Lately, more and more A-list authors are bypassing traditional publishers and self-publishing through various e-book venues.

Why ?

Some, I imagine, go indie because it’s there and they just want to try. Others jump on the self-publishing band wagon to have more freedom and control and still others like the higher margin (even though it’s a higher margin of a cheaper price — think ‘volume’ here).

Tim Ferriss, A-list author of the 4-Hour Workweek and 4-Hour Body AND the subject of tonight’s post, gives great insight into other reasons why established authors are dumping TPs for digital-publishing through the Amazon platform — like the detailed data intelligence (analytics) provided (who’s buying the ebook & sites driving the most sales, etc) — data never provided by TPs. This is info that can help authors market their own books better and tell them what countries in the world they might possibly want to direct their next project/s. Global marketing here we come !

This Tim Ferriss interview from Business Insider by Dylan Love:

Why One Insanely Successful Author Ditched Traditional Publishers And Went With Amazon Instead

Tim Ferriss is an entrepreneur, lifestyle hacker, and author who writes about how to optimize aspects of your life.

His newest book is 4-Hour Chef, and while there are plenty of recipes in it, it’s actually about about how to maximize your learning ability. Ferriss teaches the reader the techniques he used to go from being indifferent towards cooking to becoming a kitchen warrior.

Ferriss’ previous books, 4-Hour Workweek and 4-Hour Body, were released through conventional publishers, but he’s one of a growing number of A-list authors opting to go with Amazon’s publishing model instead.

We conducted a brief email interview with Ferriss to get his thoughts on where books and publishing are heading, and here are some of the highlights on what he had to say:

Publishers need to behave more like talent agencies or venture capital firms to survive.

Despite being boycotted by Barnes & Noble, he doesn’t regret his decision to publish through an Amazon property.

E-books are a net positive for the publishing industry.

Here’s the full Q&A:

BUSINESS INSIDER: How does the experience of releasing 4-Hour Chef through Amazon compare to releasing your other books through more conventional publishers?

TIM FERRISS: I was penalized for the bestseller lists (due to the Barnes and Noble boycott, etc.), but I was able to get incredible Amazon on-site promotion and data intelligence. Wondering who’s buying your books, where, and which sites are driving the most Real converting traffic to your book page? I have that insight now, which I never had before. It’s been extremely cool and will inform everything I do in the future.

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