In 2017, Adam Beswick, who publishes under the pen name A.P Beswick, published his first novel after writing his own Fantasy bedtime stories for his young children. Like many authors, he was hooked on the process of creating worlds through words on the page and started out by publishing his books on Amazon.
Fast forward to June 2023, and a conversation with a fellow indie author who had found traction outside the traditional retail model convinced Adam to explore a rising publishing model: selling direct. Adam implemented a reader-first model of speaking to fans directly via social media, but instead of directing them to retailers, he sent them to his direct store.
Fast forward again to a live stream Adam hosted right before Christmas, in which he sold £3,500 in books on a single stream. That night convinced Adam he was on to something real—something sustainable. He learned he didn’t need the retailers to find his customers, and he loved the idea of controlling the customer journey; he was reaching out to them on social media, after all.
Today, the Fantasy author runs a six-figure publishing business where his audience regularly comes from organic social media encounters to buy his books directly from him. “I heard the horror stories of Amazon accounts getting shut down, and I hated the idea of having all my eggs in one basket,” he says. Over the years, Adam has learned what it takes to reach, communicate and grow a rabid social media following. In turn, he has traded in his once-Amazon-dependent business for a thriving direct store and publishing company large enough for his own warehouse. “I chose to start direct selling because of the much bigger margin.”
“I heard the horror stories of Amazon accounts getting shut down, and I hated the idea of having all my eggs in one basket.”
—Adam Beswick
When authors choose to sell directly to readers instead of through a third-party bookseller, they keep the majority of their income minus taxes and small payment processing fees. Adam even noticed over time that his sales picked up and matched what he was selling on Amazon. Readers were not only finding Adam, but they also were going where they needed to go to find his work if they didn’t want to buy directly from him.
Paid Advertising Versus Organic Marketing
When he decided to go direct, Adam considered how he’d get the word out about his books being on his website. Unlike Amazon, there’s little to no organic discovery for an author’s direct store unless someone is searching for a particular book. With Amazon, an algorithm fuels recommendations and sends emails to suggest books for readers based on their interests and purchase behavior. Adam didn’t like the idea of paying for ads and consistently worrying about the conversion rate of readers who clicked on them. He also didn’t like the idea of losing money on paid advertising and found managing ads to be a full-time job in itself. Instead, he leaned into the side of his platform he enjoyed more, creating content on social media, which led to constant engagement from both new and existing community members on his social channels.
“My organic approach keeps me grounded with my readers and potential readers, and replying to comments across the platforms feels like less work than managing a load of paid ads,” he says.
“People are fed up with ‘perfect.’ During my first [live] stream, I was shaking. Just rip the plaster off and start filming.”
— Adam Beswick
Adam emphasizes the importance of consistently publishing content—he suggests posting something daily, if possible. It sounds like a bold commitment, especially on days he may not feel like posting or when something else gets in the way, but Adam has found ways to make it manageable. “I’ve got a backlog of content, well over one thousand videos, ready to go,” he says. “And I know other videos can be reused and still convert to sales every single day. It’s been years since I’ve had a day without sales.”
Holding Steady Amid Shifting Algorithms
Adam hosts his own direct storefront, but he has also taken back more of his margin by fulfilling orders directly. Rather than send copies to readers from a distributor, he orders books in bulk and processes orders through his store, shipping to customers directly. The operation started small, with four titles that Adam would package while sitting at his dining room table. He used funds from Kickstarter, another opportunity to sell direct to readers, to reinvest in his business and build stock for selling through social media.
Now, his sales are big enough to require a warehouse.
“I see myself as very high on adaptability, and I’m not fazed when something stops working,” he says. His approach is to focus on the things he can control, and sometimes that means doing a deep dive to understand current trends and adapting them to his books and brand. Of course, he knows how to run paid ads and manage sales through third-party sites if he needs to, but he says while he can, he prefers organic sales, where “everything’s profit.”
This vision of success has allowed Adam to turn from author to publisher. The same year he became a full-time author, in 2023, Adam also founded an independent publishing house, A.P Beswick Publications, to help other Fantasy authors publish and sell their books. The publishing house also includes an imprint for Dark Romance and Spicy Fantasy titles, Arcane Passion Press, according to his website.
Adam’s perspective is to be “author first,” providing mentorship to authors who publish with him on his organic marketing strategies and offering competitive royalty rates. “There’s no pressure for authors to use my methods,” he says. “The goal is to get their work published and in the hands of readers.”
The Future of Direct Sales
Any author can learn to identify opportunities in writing and publishing. For Adam and other authors like him, their success has come from identifying trends and tendencies of readers and authors alike, figuring out what works to sell books, and learning how to apply that knowledge to their own business models.
Adam sees the future of direct selling not only in selling direct but in selling live—combining product sales with organic reach through platforms like TikTok Shop and Whatnot, which allow creators to live-stream and connect with customers while they sell. The sales method requires effort and planning, he stresses; organic reach is limited, and just because you’re live doesn’t mean your stream will get pushed to new viewers. He encourages authors who take up live selling to build a viewership through consistency. Adam goes live on TikTok every Friday for an hour, and though getting started is slow, he emphasizes that he’s building a community and that sales pick up over time. The live streams aren’t complicated; Adam simply packs orders live, which is enough to keep readers invested as they watch him sign and package his books.
Adam also clarified that you don’t need a direct storefront to get started on TikTok Live or Whatnot, as both platforms allow a user to build a storefront there. Pre-established audiences are helpful but not required to live-sell; the platforms will help you somewhat by bringing in an audience based on reactions, purchases, and interactions, allowing for a snowball effect often seen with viral sensations. For the average author with one book, no audience, and no money to advertise, Adam reassured that a camera and a copy of the book are all that’s needed.
“I see myself as very high on adaptability, and I’m not fazed when something stops working.”
—Adam Beswick
“The more organic and unedited the content looks, the better, as people are fed up with ‘perfect,’” Adam says. “During my first stream, I was shaking. Just rip the plaster off and start filming.”
Hopes for Indies
Adam is at the forefront of social media trends and has become an expert at adapting what’s popular and turning it into something that sells books. He studies what other creators in a genre are doing, adapts it, and posts it to feel organic and human. He’s still selling his own books—but in the meantime, he wants to lead other authors to the same success he’s found. Alongside his publishing ventures, he hosts the “Novel Gains” Facebook Group and Instagram account, which offer authors advice and encouragement on marketing with social media.
The piece of advice he shares most readily, however, is just to start.
“All an author needs is a phone to start creating content for marketing or live-streaming and selling some books,” he says. “The key is to learn, develop, and grow by reflecting on what works and what doesn’t. Organic marketing is free and just requires your time.”
