Help navigation
- Thursday, 23 May
Log in to TheBookseller.com
News
-
RELATED STORIES
-
Kindle Fire extends to 170 countries
Amazon has announced it wil...
-
Pearson makes "significant changes" to structure
Pearson has revealed &ldquo...
-
Amazon to launch commercial fan fiction platform
Amazon Publishing has annou...
-
Barefoot: 'We won't deal with Amazon'
Children's publisher Ba...
-
Daunt: restructure 'not primarily about costs'
Waterstones' managing d...
Self-published author claims Kindle top spot
08.02.12 | Lisa Campbell
Self-published crime writer Kerry Wilkinson claimed the top spot in the UK Kindle bestseller chart for the last quarter of 2011, Amazon has revealed, as speculation mounts that the online retailer is planning to open its own physical store to push its exclusive book sales.
Wilkinson, from Lancashire, published his novel Locked In, one of a series featuring detective Jessica Daniel, using Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing tool, and sold “hundred of thousands of copies” of it in the three months before Christmas, according to Amazon. The e-book is currently selling for 98p and the paperback, published by KAW Publishing, for £8.53 on the Amazon site.
A second self-published author, Katie Stephens, saw her novel Candles on the Sand rank as the fifth bestselling Kindle book in the third quarter of 2011, according to the company.
Gordon Willoughby, European director of Kindle, said: “This is a significant milestone for independent publishing in the UK and we’re extremely excited to see authors benefiting from the success of Kindle. Kerry Wilkinson’s series of detective novels have sold hundreds of thousands of copies in the Kindle Store and we look forward to helping many more independently published authors achieve similar levels of success in 2012.”
Wilkinson has also released two other books in the Jessica Daniel series, Vigilant and The Woman in Black, using Amazon’s self-publishing tool, with Think of the Children and Playing with Fire due for release later in 2012.
On his blog, Wilkinson said: “The strangest thing is that I hadn’t even begun writing Locked In this time last year. I started around 10 to 11 months ago – and have sold 250,000 copies in just six months since the first title was released. It’s fair to say that almost all of those have been sold through Amazon’s Kindle Store – although the combined iTunes and Waterstones sales are substantial too.”
Meanwhile, speculation over Amazon’s plans to open a “boutique-style” physical store to push sales of its e-readers and exclusively-published books is growing. The Good E Reader blog has cited “sources close to the situation” as intimating Amazon would create a bricks and mortar store in Seattle, US, where the company was founded, in “the next few months”, concentrating on books and tablets.
Analysts have said the move may be inspired by the success of Apple, which has hundreds of stores which act as showrooms for its gadgets.
Today market share figures from Kantar Worldpanel have also revealed Amazon became the UK’s most-used entertainment retailer in the 12 weeks to 25th December, claiming the spot from HMV. Amazon took 22.4% of the CD, DVD and computer games market, The Independent reports, while struggling HMV took 17.5%.
Fiona Keenan, Kantar’s consumer insight director, said: “Amazon’s strong performance is down to a number of factors: it is typically really competitive on price, has a wide range of products with no restriction on display space, and is known for its very good customer service.”
Territory Manager, Germany –...
£Competitive Salary + Strong Bonus + Benefits
This is a brand new position to join...
Excellent salary package and career opportunities
TheBookseller
-
Pearson makes significant changes to structure - Pearson has revealed “significant changes” to its org... t.co/2PrL6hUtME
-
Pearson makes "significant changes" to structure: Pearson has revealed “significant changes... t.co/yfjMhaYeo8
-
Lydia Davis wins International Man Booker: American writer Lydia Davis has won the fifth... t.co/dVOBpaeWHF
©2012 Bookseller Media Ltd rights reserved.
Comments: Scroll down for the latest comments and to have your say
By posting on this website you agree to the Bookseller comments policy. Comments go direct to live please be relevant, brief and definitely not abusive. Report any "unsuitable comments by clicking the links"
Sort: Oldest first | Newest first | Readers' most recommended
Wow. This is going to get very interesting. Epoch making stuff..
Kerry Wilkinson secured for enticing debate at LBF Digital Minds Conference, 15 april, joining Vicky Barnsley and Ed Victor. Blurring Boundaries indeed.
