TEXAS WRITER’S HOBBY TURNS INTO SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS THROUGH SELF – PUBLISHING

Galveston-based author R.S. Grey was working as a medical
assistant and applying to graduate school to become
a physician assistant when she started to write stories on
the side. She needed something different than the day-today
grind and realized that she enjoyed sneaking in bouts
of writing on her lunch breaks, after work hours, and on
weekends.
“Writing was just a hobby, something just for me. I didn’t
think anything would come from it. Working at a doctor’s
office was structured and methodical, but there was something
inside of me that drifted towards creative things and
writing became that relief,” said Grey.
Eventually, her coworker encouraged her to find a way
to publish her book and, when she learned about Kindle
Direct Publishing (KDP), she decided to go for it. She created
the pen name R.S. Grey to give her some anonymity
and to allow her – and her characters – to do whatever
they wanted without judgement. The results were thrilling.
She knew immediately that self-publishing was a great fit
because it gave her the creative control she craved.
After Grey self-published her first book through KDP,
she caught that writing itch and began to write as much as she could. When she published her
third book, Scoring Wilder, which sold enough copies to reach the USA Today Best Seller list,
she realized her writing was gaining momentum and a real audience worth investing in full-time.
“I believe part of Scoring Wilder’s success is that I put so much of my personality into the
book,” said Grey. “My boss had no idea that I was writing books on the side. When I hit the USA
Today Best Seller list, I came clean about my secret life as an author and put in my notice. I knew
I had to give writing my full attention.”
Grey credits KDP for empowering her to pursue and grow her career. Traditional publishing
presented many barriers, such as having connections in the industry – which Grey had none –
or following a certain formula to writing romance novels,
which stifled her creativity.
“None of my peers would have become writers without
KDP,” Grey said. “Since I’m able to write and instantly
publish, I’m able to incorporate timely pop-culture references
to make the books feel like they’re happening in
real-time.”
Grey’s books always have a bit of her personality or
life experience in them, and the majority take place in
Texas, where she has lived her entire life. Since dedicating
more time to her writing, her popularity has continued
to grow over the years with readers. She now boasts
more than 21,000 followers on Instagram and 14,000 on
Facebook.
This August, she released her latest book Not So Nice
Guy, which has achieved even greater success, becoming
the #1 best seller on Amazon for Romantic Comedy
and #3 on Amazon Charts.
“I’ve found what I really enjoy doing in life,” said Grey.
“I’ve cultivated a brand I’m proud of and I can’t wait to get
to work on my next romantic comedy.”