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Self-Publishing Hall of Fame
Featuring Famous Self-Publishers

John Kremer's Self-Publishing Hall of Fame — This book features the stories of hundreds of famous self-publishers who have gone on to great success. It also features tips from many of the hall of famers on how to do what they did. I publish this book as an ebook because I’m continually adding new heroes to it. June, 2008. 237-page ebook download. $20.00.

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Self-Publishing Hall of Fame Listings

A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- IJ -- K -- L
M -- NO -- P -- QR -- S -- T -- UVW -- XYZ

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I

The Isley Brothers were the first black music group to start their own successful label, T-Neck Records (named after their adopted hometown in New Jersey). While theyhad recorded with RCA and Motown, their most successful work was released under their own label. In 1992, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Some of their most famous songs include “Shout (Parts 1 & 2),” “It's Your Thing,” and “That Lady.”

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J

Bishop T.D. Jakes, the senior pastor at Dallas’s Potter’s House (with 30,000 members), has self-published many of his inspirational books, movies, and other items via his church’s for-profit TDJ Enterprises. He has sold seven million copies of his books.

Jennifer James, a Seattle talk radio personality and local columnist, sold 50,000 copies of her self-published book, Success Is the Quality of Your Journey, in the Pacific Northwest alone. Later, Newmarket Press brought out the book in an expanded paperback edition for national distribution.

John Javna self-published 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth via Earthworks Books just in time to catch the environmental awareness wave of the 1980's — and months before the major publishers came out with other ecology titles. His book got all the press, hit the bestsellers lists for months, and sold over 4.5 million copies, two-thirds of those as premiums. John went on to write and publish the Uncle John's Bathroom Reader series of books which sold more than three million copies by 2002.

Robin Jay originally self-published The Art of the Business Lunch: Building Relationships between 12 and 2, then sold it to Career Press and doubled the word count. Included in the expanded edition is a quotation from John Kremer: Your job is to make friends. As she notes, “I think taking a client to lunch is one of the best ways to build relationships and friendships.”

American poet Robinson Jeffers self-published his first book but for the longest time most of the copies sat in a box at his home. Over time, he did send out a few copies to friends. Someone who recognized the value of his poems finally discovered a copy of his book. That's all it took. Soon he was a a nationally recognized poet. He best-known collection is Tamar and Other Poems.

Paul Joannides self-published The Guide to Getting It On! via his Goofy Foot Press. Within the first year, he sold 40,000 copies, won a Firecracker Award, sold translation rights to Germany, and received six-figure offers from major publishers (which he rejected).

John H. Johnson self-published Negro Digest (now Ebony magazine) in 1942. From this meager beginning, he built up a billion-dollar publishing empire.

Danish researchers Ernst Mikael Jorgensen, Johnny Mikkelsen, and Erik Rasmussen dug deep to find out everything they could about rock singer Elvis Presley's early recordings. As they collected information, they began self-publishing pamphlets, which later formed the basis for Jorgensen's exhaustive reference guide, Elvis Presley: A Life in Music—The Complete Recording Sessions.

Irish author James Joyce, author of Ulysses, Finnegans Wake, and many other novels, paid for the printing of Ulysses in 1922 with the help of bookseller Sylvia Beach of Shakespeare & Company in Paris, France, and some of their friends (this is called patronage or subscription publishing). Beach contacted writers and arts patrons throughout Europe pre-selling copies of the novel. When they collected enough money, they published the book.

Visit http://www.SelfPublishingHallofFame.com for more detailed listings of selected honorees. Or read the book above for the most detailed and complete listings.

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John Kremer's Self-Publishing Hall of Fame — This book features the stories of hundreds of self-publishers who have gone on to great success. It also features tips from many of the hall of famers on how to do what they did. I publish this book as an ebook because I’m continually adding new heroes to it. A great motivational and educational tool! June 2008. 237-page ebook download. $20.00.

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Inspired? Then do it. But first read 1001 Ways to Market Your Books.

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