking (made M on eBook sales alone)
Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James (worldwide bestseller, made into three movies that have grossed a combined total of over .5B).

Additional notes on what makes each of the books/authors successful/famous are included in the link below.

Source: 10 Self-Published Authors Who Made it Big.

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