From Self-Published to Traditional Publisher - With a Twist

Laura Hazard Owen reporting - Bestselling Self-Published Author Signs Deal With Simon & Schuster. This is an interesting new hybrid model - Simon & Schuster will handle traditional print distribution, but Locke will retain his digital rights and continue to self-publish his digital content.

John Locke, the first self-published author to sell over a million copies of his books on Kindle, is the latest to sign a deal with a traditional publishing company, Simon & Schuster (NYSE: CBS). But the company won’t get a cent of his digital sales.

Simon & Schuster will handle the sales and distribution of the print editions of Locke’s Donovan Creed novels into stores (including online retailers like Amazon). Locke retains the print and digital rights and will continue to handle e-book sales himself. His agent, Jane Dystel of Dystel & Goderich, represented him in the agreement with S&S.

In a statement, Locke said, “There are many paths from author to reader,” John Locke said, “and any path that puts the reader first will be successful. This agreement represents an exciting departure from the norm, and I applaud Simon & Schuster’s incredible vision, and their willingness to provide a vehicle that allows all readers traditional access to my books.”

Locke is not the first successful self-published author to enter into an agreement with a traditional publishing house, and his distribution agreement with Simon & Schuster is more limited than the deals that some other self-published authors have made. In the most well-known instance, 26-year-old Amanda Hocking signed a $2 million deal for four new books with St. Martin’s in March. St. Martin’s is also re-publishing her Trylle Trilogy in both print and digital editions.