Paul James
“Success really came around book three. After that it began to grow and grow and grow. This year has been really wonderful. I put out a box set and [it] was really well received. To me, real success has come this year. Although a year ago, I thought it came last year.”
Results
His Story:
Paul James, otherwise known by his pen name, P. C. James, first started considering the idea of writing in 2000. While he dreamed of writing a book, it took him over 15 years to finally make the leap and start writing.
“I didn’t actually get around to doing anything about that until around 2016 or 2017.”
When he saw that Amazon allowed writers to publish their books through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), he just went for it without really knowing what to do. And he published his first book.
However, after putting it out into the world, he realized he needed some guidance to reach the level of success he really wanted as an author.
“I didn’t really know how to write a book and I certainly didn’t know how to publish one. And I definitely had no idea about marketing and advertising. I just assumed you put it out there and people bought the thing.”
Why he chose selfpublishing.com:
Paul knew he wanted to remain a self-published author and knew that he also wanted support, but he wasn’t sure where to find it.
So he turned to the internet.
He discovered various options for self-publishing. Despite their focus on marketing, he saw that very few (if any) options offered guidance on and support for how to write a book. Paul had struggled with the writing process with his first book and knew it could be improved.
That’s when he discovered selfpublishing.com.
He found that the team and programs offered by selfpublishing.com would not only teach him how to write a book, but also how to market and advertise it in order to reach bestseller status. This level of support for self-publishing stood out to him.
“selfpublishing.com [covered] how to write a book, and how to get it published, and do it properly. That’s the bit I really needed help with.”
Confident that selfpublishing.com could help him, Paul decided to reach out for help.
Skills he improved as an author:
A true writer, Paul loved learning the ins and outs of writing a successful novel. He said the writing process was one of his favorite parts of working with selfpublishing.com.
“I had no idea about structure or how to make a book work for the reader.”
He learned:
- Writing rules for fiction novels
- How to structure and outline his book
- How to write in a style that captivates readers
- How to finish his next rough draft in less time
Despite his love for the actual writing process, Paul’s learning didn’t stop there. When he self-published his first book, he wasn’t aware that marketing was such a major factor in a successful book launch.
He’d soon learn not just how important it was – but how to do it effectively.
Finding his place
He had originally started writing science fiction. But his selfpublishing.com coach advised him to write something he was really familiar with and really loved. Deciding that was ultimately good advice, he switched to writing cozy mysteries.
The genre switch, paired with his newfound writing and marketing skills, quickly changed the trajectory of his author career.
His results:
“Success really came around book three. After that it began to grow and grow and grow. This year has been really wonderful. I put out a box set and [it] was really well received. To me, real success has come this year. Although a year ago, I thought it came last year.”
Paul is watching his books sell better each year. And with these continued sales, he watches an increase in royalties come in.
“I keep thinking it [royalties] may end this month. But I’m growing confident enough to say yes, I will celebrate.”
In 2022, he sold between six to ten books per day. A year later, he was averaging 40-50 book sales per day. And he broke a personal record with 150 book sales in one day!
One day, he noticed he had customers in Germany and other countries. He didn’t even have his books on Amazon Germany!
“That was a real moment of success, to see my name on the list. I had no idea it would be there. I got the report, I looked at it, and there was my name.”
Entering the next chapter of his fiction career:
Paul loves seeing the success of his books, but even more than the royalties and finding his name on a bestseller list, he’s grown in confidence.
Before joining selfpublishing.com, Paul was the writer who needed to reach out for help.
Now that he’s worked through the program and become a bestseller, aspiring authors reach out to him for help. He has learned so much on his journey that he’s now equipped to guide other authors as they pursue their own self-publishing dreams.
“People are turning to me and saying, ‘Okay, you’re doing good, help me.’ This is a new level of success.”
Paul has over 280 book reviews with an average 4.5-star rating on Amazon. He’s published 10 fiction books – and recently released a box set. It’s indisputable that he is a thriving, successful author.
He went from not feeling confident about his writing to selling over 2,2000 novels to readers all around the world – all in a couple of years.
“Whatever you think success is, it changes as things get better. You realize there’s another step and another step.”
Ready to take the next step towards your author goals?
Whether you are looking to join one of our core programs, or you have a finished manuscript and are simply looking for basic publishing services, selfpublishing.com is here to help.