Well done Kerry. It is fantastic to see someone with such a down to earth attitude to self publishing, simply glide past controversy, and take top spot in an important chart. Having read the first two ebooks in the Jessica Daniels series, I am trying to find some time to get started on The Woman in Black. One of the keys to Kerry's success is to keep producing. That and the ability to genuinely engage with his readers. All of this, and he holds down a full time job also!
Great story, 250,000 copies sold that's awesome
I'm reading books that have been self published and are successful on Kindle and will add these to my list to be read. It would be interesting to hear how and why these titles sold so many in the face of so much competition.
For this kind of discussion - ebooks, self published authors, and ebooks by published authors, I'd recommend Kindle Boards and Mobile Reads forums. But The Bookseller is quite unique and not to be missed.
Well done Kerry - what a great accomplishment.
In 2009 I began to publish my own work under Colbere Publishing. I engaged an editor, etc., and my first novel, Beautiful Strangers, was published in paperback that year. In June 2010 I converted it (myself) to ebook and in August 2010 it was #354 in the Kindle top 100, and #1 in Gay & Lesbian Fiction. I am currently writing the sequel Beyond Midnight.
Because I love music I wrote 'Sam and Diana's Musical Jaunt' a short light-hearted fun story told using song titles published on Kindle 1st March World Book Day. I am currently writing a second Sam and Diana book where they continue their travels across America.
I also enjoy writing non-fiction. I have two ebooks available: 'Famous Quotes by Famous People from Socrates to Nicole Kidman' and a personal development book 'How to Live Your Dreams One Step at a Time' co-written with Olivia Tarn.
My screenplay, 'The Icing On The Cake' is to be filmed by a British production company this year 2012.
Good Luck to everyone who wants to self-publish. I say go for it. Yes, it's a huge learning curve, but one to be enjoyed, and one where you wear all of the publishing hats. However, like Kerry, I would dearly welcome an agent to deal with foreign rights for me.
Ellen Dean
That's an inspiring post. It's important that you start out with a good quality book (or books). In the early days of the Kindle, people would put low quality private label rights up as a Kindle Ebook and they were able to make a little bit of money.
Wow. This is going to get very interesting. Epoch making stuff..
Kerry Wilkinson secured for enticing debate at LBF Digital Minds Conference, 15 april, joining Vicky Barnsley and Ed Victor. Blurring Boundaries indeed.
Well done Kerry. It is fantastic to see someone with such a down to earth attitude to self publishing, simply glide past controversy, and take top spot in an important chart. Having read the first two ebooks in the Jessica Daniels series, I am trying to find some time to get started on The Woman in Black. One of the keys to Kerry's success is to keep producing. That and the ability to genuinely engage with his readers. All of this, and he holds down a full time job also!
Great story, 250,000 copies sold that's awesome
I'm reading books that have been self published and are successful on Kindle and will add these to my list to be read. It would be interesting to hear how and why these titles sold so many in the face of so much competition.
For this kind of discussion - ebooks, self published authors, and ebooks by published authors, I'd recommend Kindle Boards and Mobile Reads forums. But The Bookseller is quite unique and not to be missed.
Well done Kerry - what a great accomplishment.
In 2009 I began to publish my own work under Colbere Publishing. I engaged an editor, etc., and my first novel, Beautiful Strangers, was published in paperback that year. In June 2010 I converted it (myself) to ebook and in August 2010 it was #354 in the Kindle top 100, and #1 in Gay & Lesbian Fiction. I am currently writing the sequel Beyond Midnight.
Because I love music I wrote 'Sam and Diana's Musical Jaunt' a short light-hearted fun story told using song titles published on Kindle 1st March World Book Day. I am currently writing a second Sam and Diana book where they continue their travels across America.
I also enjoy writing non-fiction. I have two ebooks available: 'Famous Quotes by Famous People from Socrates to Nicole Kidman' and a personal development book 'How to Live Your Dreams One Step at a Time' co-written with Olivia Tarn.
My screenplay, 'The Icing On The Cake' is to be filmed by a British production company this year 2012.
Good Luck to everyone who wants to self-publish. I say go for it. Yes, it's a huge learning curve, but one to be enjoyed, and one where you wear all of the publishing hats. However, like Kerry, I would dearly welcome an agent to deal with foreign rights for me.
Ellen Dean
That's an inspiring post. It's important that you start out with a good quality book (or books). In the early days of the Kindle, people would put low quality private label rights up as a Kindle Ebook and they were able to make a little bit of money.