There are a lot of lists out there and to be honest with you, I cannot wrap my brain around how they work. It seems like a crap shoot most of the time how a book gets on one but you can be certain that the most popular authors with the big publishing houses behind them will be on there first.
It's not as easy of a trek for us indie authors.
I write, I publish. After that it's anyone's guess on where those books will show up and on what lists. I have been blessed enough to hit the "bestseller" status on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble with my books but there is no formula to guarantee that.
Frustrating as all get-out, I can tell you that!
I have yet to hit a point where I am comfortable spending a lot of money on marketing and promoting my work. I know plenty of authors do it and I commend them on it and they do see results but I am too scared to spend too much money at this point in my career and then have it not work. I'll get there some day, just not right now. So by marketing you get seen by more people, the more people that see you the more they may be inclined to buy your work. The more people that buy your work, the better your sales stats, blah, blah, blah and then there you are on a list. I get that but what I find amazing is the vast difference in rankings.
What do I mean? Okay, this morning my newest book "Trust in Me" is number 32 on Barnesandnoble.com. And not just in romance! No! It is #32 on the site! That is pretty freakin exciting, right? I mean, top 100! There are some seriously big named authors on there all around me! So I get all giddy and excited and dance around the house and then I jump over to Amazon.com and there is the same book, released the same day and where is "Trust in Me" on their list? I'm number 1406. The book is only .99 cents on both sites so it's not like one has the advantage over one another but if you do the math, clearly there's a difference.
A big difference.
Now I understand that the two sites really are vastly different. For me, when I think of a physical bookstore, I think Barnes and Noble. But online? It's Amazon all the way. So that takes a little of the shine off of my bestseller glory because it's a ranking on a smaller site. People look at you a little bit more - or take you a little more seriously as a writer - if you are an Amazon best seller.
And don't even get me started on the NY Times or USA Today lists. I haven't even figured those two out. If there is a way to get your book on there, I haven't found it. Although, I am working on a collection/box set with several other indie authors and as of late, collections like this HAVE gotten onto the USA Today list. We'll also be paying a decent amount of money to be seen so maybe that's a big part of it.
I know, I know, you gotta spend money to make money, blah, blah, blah. Someday I'll do it.
Then you have the Goodreads lists or the Shelfari lists...it's exhausting. Can somebody please just buy the books and save me from obsessing over the lists??
In my own defense, writing and promoting books is EXHAUSTING. In this last month so much has happened and I'm still not sure how it all came to be. So let's start with the basics:
Wait for Me. I decided to not go with the Kindle Select program this time around and just published it on NOOK and Kindle and guess what? My sales SKYROCKETED on NOOK! I could not believe it. It had been the complete opposite when I did it with The Christmas Cottage and that's why I shied away from B&N because it wasn't making any money for me. Clearly I was wrong to jump the gun because it has been in the top 100 for weeks and peaked at Number Four!!! I was a spot better than James Patterson! Go figure!
Trust in Me. This is the next book I'm releasing and is book two in the Montgomery Brothers trilogy. So I've been writing, writing, writing and editing and helping design a book cover...and basically wishing that there were more hours in the day.
Ever After. I released Ever After in paperback finally and that was a process that nearly brought me to my knees. Formatting a book for publication is not something that can be rushed. As I found out by the THIRD print proof that came to my house. It's now available on Amazon for $7.49. It's kind of fun having an entire bookshelf in my house that is being filled with books that I wrote!
I'm in the process of working with a group of indie authors like myself to put together a box set. We have picked a theme and we will each contribute a title and do all of the marketing and promoting (oh, joy!) and see how it goes. A lot of these sets have been making it on to the big bestseller lists like USA Today! I would LOVE to have that happen. So we'll see how it all comes together and I've got my fingers crossed that it will be something that builds my audience a little.
I did a marketing promotion that promised 2,500 likes on my Facebook page. It was a $15 fee and I figured, why not? Well, I ended up getting over 5,000 likes from it and was near giddy. What they don't tell you? Most of those likes don't last. So even though I gained 5,000 likes from them, by the time most people un-like it (and why? No one knows) I'll end up with the 2,500 that they promised.
I hope.
I survived Mother's Day. Barely. I stayed in my pajamas through Memorial Day. I'm still loving my new car and still feel pretty darn sassy driving it. Yeah, me! Frank's work schedule is crazy, Michael is finishing up the seventh grade and Nick is plugging onward with college and trying to find a job. All in all, it's a busy time for us.
