Back in May, we ran a story on Leinad Zeraus' self-published techno-thriller, Daemon, that was making a bit of a splash in Silicon Valley circles. Josh McHugh wrote that the book managed to garner some serious cred without benefit of a publisher. The author, who's real name is Daniel Suarez, and who works as an IT consultant in L.A., used the print-on-demand service Lightning Source and sold copies on Amazon. Pretty cool.
But now comes news from Suarez, who just wrote me this email:
In the 30 days following the article, sales went from 1200 to 3500 -- at which point numerous major publishing companies began contacting us. Two weeks ago, Dutton made a very persuasive offer for Daemon and its sequel, and they will be doing a broad release of Daemon in January, 2009 in hard cover. Likewise, foreign rights sales have been brisk.
I just got an advance copy of the new hardcover. He's publishing under his own name this time. And the quotes on the back, from people like Stewart Brand, John Robb, and Craig Newmark are pretty sweet. This story embodies the transitional phase in publishing we're going through right now, where mainstream New York publishers are playing catch-up with what's going on out there in the long-tail world. Another example is the New York Times bestseller, The Shack, a self-published Christian novel. I'll let Daniel Suarez have the last word:
I want to thank you guys again for the article, and while it's true we didn't actually need a major publisher . . . the ability to reach a much broader audience here and abroad is definitely where a major publisher shines. Print-on-demand was pivotal in helping us to prove the market potential for Daemon to the majors and served as a great stepping stone in our case. I'm certain this pattern will become more common as the technology gains acceptance.
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