There has long been a stigma around self-publishing, an assumption that a book published directly by an author can’t be of the same quality as a traditionally published book.

However, the history of self-publishing actually goes back a long way, and some of the most beloved authors of all time actually started out publishing their own work.

In this post, we’ll show you 10 self-publishing success stories, featuring books that have gone on to become best-sellers and even award-winning films.

Successful Self-Published Books

Here are 10 books you may not have known were originally self-published. They prove that despite initial rejections or setbacks, determined and persistent self-published writers can reach the same heights as those who started with the traditional route.

1. The Martian by Andy Weir

Author Andy Weir is the son of a particle physicist and electrical engineer, with his own background in computer science. He began writing The Martian in 2009, tediously compiling research to make the book as realistic as possible based on existing technology.

Weir had already been turned down by literary agents when he tried to get previous works published, so for this book he opted to publish one chapter at at time for free on his website.

After publishing the book on Amazon Kindle at the request of his fans, the book rose to the top of Amazon’s list of best-selling science-fiction titles, selling 35,000 copies in three months. This grabbed the attention of publishers, and Weir sold the rights to Crown in 2013.

The book debuted on the New York Times Best Seller list and was adapted into an award-winning film starring Matt Damon.

2. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

This childhood favorite was almost never published. When Beatrix Potter sent her manuscript of Peter Rabbit to publishers, she received a string of rejections, with some publishers wanting a longer book, and others a shorter one.

Most wanted colored illustrations, but Potter had a strong vision of what her book should look like. She decided to publish the book herself in 1901, and the first 250 privately printed books were distributed among her family and friends. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle even acquired a copy for his children.

Frederick Warne & Co. reconsidered the book, and Potter let down her resistance to colored illustrations. She arrived at an agreement with Warne for an initial commercial publication of 5,000 copies. But even before the tale was published in 1902, 8,000 copies had already been sold.

3. Wool by Hugh Howey

Hugh Howey first published this post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel as a stand-alone short story through Amazon KDP in 2011. Howey chose this option due to the freedom offered by self-publishing.

As the series gained popularity, Howey wrote more installments. He began soliciting international rights in 2012, eventually signing a print-only deal for around $500,000 with Simon & Schuster. Film rights were sold to 20th Century Fox. However, Howey retains full rights to continue distributing Wool online himself.

The story follows a community of men and women living in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. Their society is full of regulations meant to protect them, but when Sheriff Holston dares to ask permission to go outside, he unleashes a dramatic series of events.

4. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

After every publisher he contacted turned him down, Robert Kiyosaki opted to self-publish Rich Dad Poor Dad in 1997. Kiyosaki and his wife printed 1,000 copies of the book, of which a friend purchased 976 copies and agreed to sell them at his car wash business.

Three years later, the book had made the New York Times Best Seller list, the only self-published book on the list at the time.

It was later picked up by Warner Books, and the rest of this iconic personal finance book is history.

5. The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer

Irma Rombauer became a widow at age 52, left with just $6,000 in life savings. Her children encouraged her to compile her recipes and thoughts to help her cope with the loss of her husband.

In 1930, Rombauer paid the A.C. Clayton Printing Company $3,000 to print 3,000 copies of The Joy of Cooking: A Compilation of Reliable Recipes with a Casual Culinary Chat.

In 1932, with most of the 3,000 printed copies sold, Rombauer began to seek a new publisher. The Bobbs-Merrill Company published an expanded second edition in1936, and over the next decades, several newer editions were released.

6. Eragon by Christopher Paolini

As a teenager, Christopher Paolini began writing the first draft of Eragon by hand. After over a year of rewriting and editing, he showed the final manuscript to his parents, who immediately saw the book’s potential and decided to publish it through their small, home-based publishing company, Paolini International.

Paolini traveled across the U.S. with his parents to promote the book. He delivered 135 talks at bookshops, schools, and libraries, often dressed in a medieval costume, but still the book did not receive much attention.

In 2002, writer Carl Hiaasen was on vacation when his stepson bought a copy and immediately loved the book. Hiaasen brought the book to the attention of publishing house Alfred A. Knopf, and after another round of editing, Knopf published Eragon in the summer of 2003.

7. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

The reworked and extended version of Master of the Universe was split into three parts: the first, titled Fifty Shades of Grey, was released by The Writers’ Coffee Shop, a virtual publisher based in Australia, as an e-book and POD paperback. The second and third installments followed in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

Sales were boosted by publicity from book blogs, but primarily from word-of-mouth recommendations. News networks in the U.S. began to report on the trilogy’s viral popularity in 2012, and due to the heightened interest, Vintage Books picked up the license and rereleasedFifty Shades later that year. In 2015, the first film adaptation was released.

8. Still Alice by Lisa Genova

In 2007, neuroscientist and writer Lisa Genova self-published Still Alice after receiving numerous rejections from literary agents.

Genova sold copies of the book from her car and did everything she could to market the book on her own, scheduling two book events each month, frequently updating her website, and creating profiles on the largest reader-oriented websites.

After seven months, the book had picked up attention from local press, and Genova hired a publicist. After nine months, she found an agent who loved the novel and sold it at auction to Simon & Schuster.

The story, which follows a woman who suffers from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, was adapted into a 2014 award-winning film starring Julianne Moore.

9. The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield

James Redfield self-published The Celestine Prophecy in 1993, as he was unable to find a publisher willing to take it on.

After selling 100,000 copies from the trunk of his car, Warner Books agreed to publish it. The Celestine Prophecy spent 165 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list, and a film adaptation was released in 2006.

The book follows a main character who embarks on a journey to find and understand a series of nine spiritual insights from an ancient manuscript in Peru.

10. Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown

In 2000, Amanda Brown met with film producer Marc Platt, who helped her develop her manuscript into a novel. Meanwhile, he brought in screenwriters to adapt the book into a film.

Brown self-published Legally Blonde as a print-on-demand book through AuthorHouse in 2001, the same year the film debuted. The book was later republished in 2003.

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