Did you know that some of the best-selling self-published books entered the scene as early as the 1600s? John Milton’s famous book, Paradise Lost, started as close to a self-published book as was possible in those days.
Today, there are many best-selling self-published books. If you follow the right steps, your next manuscript could land on this list.
Bonus: when you choose to self-publish, you can majorly speed up the publishing process, not to mention increase your author salary.
So, what kind of self-published books sell well? Romance, science fiction, and fantasy stand as some of the best-selling self-published books of all time.
That said, some self-published authors, such as Kim Michele Richardson and Adam Wallace, made it onto the New York Times bestseller list for genres outside of the typical bestsellers.
Ready to learn from some of the best-selling self-published books and level-up your own writing? Read this list of the best-selling self-published books of all time.
TL;DR – the best-selling self-published books
The best-selling self-published books include The Martian by Andy Weir, Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James, Eragon by Christopher Paolini, Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki (32M+ copies), milk and honey by Rupi Kaur (12M+ copies), and Slammed by Colleen Hoover. These books prove that romance, fantasy, business, and poetry dominate self-publishing sales, and that authors who self-publish a book keep up to 70% of royalties versus 10–15% in traditional publishing.
What counts as a “best-selling self-published book”?
A best-selling self-published book is a title that hit major bestseller lists (New York Times, USA Today, Amazon Top 100) after the author originally published it independently without a traditional publishing house deal at launch.
Many of the books on this list were later picked up by traditional publishers after their self-published success made them impossible to ignore. That’s part of the modern self-publishing playbook: prove demand on your own, then negotiate from a position of power.
Which genres dominate self-publishing bestsellers?
Romance, fantasy, science fiction, and personal development sell the most self-published copies. Romance alone accounts for over 30% of all self-published fiction sales, and finance/self-help titles like Rich Dad Poor Dad dominate the nonfiction side.
That said, the list below proves outliers win, too. Poetry, picture books, historical fiction, and even cookbooks have all produced multi-million-copy self-published hits.
40 Best-selling self-published books
Here’s the definitive list of self-published books that became cultural and commercial phenomena.
1. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
This historical fiction follows Cussy Mary on her journey to bring books and education to the Appalachian community of Kentucky. Richardson’s research-driven storytelling earned her a New York Times bestseller spot in a genre rarely associated with self-publishing.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Author: Kim Michele Richardson
Year published: 2019
2. Sense and Sensibility
Jane Austen self-published her debut novel “by a Lady” at her own financial risk, paving the way for every independent author who came after. Today she’s the literary canon, but she was once an unknown taking the same gamble modern indie authors take.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Author: Jane Austen
Year published: 1811
3. How To Catch A Unicorn
This fantasy children’s picture book spent 20 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Wallace’s How to Catch series shows that children’s book authors can dominate self-publishing when they understand their tiny readers.
Genre: Picture Book, Children’s
Author: Adam Wallace
Year published: 2019
4. The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Rather than sign over her creative rights to a publisher who wanted major changes, Beatrix Potter self-published 250 copies herself in 1901. Peter Rabbit has now sold more than 45 million copies worldwide and remains one of the best-selling children’s books in history.
Genre: Children’s
Author: Beatrix Potter
Year published: 1901
5. Legally Blonde
Amanda Brown began writing Legally Blonde while at Stanford Law School and self-published it through AuthorHouse in 2001. The book became the basis for the iconic Reese Witherspoon film and a Broadway musical.
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Author: Amanda Brown
Year published: 2001
6. The Martian
Andy Weir originally published The Martian one chapter at a time on his blog before self-publishing it on Amazon for 99 cents. It became a bestseller, a Crown Publishing acquisition, and a Matt Damon-led blockbuster film, all from a writer who had been rejected by literary agents for years.
Genre: Science Fiction
Author: Andy Weir
Year published: 2011
7. The Cleaner
Lawyer-turned-novelist Mark Dawson left traditional publishing because his books weren’t getting marketing attention. He’s since sold millions of copies of his John Milton thriller series and earns seven figures annually as one of the most prolific self-published fiction authors working today.
Genre: Crime
Author: Mark Dawson
Year published: 2013
8. Until I Met Her
A psychological thriller about a famous crime novelist that climbs into Inception territory. Barelli built her audience through Kindle and turned a debut into a sustained self-publishing career.
Genre: Physiological Thriller
Author: Natalie Barelli
Year published: 2017
9. Eragon
Fifteen-year-old Christopher Paolini wrote Eragon while homeschooled. His parents’ small press self-published it, and Paolini spent a year traveling the country in costume promoting it at libraries and bookstores. Author Carl Hiaasen discovered it for his stepson, and Knopf re-published it. The book hit the New York Times Children’s bestseller list for 121 weeks.
