Though the tempestuous success of a few self - published bookshas created a wafture ofDIYauthors , it ’s not a novel mind . Long ago , Marcel Proust , Charles Dickens , andWalt Whitmandecided to go their own way for some of their mostfamous body of work . Here are eight well - knownbooksthat were in the first place self - published .
1.Maggie: A Girl of the Streets //Stephen Crane
Stephen Crane is perhaps best known for traumatize generations of elementary schoolchildren with grisly , gory depictions of the Civil War in his novelThe Red Badge of Courage . Before that , he financed the publication of his first work , Maggie : A little girl of the Streets , an equally bleak testing of poverty , prostitution , and alcoholism in 19th - century New York . Just 21 yr old at the time , Crane released the novelette in 1893 under the anonym Johnston Smith and even devised a clever strategy to publicize it : He pay four human race to read it on a New York idealistic geartrain . “ It fall savourless , ” he said later , consort toThe New Yorker . ButMaggiedid pique the pursuit of fellow author William Dean Howells and Hamlin Garland , which helped Crane gain confidence and impulse for his next works .
2.The Tale of Peter Rabbit// Beatrix Potter
While Stephen Crane’sMaggiewas hitting ledge in 1893 , British authorBeatrix Potterwas beginning to save what would becomeThe Tale of Peter Rabbit . The six publishers who received her ms insisted on publish it as a large leger so they could amplify the price , but Potterrefused — she wanted it to be small enough that a tiddler could easily hold it . So in December 1901 , Potter dipped into her savings to publish 250 copies herself . Its overwhelming former achiever win over one of the original prospective publisher , Frederick Warne and Co. , to vary its tune . In October 1902 , they unfreeze an edition with Potter ’s specifications that sold more than 20,000 copies by that Christmas .
3.No Thanks// E.E. Cummings
E.E. Cummings had already published several verse assemblage to widespread critical acclamation when he posit what would eventually be titledNo Thanksto New York publishing house in 1934 . All 14 of themdeclinedthe collection . One reason was that the Great Depression had made it difficult to deal already - successful Holy Scripture , and publisher were rarely evolve any new ones . Another reason was that Cummings had ruffled feathers withEIMI , an data-based travelogue of his head trip to Russia . Many writers think it disrespected socialism , which was thenen vogue . Eventually Cummings ’s mother lent him the money to print the unexampled collecting himself . He cite itNo Thanks , and his dedication pageread“No thanks to ” followed by a tilt of all 14 publishing house who had rejected it . The list was shape like a funeral urn .
4.The Jungle// Upton Sinclair
In February 1905 , the publicencounteredUpton Sinclair’sThe Jungleas a serialized work in the socialist newspaperThe Appeal to Reason , and again later that year in a quarterly journal calledOne - Hoss Philosophy . But when it came to publishing it as a book , Sinclair run into serious issues . His contract with Macmillan descend asunder after he refused to cut some of the more hideous meat - packing details . Five other publication house also rejected the novel . Just as Sinclair was printing it himself using donation from readers , publisher Doubleday , Page finally go about him with an pass . Always the portrait of wholeness , Sinclair asked that they allow him to ego - release his edition so he could live up to the subsist pre - order . Doubleday acquiesced , and Sinclair release 5000 copy of the so - call “ Sustainer ’s Edition ” under The Jungle Publishing Company in February 1906 , the same month that Doubleday released its almost very rendering .
5.The Elements of Style// William Strunk, Jr.
BeforeThe Elements of Stylewas Strunk and White ’s , it was just Strunk ’s . Professor William Strunk , Jr. privatelypublishedthe self - proclaimed “ little record ” in 1918 for his Cornell students , and in 1920 , Harcourt , Brace re - publish it . But it was n’t untilE.B. White , one of Strunk ’s former students , write about it in a 1957issueofThe New Yorker , 11 years after Strunk ’s death , that it really gained impulse . The original 43 - page issue , according to White , “ consists of a little introduction , eight rules of custom , 10 principle of composition , a few matters of form , a list of words and expressions normally misused , a list of words commonly misspell . That ’s all there is . ” The rediscovery of the guide so reinvigorate White that he revise and added to it , and Macmillan republish the lucubrate edition in 1959 . One hundred years and millions of copies after its initial spillage , The Elements of Style — or just “ Strunk and White , ” as it ’s holler colloquially — is one of the most acclaimed how - to books ever write .
6.The Celestine Prophecy// James Redfield
James Redfield ’s novel / ghostlike scout began with a 3000 - written matter print run that set him back about $ 7000 . Redfield and his married woman packed up their van and expend a calendar month at a time traveling to autonomous bookshop across the nation to give a copy to each manager and whatever customer were present , reprinting as needed . The scheme reinforced the one-time publication saw that the best way of life to sell books is by watchword of mouth : After a few month on the road , Redfield sound out that everybody was talking about it , and he estimates that they had sell around 160,000 copies . It was enough to ignite an informal rights auction between Warner Books and another nameless publication menage , which Warner won . Whenaskedat the Southern California Writers ’ group discussion if Warner requested any revisions , Redfield said yes . “ But we did n’t do any of them , ” he added . Warner print the ledger anyway , which thenspentan telling three year onThe New York Timesbest trafficker list .
7.The Martian// Andy Weir
Andy Weir ’s novel about an astronaut who must last after being stranded on Mars take a circuitous route to bookshelf : He firstpublishedthe storey as a free serial on his internet site . Next , he self - bring out the e - book on Amazon . The Martianwas picked up by an audiobook company before being discovered by Crown Publishing and printed at last .
8.Fifty Shades of Grey// E.L. James
The news report that would becomeFifty Shades of Greywas originallyTwilightfanfiction published on FanFiction.net under the titleMaster of the Universe . Eventually , source E.L. James ( a pen name ) moved the tarradiddle onto her own website , changed the characters ’ names , and thenself - publishedthe novel as an Es - book and print - by - demand book . From there , it went straight toTheNew York Times’sbest - seller list .
A adaptation of this storey race in 2019 ; it has been updated for 2024 .
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