Some things that I'm considering to help me clear the way a little for more writing is closing down the blog. I know, I know, I've been doing this for years but it's hard to maintain a blog, a Facebook page, an author website, a Twitter account and a Tumblr all while trying to write and promote a book so something's got to give. I had someone leave me a rather nasty message not too long ago (which I chose not to publish) where they complained that my blog was spam. Seriously? It's my blog and I'm writing about ME! I've been sharing the link to my posts on Digg, Reddit, Twitter and the like and this guy saw my stuff on Reddit and told me that my stuff was Spam. I thought that Reddit was a way for people to promote their blog contents, articles and whatnot but clearly I offended this guy. Not my intention, dude, seriously. I'm just trying to get a little creative writing/venting done and sell some books. I know you can't please everyone but sometime I just wish that people didn't feel the need to throw the hate around. I'm still dealing with some issues with some people in my life who are convinced that I'm making a boatload of money from all of the books. Seriously people, .35 cents a book. That's it. Do the math. On average, I sell about 2,000 books a month. Divide that by the .35 cents and you'll see, I'm not getting rich on this. I'm not able to quit my day job. I'm not hiding anything from anyone so quit complaining that I'm not sharing my money with you. There is no money to share. AND...while your bitching, how about maybe taking some of that energy and putting it into actually helping me SELL some books. If you're that interested in me spending my money on you, how about helping me make some? So that's it. Not sure if I'll be doing this much longer. It's a nice creative release and I've made a lot of really great friends here. It's a lot to consider...
It's Release Day! Love, love, LOVE Release Day! "Wait for Me" is officially out there and is available on Kindle and Nook for only .99 cents! Such a deal!
This is book one of The Montgomery Brother's series and focuses on youngest brother Lucas Montgomery; a former NFL quarterback who is living a very solitary life after a career ending injury. The only hope of getting him out of his self-imposed exile? Sweet and sassy Emma Taylor.
I love this story because Lucas is a fairly complex character while Emma is a very down to earth and practical. Their differences make for some great interactions. I think that you'll love reading about them as much as I enjoyed creating and writing them.
It seems like nowadays (I sound like I was born in the 40's, don't I?) that a lot of people not only work a regular job, but they have second jobs to make ends meet. You know what I'm talking about; we all know a Pampered Chef consultant or a Tupperware consultant or some other home-party based business. Or the guy who fixes computers on the side.
Or an aspiring author.
Am I right?
Okay, so here's the thing, when it is possible, I do what I can to help my friends with their businesses. I've hosted a home-party. I've paid someone to help with my computer stuff. Today I ordered a RIDICULOUSLY expensive cosmetic primer that, while I like it, I didn't really need. Why? Because someone very sweet was just starting their new business and I wanted to help. She was beyond grateful and even offered to DRIVE 500 miles if I wanted to host a party!
I am an aspiring author. Or am I no longer aspiring because I'm published? I don't know but basically I'm an author, self-publishing, self-promoting and I have little to NO money to use for marketing and I desperately need help from my friends to get the word out on my books.
I'm not asking for a Kidney.
I'm not asking for a loan to buy a pet elephant.
I'm asking for .99 cents or to just click a button.
I think I'd have more luck with the Kidney. I know I'm being kind of down lately but it amazes me how many people have eReaders/Kindles and won't even just download a free copy of something to get me the ranking. I never made it to the #1 spot last night. I have no way of knowing how far I was from it but it sort of blew my mind with 919 Facebook friends and 693 fans on my author page and only having to click on something that was free and no one would do it. I've gotten more kind words and reviews from strangers than from friends.
It just makes me sad.
Do I help everyone that I know with their home business? No. Sometimes I just can't. I'm not going to host a party for a product that I do not want/need/ or believe in but I will certainly share the link to your website or Facebook page! I've written reviews for fellow indie authors to help them get their review count up...don't get the favor returned too often.
I just wish that people had more of a spirit of giving.
So here's my giving for the day: A brand new indie author reached out to me. She released her first story today. It's a short story (24,000 words) and it's a sexy contemporary read (yes, there is sex - gasp!) and she's dipping her toe into the self-publishing pool and not so much feeling the love from other authors. Well I'm willing to give some love. Breah Elise's "Mistaken Identity" is a sensual, sexy read that had me turning the pages for sure! It's only .99 cents on Amazon right now. You can click HERE to buy it.