Genre: YA fantasy
Author: Christopher Paolini
Year published: 2002
10. Slammed
Colleen Hoover’s debut novel was originally written as a Christmas gift for her mother. She self-published it in January 2012 with no marketing plan, just hoping a few family members would read it. By August, Slammed had hit the New York Times bestseller list, making Hoover one of the first BookTok-era self-publishing phenomena. She’s now sold over 20 million books, with It Ends with Us topping bestseller lists worldwide.
Genre: Contemporary romance
Author: Colleen Hoover
Year published: 2012
11. Milk and Honey
Rupi Kaur self-published milk and honey through CreateSpace in 2014 at age 21 after a creative writing professor told her self-publishing would tank her literary reputation. She ignored the advice. The collection has now sold over 12 million copies, been translated into 40+ languages, and is the highest-selling poetry book of the 21st century.
Genre: Poetry
Author: Rupi Kaur
Year published: 2014
12. Humankind: Changing the World One Small Act At a Time
Brad Aronson wrote Humankind during his wife Mia’s leukemia treatment, documenting the small acts of kindness that carried their family through the crisis.
Genre: Motivational Self-Help
Author: Brad Aronson
Year published: 2020
13. Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Every traditional publisher Robert Kiyosaki contacted rejected Rich Dad Poor Dad. So he and his wife printed 1,000 copies themselves in 1997. A friend bought 976 of them and sold them at his car wash. Three years later, it hit the New York Times bestseller list. The book has now sold over 32 million copies, making it one of the best-selling personal finance books of all time and a foundational title for anyone curious about how much money you can make from writing a book.
Genre: Business, Finance
Author: Robert Kiyosaki
Year published: 1997
14. The Celestine Prophecy
After being rejected by every publisher he approached, James Redfield self-published The Celestine Prophecy in 1993 and sold 100,000 copies out of the trunk of his Honda. Warner Books eventually picked it up. The book spent 165 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and sparked a 2006 film adaptation.
Genre: Spiritual fiction
Author: James Redfield
Year published: 1993
15. A Naked Singularity
Rejected one too many times, Sergio De La Pava’s debut novel went the self-publishing route. It’s since become a film starring John Boyega, Olivia Cooke, and Bill Skarsgård, and remains a cult favorite in literary fiction circles.
Genre: Legal Thriller
Author: Sergio De La Pava
Year published: 2008
16. The Joy of Cooking
Widowed at 52 with just $6,000 in life savings, Irma Rombauer paid the A.C. Clayton Printing Company $3,000 to print 3,000 copies of her cookbook in 1931. The Joy of Cooking has sold more than 20 million copies and is still being released in new editions nearly a century later, proof that cookbooks can become generational assets.
Genre: Cookbooks
Author: Irma Rombauer
Year published: 1931
17. Still Alice
Lisa Genova holds a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard. When traditional publishers passed on Still Alice, the story of a Harvard professor diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, she self-published. It became a New York Times bestseller and the basis for an Oscar-winning Julianne Moore performance.
Genre: Medical Fiction
Author: Lisa Genova
Year published: 2007
18. Your Erroneous Zones
Wayne Dyer self-published this self-help classic with an initial print run of 4,500 copies in 1976, then spent the next year touring the country promoting it on TV shows. It’s gone on to sell an estimated 35 million copies and spent 64 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.
Genre: Self-help
Author: Wayne Dyer
Year published: 1976
19. Building a Winning Career
Cowan distills strategies for upper-level professionals navigating job searches and career transitions, a tight-niche business book that found its audience through self-publishing.
Genre: Business
Author: William Cowan
Year published: 2021
20. Someone Has To Be The Most Expensive, Why Not Make It You?
Andrew Griffiths distills 35 years of entrepreneurship into a counterintuitive pricing playbook for service businesses. It’s one of the best-selling self-published books on small business strategy.
Genre: Business, Small Business
Author: Andrew Griffiths
Year published: 2020
21. The Shack
William P. Young’s novel about a grieving father confronting God after his daughter’s abduction was originally self-published in 2007 with a 15-copy print run for friends and family. It’s since sold over 20 million copies worldwide, spawning a 2017 film adaptation starring Sam Worthington and Octavia Spencer.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Author: William P. Young
Year published: 2007
22. No Thanks
After 14 publisher rejections, E.E. Cummings and his mother self-published this experimental poetry collection. The dedication page lists every publisher who passed. He’s now considered one of the 20th century’s most innovative poets.
Genre: Poetry
Author: E. E. Cummings
Year published: 1935
23. Paradise Lost
Beloved for over three centuries, Paradise Lost started out as close to a self-published book as the 1600s allowed. Milton sold the rights for £5 plus contingencies. Readers still study it today.
