John Locke is the newest member of the “Kindle Million Club,” and the first independently published author to reach this milestone. As of June 19th, John Locke has sold 1,010,370 Kindle books using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). The Kindle Million Club recognizes authors whose books have sold over 1 million paid copies in the Kindle Store. So far those authors have included blockbuster authors such as Stieg Larsson, James Patterson, Nora Roberts, Charlaine Harris, Lee Child, Suzanne Collins and Michael Connelly.

In fact, he has been so successful at selling Kindle ebooks, that he has written a book (published on the Kindle, of course) about how he did it. You can get How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months! for just $4.99 at the Kindle store.

So how much does an author earn for selling 1,010,370 ebooks? Almost all of Locke’s ebooks are priced at $.99, so based on that he would have earned at least $353,629.50. Not bad, especially considering that he says those books were sold in five months.

“Kindle Direct Publishing has provided an opportunity for independent authors to compete on a level playing field with the giants of the book selling industry,” said John Locke. “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, Vice President of Kindle Content. “We’re excited to see Kindle Direct Publishing succeeding for both authors and customers and are proud to welcome him to the Kindle Million Club.”

John Locke, of Louisville, KY., is the internationally bestselling author of nine novels including “Vegas Moon,” “Wish List,” “A Girl Like You,” “Follow the Stone,” “Don’t Poke the Bear!” and the New York Times bestselling eBook, “Saving Rachel.” Locke’s latest book, How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months!, is a how-to marketing guide for self-published authors.