Will you show the love? Will you buy it? Will you share the link?
It is a very busy time to be me. Seriously. I just released my fourth indie book (this time a full-length novel), I'm editing a completed novella, writing a follow-up to said novella, and trying to figure out which work-in-progress I want to finish up/polish to submit to my agent.
As if that isn't enough, I am doing 95% of my own marketing and promotion on all of my books and just found out that I have been nominated for THREE Indie Romance Awards that I have to campaign to get people to go and vote for me! It's exhausting. All of this WHILE being a wife and mother, working a full-time job and just fighting to survive.
WHEW!
So how can one person with a VERY limited budget do it all? It's not easy, I can tell you that! Okay, the fourth book, "Catering to the CEO", is out on Amazon. I went with the Kindle Select again just because. Honestly, it's very time consuming to submit your file to multiple sites because they all want it in different formats and whatnot and I just don't have the time or energy. I am trying a little bit different of a marketing strategy on this one and I'll see if it pans out for me. Being that this book is a full-length novel, I was able to justify pricing it a little bit higher. Again, we'll see if it pays off.
I'm guessing that the "Like" button on Amazon is a thing of the past because I have used multiple browsers on multiple computers and asked dozens of people and nobody seems to see the dang thing. Why would Amazon take it away? Probably because people try to manipulate results and do the "I'll like your page if you like mine" and so the results are kind of not an accurate telling of what people honestly think of the book. I can admit that I am guilty of that. But still, I wish there was a way that they could track traffic just to see if there is interest in your book! Then the Indie Romance Awards. I'm pretty excited about these but this offers a challenge all its own. Getting votes. Good grief, you'd think I was asking people to donate a damn kidney. With 500 fans on my Facebook Author Page and another almost 900 on my personal page, do you know how many votes I have? 21. TWENTY-FREAKIN-ONE. I can't even get angry anymore but I'm still seriously annoyed. This whole self-publishing thing is hard enough - with just the actual writing and editing. Add marketing and promotions and then campaigning for votes? There aren't enough hours in a WEEK!
There's a site called "Get Online Votes" that you can submit your info too that will direct people to your site where you need votes. It's not as sketchy as it sounds because people have to actually go to the site, click on your link and go and vote; it's not like it's hacking the site or anything. And believe me, I don't know enough about computers or programming to even try to hack anything! No, right now I'm seeing if I see any results from them to help me gain some votes and in return, I go and vote for other people's stuff. We'll see.
So it's new book release day! "Catering to the CEO" was released today on Kindle and I am very excited about it. This is a full-length novel (my last two were novellas) and is $2.99 right now on Amazon for the Kindle version.
And as a gift to you to celebrate CEO's release, "Ever After" is FREE today! So happy reading everyone!!!
I'm not going to lie to you, friends, I did a bit of campaigning on this one and it looks as if my efforts have paid off. At 8:00 p.m. this evening, I received official word that my book, "The Christmas Cottage", is nominated for Best Indie Romance Novella!!
OH... MY... GOSH...
I did a little dance, I jumped around a bit, then texted a whole bunch and then celebrated with a Milky Way ice cream bar. Don't be jealous.
So what does this mean?? I think it's a pretty cool thing to get nominated. The Indie Romance Convention is a fairly new thing but that just makes it all the more fun to be a part of. I can say that I was there from the beginning!
Voting will start April 1st and I cannot be any more excited!!! Being an Indie Author can be so much fun!!!
Have you read "The Christmas Cottage"? It's not just for Christmas! Actually, Christmas is only a secondary theme so really, it's good to read any time! You can get it on Amazon for only .99 cents for the eBook or $6.99 for the paperback. It's still available on Barnes and Noble in both formats, too.
I honestly have to thank NaNoWriMo for this; if I hadn't made myself sit down to write for the competition, I don't know when this story would have been written and it certainly wouldn't have gone out with such amazing timing as it did nor would it have received such recognition. I LOVE BEING A WRITER!!!
Click HERE and order yours today and then come back on April 1st to vote for me so that I can go and walk the red carpet in October!!!
This whole indie publishing thing is a daily learning process. Just when you think you've got it worked out, your formula doesn't work. When I wrote "The Christmas Cottage", I did not set out to write a best seller. It just happened. Only I didn't realize that until about two months after its release.