Genre: Poem
Author: John Milton
Year published: 1667
24. Wool
Hugh Howey’s dystopian short story took place in an underground silo. Readers begged for more. He self-published the expanded series through Kindle Direct Publishing and it earned him over $150,000 per month at peak. Simon & Schuster offered a hybrid deal that let him keep digital rights, which was unheard of at the time. Wool is now an Apple TV+ series called Silo starring Rebecca Ferguson.
Genre: Dystopia
Author: Hugh Howey
Year published: 2011
25. Fifty Shades of Grey
E.L. James self-published Fifty Shades of Grey in 2011 after the story originated as Twilight fan fiction. She used Facebook to connect with fans, hit the bestseller lists, and signed a traditional book deal with Vintage Books. The trilogy has sold over 165 million copies and spawned a $1.3 billion film franchise, making it one of the most commercially successful self-published books in history.
Genre: Erotica
Author: E.L. James
Year published: 2011
26. The One You Love
Pilkington’s bestseller features a bloodied body, a stalker, and a horrific secret. The British author built his thriller career entirely through Kindle Direct Publishing.
Genre: Suspense, Thriller
Author: Paul Pilkington
Year published: 2011
27. The One You Fear
Just one year later, Pilkington released the second book in his series. This sequel continues the story of his protagonist, Emma Holden. Also a bestseller, his entire series belongs among the best-selling self-published books.
Genre: Suspense, Thriller
Author: Paul Pilkington
Year published: 2012
28. Beautiful Disaster
College freshman Abby Abernathy meets her opposite, tattooed Travis Maddox, and chaos ensues. McGuire’s YA romance was self-published in 2011, hit the New York Times bestseller list, and became a 2023 film.
Genre: YA Fiction
Author: Jamie McGuire
Year published: 2011
29. A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens technically published A Christmas Carol through Chapman and Hall, but he financed the entire production himself in exchange for a higher royalty share, the 1843 equivalent of a hybrid publishing deal. He agonized over end-papers and binding details. The story has been continuously in print for nearly 200 years.
Genre: Holiday Fiction
Author: Charles Dickens
Year published: 1843
30. Legends & Lattes
Travis Baldree wrote Legends & Lattes during NaNoWriMo 2021 as a “low-stakes” cozy fantasy about an orc who retires from adventuring to open a coffee shop. He self-published it in February 2022, where it exploded on BookTok. Tor Books picked it up by November of the same year. The novel was a Hugo Award and Nebula Award finalist for Best Novel and made Baldree a #1 New York Times bestselling author.
Genre: Cozy fantasy
Author: Travis Baldree
Year published: 2022
31. A Lume Spento
Ezra Pound spent most of what little money he had to self-publish his first poetry collection. It launched one of the most influential literary careers of the 20th century.
Genre: Poetry
Author: Ezra Pound
Year published: 1908
32. Insects of Surinam
Maria Sibylla Merian self-funded her entire scientific masterwork, detailed illustrations documenting butterfly metamorphosis. Her daughters helped illustrate. The book remains a foundational text in entomology more than 300 years later.
Genre: Nonfiction, academic
Author: Maria Sibylla Merian
Year published: 1705
33. The Brass Check
Sinclair’s journalistic work inspired new laws protecting factory workers. However, he published The Brass Check with no copyright to encourage the message to spread and bring awareness.
Genre: Journalism
Author: Upton Sinclair
Year published: 1919
34. Leaves of Grass
Walt Whitman was a newspaper editor and printer. He had the resources, and the obsessive aesthetic vision, to design every detail of his poetry collection: the binding, typography, even the page layout. He self-published Leaves of Grass in 1855 and revised it for the rest of his life.
Genre: Poetry
Author: Walt Whitman
Year published: 1855
35. People, Places, and Things
A young Stephen King and his brother Chris Chesley self-published this short story collection on their brother’s printing press on New Year’s Day, 1960. Only a handful of original copies still exist, making this one of the rarest items in self-publishing history.
Genre: Short story
Authors: Stephen King and Chris Chesley
Year published: 1960
36. What Color Is Your Parachute?
Richard Bolles originally self-published his job-search guide in 1970 for fellow career counselors. Ten Speed Press picked it up two years later. What Color Is Your Parachute? has now sold over 10 million copies and is updated nearly every year, making it one of the longest-running bestsellers in publishing history.
Genre: Self-Help
Author: Richard N. Bolles
Year published: 1970, commercially published in 1972
37. Trylle trilogy
Amanda Hocking wrote 17 paranormal YA novels while working full-time as a caregiver, with every traditional publisher passing on her work. She self-published her Trylle trilogy on Amazon Kindle in 2010 and sold over a million copies in under a year. St. Martin’s Press eventually offered her a multi-million-dollar deal, a defining moment in indie publishing history.
