The book world this week is full of news from the ranks of “indie” or self-published authors: Good news for one children’s author, and bad news for several who feel cheated. And for another, the news is definitely in shades of grey.

“A potential class action lawsuit alleging fraudulent business practices against Author Solutions has been discontinued after an undisclosed settlement in a development we expected after judge Denise Cote had earlier denied the case class certification,” reports Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer.

Choosing the independent route in book publishing, however, often can prove a good way for an author to make it big.

“Self-published over a year ago, The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep by Swedish-born Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin, claims to lull children to sleep in minutes,” Albanese tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally. “The book  managed to get a little publicity and has benefitted from viral attention. It hit #1 in print sales at Amazon in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, as well broke the top 10 in other European territories. Reportedly, the book has been acquired by Random House.”

Finally, Jenny Pedroza, a co-founder of The Writers Coffee Shop – original publishers of Fifty Shades of Grey – awaits payment of a judgment against a former colleague who allegedly tricked her into restructuring a deal that cut Pedroza out of royalties once the novel was sold to Random House. “The court has set aside $10.7 million for Pedroza,” Albanese says.

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Every Friday, CCC’s “Beyond the Book” speaks with the editors and reporters of “Publishers Weekly” for an early look at the news that publishers, editors, authors, agents and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.