What does that mean? Well, here I was thinking that I was doing something phenomenal with my cheap and free marketing. The truth was that I released a romantic holiday novella at Christmas time and people enjoy a holiday themed book. It was priced at .99 cents as an ebook and so basically, the planets lined up on that one and I had a best seller.
When I wrote the follow-up, "Ever After", there was no hook; there was no holiday that it was tied into and so I was just hoping to ride the coattails of the success of "The Christmas Cottage". I marketed the same way; utilized a lot of the same websites that offered free or low cost promotions. And I got two VERY different results. "The Christmas Cottage" went into the top 100 Best Seller List in the Kindle Store in eight days. "Ever After"? It has never gotten that high on the list.
Well, that's not totally true; let me clarify. The Kindle Store is the listing of ALL Kindle books. Then it gets broken down into genres. So while "Ever After" has (just recently) been on the best seller list, it was in sub-sub-SUB genre categories.
I did the free promo option on "Ever After" and STILL didn't break the top 100 in the Kindle Store. And I did not get the bounce-back sales that I've heard people talk about, either, after their free days.
I have blogged, tweeted, Tumblr'd,Facebooked...everything I could to spread the word about BOTH books and lightning did NOT strike twice. I've come to learn through multiple indie authors that what happened with "The Christmas Cottage" sales-wise, was not the norm. What I am experiencing with "Ever After" is. A month after it's release, some random romance web-site promoted it on their bargain e-book day and I sold almost 800 books on that day alone! That was more than I had sold in the month! That was pure luck. I'm learning to not obsess about the numbers and to not rely on this income. I thought that I was going to be a bit more on easy-street when I was seeing the sales from "The Christmas Cottage" but have quickly learned that that was a seemingly one-time deal and I was lucky to experience it. So what makes a best seller on Amazon? There seemingly is no direct answer. They took away the like button so there goes that. You need to get reviews. THAT is a biggie. The more reviews the better (and even more so when they are GOOD reviews). But I've seen well-known authors having to essentially beg for reviews so imagine how hard it is for little ol' unknown me to get them!
I'm going to keep writing. I'm going to keep marketing the way that I do and maybe someday I'll luck out and get noticed by a big review site or by someone who just likes my work and I'll be able to get on and stay on the best seller list again.
But at this time yesterday I was spouting both of those things.
Yesterday was the release day of my third book, "Ever After". I chose to go with Amazon exclusively and utilize their Kindle Select program where they get the exclusive digital rights to the book for the first 90 days. I was happy to do it because when I analyzed the sales from "The Christmas Cottage", 98% of them came from Amazon/Kindle.
So what about yesterday had me completely freaked out?
At first I thought I was seeing things but then I remembered how last week when I went to check my stats on "The Christmas Cottage" there had been no "Like"button then either. So what was up?
Let me start by saying if you are suspicious of something, do NOT go onto ANY discussion boards because THAT is where you find all kinds of conspiracy theories. There were customers who had written articles and blogs on how this was Amazon's way of snubbing Indie Authors and making room for only the "real" published ones and I have to tell you, after messaging Amazon and emailing Amazon and chatting with Amazon, I was starting to believe it.
No one had a reason WHY the "Like" button was gone! How could that be? I mean, they are one of, if not THE largest on-line retailers in the world and their IT department can't figure out this 'glitch'? Seemed a little suspicious to me.
And why is the "Like" button so important? Well, it is a way for Amazon to track traffic to your page. It's not the only way but it's an important way and really, in order for my stats to go up on "Ever After", it would certainly help if people went over there and clicked the "Like" button! But they can't do that when it isn't there!
I ranted and raved to their support people and one idiot sent me a lengthy email on the function of the "Like" button. Really? I KNOW THE FUNCTION OF THE LIKE BUTTON!! THAT'S WHY I'M SO PISSED THAT IT'S NOT THERE!!! What the hell???
By 5:00 yesterday afternoon, it was back on "Ever After"'s page. How? Well, for me I had to log out of my Amazon account, clear my internet cache, restart my computer and then log back in.
That only worked on my desktop. I still can't see the "Like" button my laptop.
Come on, Amazon! For real?? Work this stuff out! You keep the majority of my sales on MY hard work and you can't give me my freakin "Like" button??? How about in exchange, I get the majority of my sales profits and you can take your "Like" button and...