Genre: YA paranormal
Author: Amanda Hocking
Year published: 2010
38. Mrs Dalloway
Virginia Woolf published her best novel through her own press, Hogarth Press, which she co-founded with husband Leonard. Hogarth Press is now an imprint of Penguin Random House. Mrs Dalloway is studied in literature programs around the world.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Author: Virginia Woolf
Year published: 1925
39. Theft of Swords
After hundreds of rejections, Michael J. Sullivan stopped chasing traditional publishing and self-published instead. The freedom changed his writing. He went on to sign a six-figure deal with Orbit Books and now writes one of the most respected fantasy series in modern publishing.
Genre: Fantasy
Author: Michael J. Sullivan
Year published: 2011
40. Double Persephone
Long before Margaret Atwood became known for The Handmaid’s Tale, she self-published a poetry collection that won the E.J. Pratt Medal. Her career began the same way thousands of indie authors begin theirs today, with a single, self-funded book.
Genre: Poetry
Author: Margaret Atwood
Year published: 1961
Self-publishing vs. traditional publishing: which makes more bestsellers?
Self-publishing has produced more New York Times bestsellers in the last decade than ever before, with self-published authors earning royalty rates of 35–70% versus traditional publishing’s 10–15%. The economics now favor independent authors.
Consider what’s changed:
- Higher royalty rates: Self-publishing through Amazon KDP pays up to 70% per eBook sold. Traditional publishing typically pays 10–15% of list price on print.
- Faster speed to market: A self-published book can launch in 30–90 days. Traditional publishing typically takes 18–24 months from manuscript acceptance.
- Full creative control: Self-published authors keep cover design, title, content, and marketing decisions in their own hands.
- Direct reader relationships: Indie authors own their email lists, audience data, and platform.
For a deeper breakdown, read our full guide on self-publishing vs. traditional publishing and use our book royalty calculator to see what each path could earn for your specific book.
How much do self-published authors actually earn?
Self-published authors with strong backlists of 10+ books routinely earn $3,000+ per month through Amazon KDP, while bestselling indie authors like Mark Dawson earn seven figures annually.
For specific income breakdowns by genre and experience level, see our updated guide on average author salary in 2026 and how much self-published authors make on Amazon.
Frequently asked questions about self-published bestsellers
What is the best-selling self-published book of all time?
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki is widely considered one of the best-selling self-published book of all time, with over 32 million copies sold. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James and milk and honey by Rupi Kaur are also among the highest-selling, with 165 million and 12 million copies respectively.
Can a self-published book hit the New York Times bestseller list?
Yes. Multiple self-published books have hit the New York Times bestseller list, including Slammed by Colleen Hoover (the first self-published novel to top the list with Hopeless), Eragon by Christopher Paolini, The Martian by Andy Weir, and Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire.
How do self-published authors get on bestseller lists?
Self-published authors get on bestseller lists through aggressive launch strategies, including building 100+ person launch teams, securing 100+ Day 1 reviews, running Amazon ads, leveraging email lists of 2,000+ subscribers, and timing release dates strategically. See our full guide to getting on bestseller lists.
What genres sell best as self-published books?
Romance is the top-selling self-published genre, accounting for over 30% of all indie fiction sales. Fantasy, science fiction, thrillers, and personal finance/self-help round out the top five. Cozy fantasy is the fastest-growing self-published subgenre as of 2026, driven by titles like Legends & Lattes.
How much does it cost to self-publish a book?
Self-publishing a book typically costs $2,000–$8,000 for professional editing, cover design, formatting, and a basic launch. Many of the bestsellers on this list invested in professional production from day one. Authors using a full-service program like Author Advantage Accelerator typically invest more upfront in exchange for guided support, editing, and launch services.
How long does it take to self-publish a book?
Self-publishing a book takes 30–90 days once the manuscript is complete, including editing, cover design, formatting, and KDP setup. The full process, from blank page to published, typically takes 6–12 months for most authors.
Want your book on this list? Here’s what comes next
Every author on this list started exactly where you are right now: with an idea, a blank page, and the decision to take their book into their own hands.
The difference between the books that hit this list and the millions that don’t isn’t talent. It’s a system: a real outline, professional editing, a designed cover, a launch plan, and ongoing marketing. That’s the system we’ve used to help 7,000+ authors at selfpublishing.com write, edit, publish, and market their books.
If you want to write a book that competes with the titles above, you don’t have to figure it out alone. Our team of bestselling authors and book coaches will guide you through every step of the writing, editing, and publishing process with 1-on-1 coaching, professional editing, custom cover design, and a launch plan built to drive real sales.
The books on this list weren’t lucky. They were intentional. Yours can be, too.
Schedule a free strategy call with our team and let’s talk about what it would take to get your book onto the next version of this list.
