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The Publishing Series

Make a Living as a Self-Published Author

Build the Business Behind the Books

Authors have never had it better, and most still make nothing

Never in history has it been this easy to get a book published and available to thousands of readers. The change is larger than Gutenberg’s press and larger than the alphabet, and it happened inside one working lifetime.

No layers of censorship. No hundreds of rejections before somebody takes pity. Beyond a few restrictions on extreme material, the path is open to anything original you make.

Which is the opportunity and also the problem. Everybody can publish, so publishing is no longer the achievement. Building something that pays you is.

This is about the business behind the books: the catalog, the pricing, the revenue streams that aren’t royalties, and the steady unglamorous work that separates authors who earn from authors who published once and waited.

Spike sales vs. steady author incomeA side by side comparison drawn from the book's sample chapter. The left side shows what happens when one title spikes on a promotion and then falls away. The right side shows the steady, predictable income the book argues an author business should be built on.Spike sales vs. steady author incomeOne book that spikesHeavy promotion at a reduced priceA thousand copies sold in a single daySales drop once the price goes upIncome swings make bills hard to payA steady writing businessBooks that sell moderately, week after weekMore books even out the ups and downsIncome streams beyond royaltiesPredictable, relatively secure income
Spike sales vs. steady author incomeA side by side comparison drawn from the book's sample chapter. The left side shows what happens when one title spikes on a promotion and then falls away. The right side shows the steady, predictable income the book argues an author business should be built on.Spike sales vs. steady author incomeOne book that spikesHeavy promotion at a reduced priceA thousand copies sold in a single daySales drop once the price goes upIncome swings make bills hard to payA steady writing businessBooks that sell moderately, week after weekMore books even out the ups and downsIncome streams beyond royaltiesPredictable, relatively secure income

A bestseller spike feels good, but a living comes from steady sales across a catalog and several income streams.

What is inside Make a Living as a Self-Published Author?

What do readers say about Make a Living as a Self-Published Author?

Amazon reviews of the previous edition. 7 of them, averaging 4.71 out of 5.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Verified Purchase

Make a Living as a Professional Self-Published Author is a great book for those getting started with self-publishing. One thing that I love about it is that the author is encouraging, but at the same time gives a realistic idea of what it really takes to succeed as an author. I’ve read some other books on self-publishing that make it sound like all you have to do is write the book, publish it, and then go on vacation while you watch the money roll in. While I wish it worked that way, it simply doesn’t. That’s the bad news. The good news is that success as a self-published author is possible and this book shows you how to lay the foundation for that success. Another thing that I love about this book is that the author has published more than 50 books, and knows what he’s talking about. If you want to lay a solid foundation for a successful career as a self-published author, I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of this book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Jean Wise

What a neat practical reference for the self published author. With tips ranging from basic (and yes he does start with the basics) to legal tips to publishing overview and reminders, this book is a keeper. I think I will use his book as a planning guide for my next book to be sure I have all the steps in order, then as a quick check when I am ready to publish to be sure I have completed all the details. The book is easy to read and encouraging, full of tips and reminders. I knew most of the basic info but as the book continued learned a new trick or two.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Francine Brevetti

There’s a lot more to publishing a book than writing it and slapping a cover on it, says Richard Lowe Jr. in this excellent book. How to choose your themes of interest, how to organize your day, how to publish and market and so many other helpful pointers make this a treasure trove of wisdom for writers. The end of each chapter includes a succinct summary, each chapter is studded with helpful links to other resources. But the best part is the tone of the book which is no-nonsense but encouraging, the message being: you can totally do this.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Davina Rush

I first discovered this book on Audible and over the course of a year I have listened to it several times. I finally decided that I had to have the hard copy as well, so that I can highlight all of the wonderful nuggets of helpful info. Brilliant! I highly recommend this book and feel that it should be in every serious writer’s personal library.

Read all 7 reviews

Chapters of the 2026 edition
Chapters Titles
1 to 4 Why Should You Read This Book?; What to Write; Writing; How to Effectively Use AI in Your Writing Life
5 to 8 Building Your Brand; Author Platform; Your Author Blog; Your Email List
9 to 14 Legal Concerns; The Book Cover; Metadata; Parts of a Book; The Copyright Page; Publishing
15 to 18 Networking; Keep the Money Flowing; It’s a Business; Conclusions

Who should read Make a Living as a Self-Published Author?

