Self-Published Author Storms Into Kindle Million Club

Amazon.com said today that yet another author has joined the Kindle Million Club, but there is a twist: he's self-published.

At last count, John Locke, the thriller writer and bestselling author of nine novels including Vegas Moon and Saving Rachel, has sold 1,010,370 books on the Kindle through Kindle Direct Publishing, according to Amazon. His newest book: How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months.

Kindle Direct Publishing has provided an opportunity for independent authors to compete on a level playing field with the giants of the bookselling industry, Locke said in a press release. Not only did KDP give me a chance, they helped at every turn. Quite simply, KDP is the greatest friend an author can have.

It's so exciting that self-publishing has allowed John Locke to achieve a milestone like this, said Russ Grandinetti, Amazon's vice president of Kindle content.

Literally every week the past few weeks, someone new joins the Kindle Million Club.

Locke's sales are just as dynamic. He writes on his website, Every seven seconds, 24 hours a day, a John Locke novel is downloaded somewhere in the world.