Well, you get the picture.
And if you get the chance, head on over and click "LIKE" for me!
I am so excited. Today is the release day for my newest novella, "Ever After"! I thought this day would never come!
For those of you who are new to the blog, "Ever After" is the followup to my holiday novella, "The Christmas Cottage". In the new story, we follow up with Ava Callahan, who was the best friend in "The Christmas Cottage". Though the two stories are related, they can each stand alone.
Here is the back cover blurb:
She walked away from her fairytale wedding in search of her true happily ever after.
She hadn't counted on it coming searching for her first.
Eight months after canceling her wedding, Ava Callahan finally has her life in order and sees nothing but blue skies ahead. A chance encounter with the man responsible for ruining her wedding has her newly organized world in chaos.
Brian McCabe had persevered for eight long months seeking the woman he loves and his patience was about to expire. Purposely putting himself in every path Ava was on might now always work to his advantage, but he wanted to make sure that she truly saw him for who he was.
Her happily ever after.
"Ever After" is available exclusively on Amazon/Kindle starting today for only $1.99!!! Please go to the page HERE and get your copy and don't forget to click LIKE while on the Amazon page. Share the link with your friends and on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else you can.
In case I haven't mentioned it recently, I'm exhausted. Seriously, seriously, exhausted. I think I have been that way since Thanksgiving week. Why? Let me give you a run-down of what life is like here in my world from the end of November through the end of January:
Thanksgiving week: all of the shopping and prepping and cleaning and cooking that goes in to making a Thanksgiving that everyone loves. We celebrate at home so I am the hostess and chef. Then I released my book the last week of November because I thought, "Why not?"
Early December: my birthday and then there are weeks of Christmas shopping and Christmas preparation - tree shopping, tree decorating, house decorating, writing out 4 dozen Christmas cards, mailing out gifts and just trying to be merry.
Christmas: Again, I am the hostess with the mostess. I make the traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner (which is delicious but expensive and time consuming) and then we open our homes to at least 30 of our closest friends for a dessert open house. I crash on Christmas Day but still prepare a full-on restaurant quality breakfast and dinner.
Then there's New Year's.
My older son's birthday is the first week of January. Then there is the un-decorating of all of the Christmas wares. We move him to college the second week of January. My husband and younger son's birthdays (the same day!) are the third week of January and by the fourth week, I barely know my own name.
Oh, and did I mention that I plan on having my next book written and ready for editing by the end of January?
I want to go on vacation but I will need the kind of vacation where I lay around and do NOTHING for at least a week; no driving, no visiting with people, no touring or hiking or running around a theme park. Just a "lay on my lazy butt for a week" (and maybe take a shower) type of rest. Anyone know where I can find one of those on the cheap?
It's not good to wish your life away but right now, I really wish it was the end of January and all of that stuff was done. I want to sleep without someone waking me up, I want to have nothing to do and all day to do it. It would be bliss.
I did manage to find a Groupon deal on a massage that I am going to be utilizing at the end of the month as a reward for merely surviving the month. I plan on eating chocolate and wearing a tiara during it. Is that allowed? LOL!
Book sales are still there - which is a good thing. Trying to maneuver how to keep sales at this level until the next book comes out. Right now we are doing 250 books a day. Not too shabby. If you haven't gotten your copy of "The Christmas Cottage" yet, still .99 cents on Amazon and we're still looking to hit 100 likes. Drop by, click the link, make me smile.
I had a great time tonight. Why? Well, tonight I traveled to visit a cousin that I haven't seen in probably 30 years! We had reconnected on Facebook and her parents (my aunt & uncle/2nd cousins? Still not sure! LOL) were in town and she was hosting a Christmas get-together and I was invited. Very excited at the invite, I took the 90 mile trek to visit my family.
What a great night!
There were more people there that I didn't know than those that I did but everyone was super nice and it turns out that my sweet cousin had been promoting my book to her friends and co-workers so people knew who I was! Then my dear aunt was introducing me as a best selling author! I even signed and autograph! How funny is that?
I may not be signing books at Barnes & Noble or at some Romance convention, but this little get together was probably one of the most endearing and entertaining events I've had as an author and it wasn't even planned to be one! I had the chance to talk to some amazing people, reconnect with family and generally, talk about my book with some people who were genuinely interested. How could someone not enjoy that?