Why did I write Make a Living as a Self-Published Author?

Richard Lowe, the Writing King

113+ books under my own name and 54+ ghostwritten, built into an actual living instead of a hopeful hobby. I’ve made the catalog mistakes, the pricing mistakes and the reinvestment mistakes. That’s why the arithmetic in this book isn’t theoretical.

► Behind the Book: Make a Living as a Self-Published Author
How this one got written, what went wrong, and what got cut.

► We Imagined a Little Flat Somewhere With a Typewriter
One story from behind this book.

What do people ask about Make a Living as a Self-Published Author?

What makes Make a Living as a Self-Published Author different from other self-publishing guides?
The author did what he teaches. At 53, Richard Lowe quit his corporate job and built a writing business. In three years he published 113+ books and ghostwrote 54+ more and built multiple income streams. Not theory. A tested blueprint from someone who made the leap.
Is Make a Living as a Self-Published Author updated for 2026?
Yes. The 2026 edition includes a new chapter on AI, updated guidance on wide distribution and direct-to-reader platforms, BookTok and Instagram strategies, AI narration for audiobooks, and the hard-won perspective of someone who has been doing this for nearly a decade.
Can I really make a living from self-publishing?
Yes, but not from royalties alone. The book shows how working authors diversify through ghostwriting, coaching, speaking, email list monetization, affiliate marketing, and consulting. Realistic timelines and real numbers, not inflated promises.
Does Make a Living as a Self-Published Author address scams and predatory services?
Yes. Marketing webinars promising instant bestseller status, expensive courses teaching outdated strategies, promotion services that overpromise and underdeliver. You’ll learn to spot them before they cost you money.
Who is Make a Living as a Self-Published Author for?
Anyone serious about turning writing into income, from a first book to turning existing titles into full-time income. Covers market research, writing systems, publishing across all formats, platform building, and the business fundamentals most authors skip.

Also in The Publishing Series

Steady beats spectacular

Almost every time, and for far longer.

BUY FROM INGRAMSPARKAMAZONKOBOREAD A CHAPTERTABLE OF CONTENTS

Paperback and ebook.

A chapter

Make a Living as a Self-Published Author

To make a living as a self-published author, you must create a steady, consistent income. While getting an occasional book that sells very well or even becomes a bestseller is very fulfilling, it’s much more important to produce books that sell moderately well week after week over a long period of time.

The difficulty isn’t creating a single book that sells well. With some hard work, a strong focus, some significant promotion, and a little bit of luck you can make it sell very well for a short time. My first bestseller, Focus on LinkedIn, did exceptionally well. Because I’d gotten many reviews and promoted heavily using a service, I sold a thousand copies within a single day. Building on that success, I quickly submitted the book to BookBub, was accepted, and sold another five thousand copies.

Unfortunately, the book tanked after that, and I could never rebuild that success with that title. Sure, the book sells well when priced at ninety-nine cents and blasted to a targeted email list of 440,000 addresses. However, when priced at a more respectable $4.99, sales dropped until the book sold just a few copies a week.

That experience isn’t unique among self-published authors. A friend of mine published a coloring book, which she promoted heavily at a highly reduced price. She sold over two thousand copies in a few days. However, when the book was priced to where she could make a decent royalty, sales dropped and never recovered.

Selling a few hundred or a few thousand copies in a brief time feels very good. But you can’t run a business that way. Spikes and valleys in your income make it hard to predict how much you’re going to make from day to day, week to week, month to month. Unpredictable income makes it hard to pay predictable bills such as rent, credit cards, car payments, and utilities. Your focus should be on creating a writing and publishing business that produces a stream of income that’s predictable and relatively secure.

Two important points to consider: one or two books can go up and down in sales rapidly and sometimes unpredictably. The more books you publish, the more this tendency evens out. And as I’ve stressed several times in this book, your focus should be on producing quality books as fast as possible.

There are also opportunities for income from sources other than just royalties. Ghostwriting, book coaching, speaking, workshops, email list monetization, consulting. Each income stream reinforces the others and smooths the unpredictability that single-title publishing creates.

