Why successful indie authors are being sought out by publishers’ talent scouts

One of the many questions I’m asked by aspiring authors thinking of self-publishing is: “Will self-publishing my book scupper my chances of winning a contract with a traditional publisher?” 

My answer might surprise them: these days, traditional publishers actively look for indie authors to add to their list.  

They are on the look-out for self-published authors who have established: 

• A clear brand offering in a commercial genre at the heart of the publisher’s business model 

• A substantial back-catalogue, even better if in series rather than standalones 

• A proven capacity to write at least one book a year, preferably two or more 

• A loyal fanbase of committed readers 

• A strong online presence via an author website and social media 

• Substantial reviews demonstrating reader satisfaction 

All of these factors indicate to the publisher that an author will be a relatively safe bet as an acquisition, because they bring their audience with them. Readers don’t generally mind or even notice who has published their favourite author’s books. They’ll just follow the author to their new publisher.  

Thus, successful indie authors represent a very low risk to the publisher, compared with new, unknown writers whose work has not yet been tried and tested on the marketplace. And traditional publishers, with their huge overheads and shareholders to please, are very risk averse. That’s why so many of them court celebrities, knowing their famous names will sell their books, whether or not said celebs have actually written said books.  

The new breed of digital-first publishers, such as Boldwood Books, Bookouture, and Storm, have been particularly active at acquiring new authors in this way, but I suspect the Big Five and their various imprints may also be keeping an eye on the up-and-coming indies. If not, they’re missing a trick! 

I speak from experience. Four years ago, with nine successfully self-published novels to my name, and meeting the criteria listed above, I was approached out of the blue by Boldwood Books. Long story short: a 13-book contract to include my backlist of two series, plus two new books in each series, followed by a 4-6 book contract to include a new series, and just this month a further six-book contract. 

Which brings me to another observation: when a publisher knows you have a strong indie track record, they’re likely to offer multi-book contracts, which is a boon for career security. 

So, next question: how was I able to tick those boxes? I learned how to self-publish to professional standards, and how to market and promote my books to gain a following. It helped that I was also writing in a major commercial genre, cosy mystery.  

Many successful indies have taken the same route, but others value their independence – both creative and financial – to ever consider signing with a third-party publisher. Some might license the rights only to some of their output – eg bestselling historical novelist Clare Flynn, with Storm and Canelo for some books, remaining indie for others. Other authors would reject such offers outright.  

If you are ever given such an opportunity, think hard and smart before accepting.  Many aspiring authors in their excitement (and understandably so) will sign a traditional deal without understanding just what they’re signing away.  

Best advice is to license rights selectively, ie only sign away rights that a publisher will actually use (eg I’ve licensed only English language rights to my novels to Boldwood, rather than including film rights, etc). Also, only sign with a publisher who can offer you more than you can do yourself as an indie. I signed because I thought Boldwood would increase my visibility and sales. But I also insisted on retaining the right to self-publish any books that didn’t fit in with their business model, eg short stories, novellas, novelettes, and plays.  

So, where can you learn to self-publish like a pro? That’s where the Jericho Writers Simply Self Publish course comes in! Applications are now open for the next 10-week programme, running from October to December. To find out more about it and download our brochure, head here.