So while around town here I am still just Stace, it was kind of cool to go someplace and have my alter-ego get some attention.
I found out today that "The Christmas Cottage" is no longer eligible for the Hot New Release category. I was really kind of bummed about that one because it doubled the number of lists I was on. But really, after a month of being on the market, I guess it kind of makes sense that I am no longer considered "new". My numbers are dropping but really, it was exciting to know that I peaked at #10 in Women's Fiction and #116 in Kindle books. Some authors never get that kind of rankings and so I am honored to have hit those highs.
The plan is to keep in marketing mode until New Year's and then start on the next book. Will it be something that goes along with "The Christmas Cottage" - like maybe Ava's story? I don't know. Her story isn't coming to me clearly yet. I have some other plots swirling around in my brain that my need attention first.
I'm trying to reach that 10,000 sales mark on "The Christmas Cottage" by New Years. If you haven't gotten your e-copy yet, now would be the perfect time! Did you get an e-reader for Christmas? Don't you want to stock it with .99 cent books? LOOK NO FURTHER!! Click HERE to go to the Amazon page and get your copy and remember to click like while you are there!
Okay, the holiday's are almost over and we've hit the one month mark since the release of "The Christmas Cottage". As an indie author, this has been a very exciting month. I mean, I never in my wildest dreams thought that I'd sell a whole lot of copies; I thought if I hit a thousand, it would be amazing. After all, my first book, "Jordan's Return" really only sold a little over 100 copies.
So imagine my complete and utter surprise that at the one month mark, I've sold almost 7,500 books! WOW! Who knew? I am not going to lie to you, it's a lot of work and I've met all kinds of authors who have had various degrees of success and it doesn't matter if they are traditionally published with big name (or any name) publishers or self published. The key is in the marketing.
This particular book has a limited shelf life due to the fact that it is set on Christmas and not many people are wanting to read a Christmas story in the Spring. I've had to hit the promoting hard and fast and really, I kind of shot myself in the foot a little bit on this one because I released it so quickly that there wasn't any time to build up any hype and get some professional reviews done on some of big book review sites out there before Christmas. Most sites have me on a waiting list and that's going to put the book getting reviewed somewhere around the end of February.
Not good.
I've set small goals for myself as we've gone along. Sell a thousand books. Sell twenty-five hundred books, five thousand...etc. Then it was getting in the top 100 list on Amazon, then the top 50, top 30 until I hit the top 10. I did that on Christmas Eve. It was pretty darn exciting. Now my goal is to hit 10,000 sales by New Year's. Baby steps. It's all about baby steps...
Just need to take them really fast before my window closes.
So here's the thing, I really want and need people to spread the word. I need help getting the word out about the book - it's only a .99 cent download on Kindle, Nook and Smashwords. I need "likes" on Amazon. I mean, 7,500 sales and only 81 people clicked like...I have 36 reviews (most are positive, two are just nasty).
HELP! HELP!! HELP!!!
So if you are looking to do a good deed, help a struggling Indie Author achieve her dream of ending 2012 on a high note! Go to Amazon and click on "The Christmas Cottage". If you haven't already, download the Kindle version or send it to a friend! Click "Like", leave a cheery little note (I cry easily). Let's celebrate the success of the little book that could!
Thank you again for all of your help! Let's show some of those big name publishers what they are missing and that you don't need to spend a fortune to have a best seller.
I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas and here's to some successful book selling as we prepare to say farewell to 2012!!
I LOVE all things Christmas but this year was just more than I expected. It took me a while to get in to the Christmas spirit and really, it didn't hit me until about the 23rd. Sure, I went through the motions - I shopped, I wrapped, the tree was up, blah, blah, blah - but I didn't really FEEL like I was in the holiday spirit until Sunday.
Very unlike me.
I went out to get all of our last-minute stuff (which really wasn't everything but some things had to wait until the complete last minute), got my hair done and just had a wonderful time having fellowship at the salon. Who knew? My stylist had just bought my book and she was raving about it and getting everyone else in the salon excited about it (I know it's a little shallow, but I enjoyed the accolades). Everywhere I went, people were just happy and smiling and saying "Merry Christmas" and it just made me smile.
By Monday, I was really looking forward to the night ahead. We were making our traditional Italian Fish Sauce (very yummy) and then having about 30 people over for dessert. That is my FAVORITE family tradition. It's very casual and it's an open-house so people come and go for hours and it just reminds me of how blessed I am to have such amazing friends in my life.