Write as many books as fast as you can. Regardless of whether you write fiction or nonfiction, illustrate children’s books, publish coloring or puzzle books, or produce comic books, to create reliable income you need to focus on quantity. Quantity is more important than quality, and quality is more important than length.

Table of contents

Make a Living as a Self-Published Author

  • Preface
  • Introduction
  • Introduction to the 2026 Edition
  • Chapter 1: Why Should You Read This Book?
  • Chapter 2: What to Write
  • Chapter 3: Writing
  • Chapter 4: How to Effectively Use AI in Your Writing Life
  • Chapter 5: Building Your Brand
  • Chapter 6: Author Platform
  • Chapter 7: Your Author Blog
  • Chapter 8: Your Email List
  • Chapter 9: Legal Concerns
  • Chapter 10: The Book Cover
  • Chapter 11: Metadata
  • Chapter 12: Parts of a Book
  • Chapter 13: The Copyright Page
  • Chapter 14: Publishing
  • Chapter 15: Networking
  • Chapter 16: Keep the Money Flowing
  • Chapter 17: It’s a Business
  • Chapter 18: Conclusions

Amazon reviews of the previous edition

Make a Living as a Self-Published Author

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Verified Purchase

Make a Living as a Professional Self-Published Author is a great book for those getting started with self-publishing. One thing that I love about it is that the author is encouraging, but at the same time gives a realistic idea of what it really takes to succeed as an author. I’ve read some other books on self-publishing that make it sound like all you have to do is write the book, publish it, and then go on vacation while you watch the money roll in. While I wish it worked that way, it simply doesn’t. That’s the bad news. The good news is that success as a self-published author is possible and this book shows you how to lay the foundation for that success. Another thing that I love about this book is that the author has published more than 50 books, and knows what he’s talking about. If you want to lay a solid foundation for a successful career as a self-published author, I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of this book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Jean Wise

What a neat practical reference for the self published author. With tips ranging from basic (and yes he does start with the basics) to legal tips to publishing overview and reminders, this book is a keeper. I think I will use his book as a planning guide for my next book to be sure I have all the steps in order, then as a quick check when I am ready to publish to be sure I have completed all the details. The book is easy to read and encouraging, full of tips and reminders. I knew most of the basic info but as the book continued learned a new trick or two.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Francine Brevetti

There’s a lot more to publishing a book than writing it and slapping a cover on it, says Richard Lowe Jr. in this excellent book. How to choose your themes of interest, how to organize your day, how to publish and market and so many other helpful pointers make this a treasure trove of wisdom for writers. The end of each chapter includes a succinct summary, each chapter is studded with helpful links to other resources. But the best part is the tone of the book which is no-nonsense but encouraging, the message being: you can totally do this.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Davina Rush

I first discovered this book on Audible and over the course of a year I have listened to it several times. I finally decided that I had to have the hard copy as well, so that I can highlight all of the wonderful nuggets of helpful info. Brilliant! I highly recommend this book and feel that it should be in every serious writer’s personal library.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Book Lover

I enjoy Richard’s no nonsense honest approach to the business of self publishing. You can tell right away that he speaks from experience in what he shares, and doesn’t skim over the fact that it takes real work to make a living as a self publisher, as well as the potential rewards of following the indie author path!

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Joey

This is a great book, very informative about getting started as a self-published author. Starting from scratch and as the title says, laying the foundation. My only critique and reasoning for giving it four stars is that it focuses more on non-fiction than fiction. For example, Lowe talks about releasing a lot of books in a short space of time, aiming for lower word count instead of full length novel, and in the world of fiction writing that just isn’t an attainable goal.

Otherwise the book is very helpful, packed with links and ideas that can help you get started on the journey. The advice is spot on, and the book is easy to read and flip through at a later date when you want a refresher course on a particular subject. It’s well researched and spells things out for you in an easy to read manner. For that reason, I recommend it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mrs G

This is a fairly lengthy tome and there are many references to other works, both by the author and various experts in this field. The information is helpful and written by a successful author in many writing genres, so his words of wisdom come from experience, and highlights many of the pitfalls a writer can encounter along the path to publication and beyond. A good guide for newcomers.

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