Five years and 2m copies later, self-published author lands UK book deal

Norfolk-based crime writer JM Dalgliesh topped the Amazon and Kindle bestsellers before being signed by a traditional publisher

In 2018, JM Dalgliesh was a stay-at-home father when he sent his first crime novel to six literary agents, only to receive polite rejection letters – or no response at all. Refusing to give up, he found inspiration in a friend’s suggestion that he try self-publishing. The advice could not have been better.

That novel, Divided House – the story of a detective’s path to redemption – was to become the first of 22 self-published crime thrillers, comprising three series of police procedural novels that have sold more than 2m copies in total.