This was our first "Non-Santa" year. Yes, we finally broke the news to Michael and I have to tell you, it was a little sad. He still believed and to me, it was sweet. To his older brother, it was insanity. Part of what I love about Christmas Eve is sending them to bed and setting up the living room with all of their stuff from Santa.
Not so much this year.
I put out some stuff, not a lot of fanfare, and when we got up this morning it was like "Here's your stuff". We bought Michael an Android tablet, he got a new cell phone, Xbox points and membership, gift cards galore - plus the traditional pajamas that they get every year on Christmas Eve. Nick mainly got all gift cards - his initial request was for money for school but I was not handing over cash and having nothing for him under the tree. My theory was that I would disguise each gift card in a different shaped box and then he'd have a ton of stuff to unwrap under the tree. It worked and he was thrilled.
I bought Frank clothes - jeans, sweatshirts, a new jacket - plus a book on drum making and new drum sticks, plus some smaller stuff like a portable air compressor, a magnifier for reading blue prints for work and a universal phone charger for the car. I got a sassy new scarf, a new iPhone cover (Mickey Mouse!), boots, jammies and a new cosmetic case. All in all, it was a very lovely Christmas.
"The Christmas Cottage" hit #10 on Christmas Eve on Amazon in Women's Fiction and Contemporary Women's Fiction! It was VERY exciting. That was my dream - to have a Top Ten book for Christmas. I was so excited that I pretty much blew up Facebook with my status! We're at #13 today but that's okay. My hope is that all the people that got new ereaders for Christmas and are looking to load it up with cheap and free reads will see the book and buy it. After all, .99 cents it still pretty cheap and it's a sweet story, Dang It!!
But out of all of the hooplah, all of the gifts, all of the trappings of Christmas, what was the number one gift? Actually, it is two-fold. Number one, of course, is the reason for the season and that is the fact that a Savior was born. It's easy to forget that fact when we are conditioned to think that we have to shop and buy and go crazy to get the top toys on the market but really, the gift of salvation is our greatest gift.
Going hand in hand with that fact is the gift of family and friendship. At the end of the movie "It's a Wonderful Life", George Bailey opens a Bible where it states "No man is a failure who has friends". That line makes me cry because we need to remember that having people in our lives who love us is one of the greatest blessing there is. Remember to say a word of thanks for the people in your life that love you, for they are one of lives greatest gifts.
You know, I may have shared this story before but for those of you just joining us, I'll recap.
On November 25, 2012, I released a book titled "The Christmas Cottage". This was a book that I wrote for National Novel Writing Month - November 2012. Yes, I wrote it in less than a month. The story wasn't planned, I started on NaNoWriMo late and basically the words just came to me. I thought it was pretty cool.
Anyway, I had a book signing event for my first book, "Jordan's Return", and I wanted to have something to offer anyone that showed up other than my signature in the book. So I came up with a plan to offer a free ebook for Christmas. The problem was that the book signing was at the end of November and I was still really in the editing process of my quickly written book. I rushed through the edits and had bookmarks made that essentially said "My gift to you...free ebook...blah, blah, blah" and then I found out that Amazon would not allow me to do that.
Again, I was in a rushed mode and didn't do my research. Shame on me.
So I decided to put the book out there for .99 cents. It was a novella so I felt that the price was fair. I got creative with the bookmarks and took out the "free" part. I put the book out there and started marketing with the help of an assistant. I didn't have particularly high hopes for the book because I remembered how little the first book had done but this book wasn't about the sales, it was about keeping my name out there until the agent in NY decided what she was going to do with a book of mine that she has in her possession. You see, this novella was more about keeping my name out there; it wasn't about any great plan for a best seller.
Best laid plans and all that...
Imagine my surprise when the book started climbing the charts. Imagine my surprise that people were actually excited about it and responding to my ads and cries for support. Totally unlike the response I got to book number one. I was giddy and excited and damn near in tears when the book hit one of the best seller lists!
Imagine my surprise when I started getting negative reviews and critiques because of my spelling/grammar/keystroke errors. I have no excuse; I rushed the book, I didn't spend enough time editing. The funny thing is that most of those negative reviews say that they really enjoyed the story, just that the grammar/spelling errors were too distracting.
