Every time someone mentions indie publishing success, two names come up like clockwork: Hugh Howey and Amanda Hocking. And every time, the conversation goes the same way.
“Oh, they just got lucky.” “They hit at the perfect time.” “Lightning in a bottle–can’t be replicated.”
Well, let me tell you something: I’ve spent considerable time studying these two success stories, and luck had a lot less to do with it than most people think. What they did right was execute specific, replicable strategies that any bootstrap author can learn from.
The problem is that focusing on their million-dollar outcomes blinds us to the methodical work that got them there. So let’s cut through the mythology and look at what Howey and Hocking actually did that you can apply to your own publishing journey.
Amanda Hocking: The Persistence Machine
Let’s start with Amanda Hocking, because her story gets misrepresented more than any other indie success.
The myth goes like this: “Young woman writes vampire novels, uploads them to Amazon, becomes millionaire overnight.”
The reality? Hocking had been writing seriously for over a decade before her breakthrough. She’d written seventeen full-length novels and accumulated a shoebox full of rejection letters from traditional publishers. When she finally turned to self-publishing in April 2010, she wasn’t a newbie–she was a seasoned writer with a massive backlog of completed work.
Here’s what she did right that most people miss:
She built a catalog fast. Between April 2010 and March 2011–just eleven months–Hocking published nine novels. Nine! While other authors were still polishing their first manuscript, she was flooding the market with content.
She priced aggressively. Her books started at $0.99, which sounds like giving work away until you realize she was selling 100,000+ copies per month. Do the math: $0.35 per book × 100,000 copies = $35,000 monthly income. From $0.99 books!
She engaged directly with readers. Hocking blogged regularly, responded to emails, and built genuine relationships with her growing fanbase. She treated readers like friends, not customers.
She stuck to what worked. Once she found her paranormal romance sweet spot, she didn’t chase other genres. She gave readers more of what they loved.
The “luck” narrative completely ignores the fact that Hocking had spent years learning her craft and building inventory. When the market conditions aligned, she was ready with professional-quality content and the business savvy to capitalize on it.
Hugh Howey: The Community Builder
Hugh Howey’s story gets similarly mythologized as “yacht captain writes dystopian novel, becomes indie publishing guru.”
Again, the reality is more instructive than the myth.
Howey didn’t start with Wool, the series that made him famous. He’d been self-publishing for two years, building an audience one reader at a time. When Wool took off, he already had the systems and relationships in place to handle success.
Here’s what Howey did that you can replicate:
He treated publishing like a business from day one. Howey tracked sales data, analyzed what worked, and doubled down on successful strategies. He approached indie publishing like an entrepreneur, not just an artist.
He built community, not just readership. Howey became known for helping other indie authors, sharing sales data, and advocating for the industry. He understood that success in indie publishing comes from lifting the entire community, not just yourself.
He serialized strategically. Wool started as a short story, then became a series as readers demanded more. This let him test market demand before investing in full novels, and it kept readers coming back for the next installment.
He reinvested profits into growth. Instead of treating early success as found money, Howey used profits to improve covers, hire editors, and expand marketing. He scaled professionally.
He maintained creative control. When traditional publishers came calling with big offers, Howey negotiated to keep digital rights. He understood that in the long term, controlling your own destiny beats short-term cash.
The Pattern That Actually Matters
Looking at both success stories, the pattern isn’t luck–it’s professional consistency applied to good timing.
Both authors:
- Had significant backlogs when they hit their stride
- Priced strategically for market penetration over immediate profit
- Built direct relationships with readers rather than relying solely on algorithms
- Focused on genres they genuinely enjoyed and understood
- Treated writing as a business with systems, metrics, and reinvestment
- Published consistently rather than waiting for perfection
This isn’t rocket science, but it is disciplined business thinking applied to creative work.
