How a Debut Self-Published Novel Earned Five Figures in 10 Weeks Without Kindle Unlimited

When I made the decision to self-publish my historical novel Emmaline, I had little knowledge about book publishing. But having spent 25 years in journalism and marketing, I understood enough to know that publishing was both art and business. I suspected the same marketing principles that I used to help organizations communicate with audiences would also serve me in this new endeavor, even if I had to learn the business side of book publishing from scratch.

Emmaline is an adult historical novel primarily set during the 1856 Mormon handcart migration. It follows a 14-year-old girl who escapes a forced plural marriage. The book explores themes like grief, religious coercion, polygamy, and the struggle for personal agency. But at its heart, Emmaline is a character-driven story about resilience.

Defining the goal
I started by asking myself the question I have asked marketing clients over the years: What is your goal? I don’t believe there is one perfect marketing strategy for anything. Start with your goal and work backward to get there.

Some indie authors simply want to have a book printed for family and friends. Others want to publish frequently and build a profitable backlist. I didn’t want either of those things. I wanted to produce a novel that could stand alongside traditionally published comps and be taken seriously. None of these goals is right or wrong. But each leads to a different set of publishing decisions.

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