Cover via Amazon
Two more authors, disgruntled with the standard approach to getting fiction published, have found success without a literary agent, thanks to the Kindle model.
British writers Louise Voss and Mark Edwards landed a six-figure, four-book deal with HarperFiction after their eBook Catch Your Death, zoomed to the top of the Amazon UK Kindle bestseller's list.
According to the London Evening Standard, Voss figured out how to self-publish after studying for a Master's in creative writing:
She made it available on Kindles and iPhones, using an Amazon service which allows writers to turn their manuscripts into digital books.
Ms Voss promoted the book using social networking and by asking independent reviewers, who specialise in reviewing self-published books, to write about it online.
As a result the book made it into the top 100, and worked its way up to the number one UK download position. It stayed at the top spot for the whole of June and sold 50,000 copies.
Ten years ago, when I was looking for an agent, I stopped bothering to contact the ones in the Writer's Market listings who wouldn't accept queries by email.
Boy, how things have changed.
No one really knows what's going to happen in the publishing industry, what model (or models) will ultimately replace the old system.
But as the eBook revolution continues, as more and more writers publish themselves, literary agents are realizing they need to become publishing consultants ... as well as talent scouts.