The Timing Factor (And Why It’s Overrated)
Yes, both Hocking and Howey benefited from good timing. Hocking hit the paranormal romance boom just as Kindle was exploding. Howey caught the dystopian wave when readers were hungry for the next Hunger Games.
But here’s what the “timing” narrative misses: there are always trends happening. Right now, there are genres heating up, markets expanding, reader appetites shifting. The authors who succeed are the ones positioned to take advantage when their moment comes.
Hocking and Howey weren’t just in the right place at the right time–they’d spent years getting to the right place and building the skills to recognize the right time.
What This Means for Today’s Authors
The market conditions that launched Hocking and Howey don’t exist anymore. Kindle isn’t new, competition is fiercer, and the gold rush mentality has given way to mature business practices.
But the strategies that made them successful are more relevant than ever:
Build your catalog now. Don’t wait for perfect market conditions. Start publishing, start learning, start building your reader base. When your opportunity comes, you want to be ready with quality content and professional systems.
Price for penetration early. Both authors understood that building audience matters more than maximizing early profits. Once you have loyal readers, you can charge premium prices.
Engage authentically. In an algorithm-driven world, genuine human connection with readers becomes even more valuable. Be real, be helpful, be memorable.
Focus on your strengths. Find the intersection of what you love writing and what readers love reading, then own that space completely.
Think in systems. Track what works, eliminate what doesn’t, and scale the successes. Treat your publishing career like the business it is.
The Bootstrap Application
So how do you apply these lessons when you’re doing everything yourself on a shoestring budget?
Start building your backlist now. Even if you’re only publishing one book every six months, that’s still a two-book catalog by year’s end. Consistency beats perfection.
Use their pricing strategies. Test aggressive pricing to build readership, then gradually increase prices as your reputation grows. Total income matters more than per-book profit early on.
Build community through content. Blog about your journey, share what you’re learning, help other authors. Your platform becomes more valuable when it serves others, not just yourself.
Study your genre deeply. Understand what readers expect, what tropes work, what price points convert. Become an expert in your niche.
Document everything. Track sales, monitor what marketing works, analyze reader feedback. Data beats guesswork every time.
The Real Secret Sauce
Here’s the thing that both Howey and Hocking understood that most authors miss: indie publishing success isn’t about finding the magic formula–it’s about executing the known formulas better and more consistently than your competition.
They didn’t succeed because they found a secret. They succeeded because they did the obvious things that most authors don’t want to do:
- Write multiple books instead of perfecting one
- Price for readers instead of ego
- Build relationships instead of just selling
- Track results instead of guessing
- Reinvest profits instead of celebrating too early
These aren’t revolutionary insights. They’re business fundamentals applied to book publishing.
Why Most Authors Won’t Follow Their Example
The brutal truth? Most authors won’t do what Hocking and Howey did because it requires treating writing like a business instead of just a creative outlet.
It means publishing “good enough” books instead of waiting for perfection. It means pricing strategically instead of based on feelings. It means building relationships instead of just writing. It means tracking numbers instead of ignoring commerce. It means thinking long-term instead of seeking immediate gratification.
For authors who want to build sustainable careers, these aren’t sacrifices–they’re investments. But for authors who just want to express themselves creatively, they feel like sellouts.
The difference is what separates hobbyists from professionals.
The Bottom Line
Hugh Howey and Amanda Hocking didn’t get lucky. They got ready.
They spent years building the skills, systems, and inventory needed to capitalize when their opportunities came. When market conditions aligned with their preparation, they were positioned to succeed.
The strategies they used aren’t magic, and they aren’t outdated. Professional consistency, strategic pricing, community building, and business thinking still work. They just require more discipline now than they did during the early days of the Kindle goldrush.
Your timing won’t be exactly like theirs, but your opportunity will come. The question is: will you be ready when it does?
Want to follow along as I document my own time investments, learning curves, and (hopefully) eventual wins in this crazy bestseller quest? Subscribe to my notification email list for real-time updates on whether an old dog can indeed learn some very profitable new tricks.