Herein is a list and brief description with link to each of the posts in this series on the pathways and pitfalls of self publishing in 2026. It covers realistic sales expectations for different approaches.
This is pretty brutal in places. But if you don’t know what the problems and pitfalls are or for that matter where the enhancers and propellers are, then you are at a significantly worse places than you would be otherwise.
This new series (using 2026 data) was prompted by some work I did ten years ago on the statistics, trends and methodologies of self publishing. In case you want to see what’s changed over the years, those old posts are still here on Chalkridge: Here Although superseded by this they are (IMHO) still actually quite apposite.
I originally was going to publish this as an e-book but then for bizarre reasons I published it on Substack. Which was fine but I forgot the fact that a new Substack blog has about as much search engine visibility as a billboard at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. So I’ve done the sensible thing an ported them here.
Don’t let this put you off writing. But it may well cause you to modify your approach to publishing and marketing your e-books in what is a heavily crowded market.
The Posts
Part One: The Invisible Author
This is the introduction to this series of data heavy posts on self-publishing. Writing a good e-book is one thing. Getting it seen and read is another and one which most (not some – most) authors fail at. They fail because they usually simply have no idea what the problems are in the first place.
Link: Self Publishing: The Invisible Author
Part Two: The Grave of Zero’s
Your new e-book isn’t selling and you don’t know why. You’re not alone. You need to know the scale of the problem before tackling a way ahead. A quick look at how many people are in exactly the same position with regard to no/few sales. We need to know what we are dealing with before looking for a solution or way ahead.
Link: Self Publishing: The Grave of Zero’s
Part Three: The Reality of the Numbers
Lets get real about how many e-books you are likely to sell via Amazon KDP. A brutal look into the numbers, the success rate and what really constitutes a success with self publishing. Before beating yourself up because your e-book isn’t selling you need to appreciate the reality of the situation.
Link: Self Publishing: The Reality of the Numbers
Part Four: A Look at the Odds of Financial Success
Many authors get despondent over low sales. So let us look at the reality. We all need to ask why we are writing. Sure financial success is the dream but is that all you are writing for?
Self Publishing: A Look at the Odds of Financial Success
Part Five: Life and Death of a Fiction e-book
How long does an e-book typically sell for? A two part post with this part looking at a successful non promoted e-book and how it typically fares from launch to zero sales.
Self Publishing: Life and Death of a Fiction e-book
Part Six: Publish and Pay (and Trade in on your Series)
This second part looks at possible methodologies to employ for some modicum of financial success and how to extend the lifespan of an e-book beyond the first few months after it’s launch. You’ll need two things…..
Self Publishing: Publish and Pay (and Trade in on your Series)
Part Seven: Why (and how) an e-book Series Sells
It’s common knowledge that the only real way to achieve success self publishing and selling e-books is to present those e-books as a series or at least have some form of linkage between them. But why does this work while stand-alone e-books don’t? Here’s why.
Self Publishing: Why (and how) an e-book Series Sells
Part Eight: How an e-book Series Works – Financially
How publishing a series of e-books works financially with an example. While a stand-alone e-book won’t.
Self Publishing: How an e-book Series Works – Financially
Part Nine: Launching a Stand-alone e-book with paid Advertising
How will a typical stand-alone (aka no series or theme) e-book fare? Even with a significant advertising budget? It’s not pretty….
Self Publishing: Launching a Stand-alone e-book with paid Advertising