From Businessman to Bestselling Ebook Author

John Locke used to own an insurance business and gave speeches and taught training and marketing seminars on the side.

Today, Locke, 60, has transformed into the bestselling author of mysteries, westerns and a publishing how-to guide. On June 20, he became the first self-published writer to sell more than a million ebooks for the Amazon Kindle, joining the ranks of celebrated authors such as Stieg Larsson, Michael Connelly and James Patterson.

His success happened at least in part because of the self-publishing revolution, and services such as Kindle Direct Publishing and Smashwords that let anyone who can put pen to paper -- or more appropriately, fingers to keyboard -- write and publish a book. In May, Amazon's ebook sales surpassed sales of print books -- paperback or hardcover -- for the first time. For the first quarter of 2011, total U.S. ebook sales jumped close to 160 percent from the same period last year, to $233.1 million, according to Publishers Weekly.

Locke's quick rise to publishing fame isn't based solely on changing technology. Many readers praise the fast pace of his Donovan Creed spy novels. "I could not put it down. I read these 200 pages faster than any of the last 20 to 30 books I have read," one fan commented at Amazon. "It's a good, quick read and worth every minute of it," another reader wrote. But praise isn't universal. "The writing was sloppy, the story ridiculous. Was I supposed to be on the edge of my seat reading this?" one detractor shared in an Amazon review.

At 99 cents each, Locke's novels are priced so that even disappointed readers can't feel too bad about their purchases. And he continues to crank out books. In addition to spy novels, Locke has published two volumes of a western series about a former gun slinger and his ex-prostitute girlfriend. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Locke plans to publish a third Emmett Stone western title this summer and another Donovan Creed story.

Locke always loved writing, but never got around to fiction until he sold his Louisville, Ky., insurance business. "I had more free time and no creative outlet, a combination that generated the motive for my becoming a novelist," he told the Strong Scenes book blog in January.

As might be expected, Locke is an ebook evangelist. "It offers more than a level playing field for self-published authors -- it gives us a game that is actually stacked in our favor," he told book blogger Garry Ponzo. "Readers are just starting to learn that ebooks can be created and sold at a profit for 99 cents. And this is going to make them rethink their buying options and their attitudes toward value. If you and I can electronically publish a book for 99 cents and still make a profit, and the giants in the business like James Patterson, John Grisham, Stephen King and Dean Koontz have to charge $9.95 for their ebooks, the onus is no longer on Gary Ponzo and John Locke to prove our books are just as good as theirs. It's on them to prove their books are 10 times better than ours."

Though Locke came late to fiction, he's no beginner when it comes to pitching his work. He's put his sales expertise to good use marketing his books with all the essential tools of a 21st century author, including a blog, Twitter account, Wikipedia entry, and search engine optimization that helps draw traffic to his website.

Earlier this month, Locke shared his secrets to success in a guide to self-publishing called How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months!