Not a Gold Rush is the name of a 2012 survey about the success of those who publish their own work. One of the authors of the study, Steven Lewis, has written this great article digging into some key findings.

Here’s what I take out of it:

1. The best results come to authors with more writing experience, especially those who have been published before and (presumably) learned from that experience.
2. Authors who spent more, earned more. Self-publishing is not a solo effort: you need to bring in specialists in editorial, design, marketing.
3. To succeed, you will benefit from a) having strong experience – either your own or your team, and b) resources – like those higher-earning authors, invest in your book.
4. Romance writers are on a good thing!

Over at Red Hill Publishing, we are working on a new website that will reveal a whole suite of services for self-publishers that will give them the edge in this market. I’ll be telling your more about that over the next few months.