In its most recent report, Bowker found that the number of self-published titles with ISBNs rose 7.2% in 2023 over 2022, topping 2.6 million—another healthy jump for a sector that has more than doubled its output within the past decade.
According to Bowker marketing manager Andy Kovacs, the continued growth is being fueled in part by the emergence of a growing number of increasingly efficient and user-friendly services, such as Draft2Digital, IngramSpark, and Amazon’s market-leading Kindle Direct Publishing, among others. By comparison, the number of traditionally published titles fell 3.6%, to 563,019.
It wasn't until 2017 that the number of self-published titles released annually first crossed the million-copy mark. But according to Bowker stats, in both 2022 and 2023 self-published titles outpaced traditionally published books by more than two million titles—an eye-opening margin.
“From our perspective, the growth of the market is largely steeped in education,” Kris Austin, CEO of service provider Draft2Digital, told PW, pointing to a growing “publishing culture” in which “thousands of indie authors” are now not only able to share their books online but also ideas and best practices about how to publish effectively. “This ecosystem includes service providers but also writers’ clubs, online forums, dedicated indie author magazines, and dedicated indie author conferences. It is no longer just about how to self-publish a book; it’s matured into how to grow and sustain a successful publishing business.”
Austin’s colleague Mark Coker, who founded self-publishing service Smashwords in 2008, agreed. (Smashwords merged with Draft2Digital in 2022.)
“When I launched Smashwords, self-publishing was viewed as the publishing option of last resort,” Coker said. Today, self-publishing is the “option of choice” for many authors, he noted, especially for a younger generation of authors coming to market with new story ideas, greater social media and online marketing savvy, and a more entrepreneurial approach to their writing in the digital age.
"Another key factor contributing to indies’ success, which goes unrecognized by most in the industry today, is that self-published authors are able to form closer, more reader-pleasing relationships with their audience," Coker added, noting that "the secret sauce" of these "superior author-reader relationships" is greater control. With more power over their “pricing, promotion, and distribution,” he asserted, indie authors are finding they can connect with their audiences “faster, and more profitably.”
Of course, just how much of self-publishing’s growing output translates to sales is hard to determine. But industry observers estimate that annual sales of self-published is in the billions of dollars. Amazon, for example, maintains that in the 10 years Kindle Unlimited has been active, KDP authors have earned more than $3.5 billion in royalties, with more than $650 million of that coming in just the past 12 months. When you add in à la carte sales of self-published print books and e-books from other players in the self-publishing field, total sales could easily be well north of $3 billion annually.
Another sign of financial success for indie authors is in the growing number of traditional publishers in 2024 signing major deals for previously self-published books and series—particularly in hot genres such as romance, horror, and, of course, romantasy, which was largely pioneered by indie authors. Several traditional publishers have even created imprints and programs dedicated to bringing in self-published authors. Sourcebooks’ Bloom Books, for example, has racked up several bestselling titles with a model created to attract “savvy writer-entrepreneurs.”
Coker and Austin are quick to note self-publishing’s rapid evolution. "Sure, there were print self-publishing services out there 20 years ago, but most were predatory vanity presses known for fleecing authors with business models built around selling over-priced books and services to authors, not selling books to readers. And they didn’t answer the distribution problem," Coker recalled, adding that the rise of e-books and "the democratization of distribution" has sparked what he called "a growing indie indie author movement."
Perhaps not coincidentally, it was romance authors who led the way in those early days. "They possessed reverted rights to their previously traditionally published works, which they self-published as low-cost e-books. And the success of these self-published authors inspired legions of new authors across all categories," Coker observed. And based on their new "best practices" and commercial success, "the former stigma of self-publishing melted away," he added.
"Indie authors and their fans today are driving what’s new, exciting, and trending," Austin added. "And because indie authors are adept at fostering a sense of community and belonging among their fan base, their readers giddily help spread the word. In fact, when it comes to TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, part of the fun and excitement for readers is to help break out the next big thing.”
With output surging and indie authors finding more mainstream commercial success, has self-publishing entered a new era? "I believe we’re in a new era of publishing," Austin told PW, "that’s being led by indie authors."
