I Made 960,000$ After Self-Publishing ONE Book — How I Did It

Despite the clickbait title, this isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. This is my actual story.

It was 2014, and I had just turned 29. My life was kind of a dumpster fire. I hated my job, where I was barely making a living, and I was severely depressed. My mental and physical health was at an all-time low. I had long given up on my lifelong dream of becoming a writer or the lesser goal of finding a job I might enjoy. I thought I would have to be running on the hamster wheel for the rest of my life.

And then, I came across an article that changed everything.

It was about a fiction writer who had self-published her books and found success after being rejected dozens of times by traditional publishers. I researched and found a community of fiction writers making a living from their craft.

I became obsessed with the idea of self-publishing. It was perfect for me: I would finally be in control of my journey. It was the opposite of what I had in my day job, where I felt trapped by someone else’s goals and dreams.

There was just one teeny tiny problem.

Those authors finding success? They were ALL writing romance novels. Remember, this was back when 50 Shades was blowing up. Until that point in my life, I had never read a romance novel. I kid you not. It wasn’t a genre I was interested in. I wanted to write literary fiction. But the more I researched, the more I understood why all those romance authors were making money. Even then, romance publishing was big business. And it keeps growing. In 2023, the romance genre is making 1.44 billion dollars in revenue. You read that right: OVER ONE BILLION DOLLARS.

Surely, any half-decent writer can make some amount of money in a market that big, right?

My next research step was to read a bunch of romance novels. I spent weeks speed-reading dozens of books and learning everything I could about the genre. After a while, I knew all the common tropes: the meet-cute, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, instalove, fake relationship, love triangle, second chance love, the billionaire thing…

Out of arrogance or mere desperation, I decided that I could write at least a half-decent romance novel.

I wrote the first chapter of a story in about an hour and showed it to my husband (then boyfriend). Despite how worried he was about my sanity — or precisely because of it — he took my laptop, kept his poker face on, and read the chapter. After finishing, he asked me, “How does it go on?” And I said, “I don’t know yet.”

He returned my laptop and told me I should finish it because he wanted to know how the story ended. And so started a journey I could have never predicted would lead me to where I am now.

I became A Writer.

I chose a pen name that matched my alter ego and wrote every day before and after work until I finished that book. And at the same time, I was reading everything I could about self-publishing.

Let me tell you this: Writing a book is a big challenge, but getting people to buy that book is a whole other beast.

How would readers find my book? Amazon and other retailers were already flooded with romance novels. I had no idea, but I was determined to figure it out. I decided to set a goal: I would call my publishing experiment a success if I sold 200 copies of my book. Of course, that wouldn’t make me rich, but it would prove something. It would prove I was capable.

I figured my best chance was to make as big a splash as possible with the book launch and try to keep the momentum going from there. So, months before the launch date, I joined Facebook groups (I’m old, I know), Goodreads groups, set up social media profiles for my author pen name, set up a website and newsletter, planned a virtual book tour with book bloggers, scheduled social media page takeovers, set up newsletter promotions, learned about paid advertising, created teasers for social media, and a lot of other stuff I can’t remember. I also recruited my boyfriend, who was pretty good with Photoshop and video editing. He did a magnificent book cover and book trailer. I didn’t realize then that all of this was called “marketing.”

This project gave me a renewed sense of purpose.

I started eating better and working out again. I became very disciplined with my schedule and had strict times for writing and doing all the marketing. I was happier, had more energy, and life was better.

When the launch date arrived, I had enough pre-orders to push me to the top of my genre on Amazon.

I became a #1 Bestselling Amazon Author.

And I can’t tell you how it boosted my confidence and self-esteem. A few months later, I had sold a couple thousand copies of my book — ten times more than my original goal.

I realized that I didn’t have to stay in my dead-end job.

This experience taught me that there was a world outside the job I felt trapped in. So, I decided to do what I had wanted to do for a long time — I quit. Of course, I wasn’t making much money from my book, and I didn’t expect I would be able to live from it any time soon, so I started looking for a new job.

Until then, I had stayed in my job because I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t feel that I had any real skills. But after self-publishing my book and exceeding my goal, I realized something that changed my life forever.

I had developed skills people were willing to pay for.

I soon found work as a freelance writer, and eventually, the marketing skills I taught myself landed me a full-time position as a digital marketing manager. That led to more success, and I was soon leading a team of marketers. Me. The self-taught person without formal marketing training.

My salary skyrocketed, tripling within three years.

I’ll cross the $1,000,000 mark soon, and I still can’t believe it. I’ve been consistently earning six figures for the past five years.

And it was all built on what I learned from self-publishing that one book.

So, no, this isn’t an article about getting rich quickly. This is a very slow and steady approach. It doesn’t involve any tips or tricks. It’s about realizing your potential and taking opportunities when they present themselves.

Seneca said, “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.”

And most of the time, we don’t know what we’re preparing for. We only know when we’re ready.

When I embarked on my self-publishing journey, I wasn’t naive enough to think I would make a living out of one book; I knew it was the first step in a long journey. But I thought the path was clear. And then a different opportunity came along, and another one, and another one, and another one… when it rains, it truly does pour. And I was so prepared for it.

The funny thing is that when I look back at the time I was in a dead-end job, I realize I had many opportunities, but I didn’t see them as such because I wasn’t open to them. I wasn’t prepared. I wasn’t ready.

Now I’m ready for anything.

So, what is this story about if it isn’t about making a quick buck?

It’s about believing in yourself, no matter how cliché that sounds. Self-publishing gave me the confidence to achieve my goals and dreams.

I believe you, Walt Disney: If I can dream it, I can do it!

Now, I’m again at a turning point in my life. I don’t want to do the job I’m doing forever; I want to branch out on my own. And I’m scared. Of course, I am. I’ve built a great life for myself and my family. But I know there are opportunities out there I can grab if I’m only brave enough to do so.

So, here I am, documenting that journey. I’m open. I’m prepared. I’m ready. And I’m telling you, I believe you can achieve your dreams, too. You just have to take that first step.