HUFFINGTON POST
Amanda Hocking is really something of a wunderkind. At only 26 years old, the Minnesota native has written a total of 17 novels. Since self-publishing eight of those books in April 2010, she's sold over 185,000 copies, making her indie publishing's latest star. Most of us are familiar with J.A. Konrath, who, after self-publishing several of his unpublished novels in ebook form and realizing how much more money he could make on his own than with a traditional publisher, became indie publishing's most vocal champion. But many are quick to point out that Konrath had already been traditionally published when he decided to self-publish, so he already had an established fan base. Hocking, on the other hand, was an unknown, until April 2010.
Here is my interview with Ms. Hocking.
TP: You write a couple of bestselling series - young adult paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Can you give us an overview of those series, what they're about and their themes?
AH: I have three series out now - My Blood Approves is the first one I released, and it's about vampires in Minneapolis. There are four books in that series, plus a novella. My other series, the Trylle Trilogy, has the first two books out now, with the third book coming out soon, and that's my best selling series.Hollowland is the only book I have out now in a series about zombies. This one has a really tough heroine, but it's still romance-y.
TP: You began self-publishing these series in April 2010, correct? How many copies have you sold at this point?
AH: As of Tuesday, January 04, 2011 at 9 PM, I've sold over 185,000 books since April 15, 2010.
TP: And are the sales a combination of ebooks and print books?
AH: Yes, they are, but the majority is ebooks through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I've sold about 2,000 paperbacks since October, and prior to October, I sold maybe 20-50 paperbacks.
TP: Where all are your books available?
AH: All eight of my books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Several of them are available at the iBookstore and Sony ereader stores, but I have to upload them through Smashwords there, so it takes longer to get them uploaded there. All my paperbacks are available through Amazon only.
TP: How long did it take for sales to really take off?
AH: I published to Kindle in April, and I haven't sold less than 1,000 books a month since May. So my sales took off somewhat quickly. They didn't really start to explode until November. I published the second book in my Trylle Trilogy mid-November, and my sales really began to take off after that.
TP: When did you begin writing, and what inspired you to become a writer?
AH: I was always writing. When I was a little kid, before I learned how to write, I would tell stories. But as soon I as capable, I started writing. I filled notebooks and notebooks until I got my first computer when I was 11. It never really occurred to me that I would do anything else."
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