I spent three days currently re-editing the book and tonight I re-submitted it to Amazon and will have to do the same tomorrow with Nook. I should have taken more time. I should have waited to release it but I was really not expecting all of the hooplah that I got. I wasn't expecting so many mean people.
I'm reading a book right now that is a collection of short stories that is absolutely horrible. I mean, I don't know who chose these stories but they are not a grouping that should be together. Some stories are short and sweet while others are just crude and full of vulgar language and sex scenes. I'm not a prude and I've written many a sex scene for my books but these scenes made me wince. Am I going to attack the publisher and writers? No. Am I going to ask for a refund? No. I bought it, I read it, I own it.
I'm just praying that I have learned from the negative reviews and from reading some bad books and that my next book won't be such a downer to so many people. Sorry that I let my excitement ruin your reading experience. That wasn't my intention...
As we are approaching the final countdown to Christmas, hopefully most of us are done with our shopping and preparations. Maybe you are getting ready to travel or maybe you're the one hosting the festivities this year. Either way, it is important to take some time for yourself and sit and relax.
What I have loved most about my Kindle is that I can go through the lists of Free books on Amazon and really load up my reading list essentially for nothing. I also look at books that are under $3 because really, you can't buy a paperback for less than that these days. So I get a variety of books to read and spend less than I would on possibly one or two books.
There are so many titles to choose from and not all of the ones that I've chosen (particularly from the free list) were memorable, however, I'm never disappointed when I take time to sit down and read. Plus, and this is definitely true if you are traveling, it's nice to have the convenience of all of those titles in one compact place rather than lugging around four or five paperback in your carry-ons or luggage.
We spend so much time prepping for the holidays and running around that we don't take time to actually slow down and ENJOY the holidays. I don't know about where you are right now but here in North Carolina it is very cold and the wind is fierce! Once I am done blogging, I am curling up in my big comfy chair and reading. If we were traveling, I would be curled up in my hotel room right now - with the Kindle - and reading.
I'm a book nerd. I admit it. I was astounded to learn that I am friends with several people who do NOT like to read! It was shocking! I love spending my free time reading. If I'm not reading, then I want to be writing. Why? So that I have something that I enjoy to read...to read! I'm a freak, sorry.
So when you're searching for something to read to fill the void on that holiday trip or to help you kick back and relax after a day of cleaning, shopping and prepping, consider this: be done with the Fifty Shades books. Seriously, that series is killing me. It's a bit sick and repulsive and it is EVERYWHERE on every book list. Enough already! Look at what Amazon recommends under the genre that you are looking for and don't forget to give some new authors a chance.
In the last year I discovered several new authors whose books I have thoroughly enjoyed - they are all contemporary romance/women's fiction writers but their books are very enjoyable: Kristan Higgins, Jill Shalvis, Shannon Stacey, Robyn Carr... LOVE these ladies and their writing and it was exciting to find myself on the best seller lists with them!
Don't knock the indie authors or those who aren't so well known. You never know what you may be missing! You would be surprised how many great books there are out there that don't cost a fortune. If you bought an ebook reader for someone or you get one yourself this year, you will have thousands of fabulous books to choose from that are under $3.00 - and really, NO ebook, no matter who the author is, should cost more than that!
We are heading in to the end of the first month of sales of "The Christmas Cottage" and my goal is to hit the top ten in women's fiction and the top 100 in Kindle sales. My current standing has me at #13 in women's fiction and #138 in Kindle sales. If you are looking for a great stocking stuffer for the romance reader in your life, "The Christmas Cottage" would make a great gift! Only $6.99 in paperback. We're looking to hit 100 "Likes" on the Amazon page and...as a special gift for anyone who's read this far...
I will give a Kindle version of "The Christmas Cottage" to the first TWO people to comment on the blog that they shared the link on their Facebook page! So leave a comment here with the link to your Facebook page and show that you've shared the love and you'll get a FREE ebook copy of the book.
I'm not going to lie to you, history is so not my thing. Sure, I got in to it a bit when we were homeschooling but when we were done, so was I. I don't get in to all of the hype with things like Nostradamus (although I have watched a few documentaries), I'm not big on conspiracy theories (but I will admit that there was an interesting one on the "death" of Paul McCartney that left me thinking) and I'm not one to get all hyped up on the End of the World stuff.
If there's one thing that I am fairly certain of it's that God does not want us to know that date. All of this theory about tomorrow being the end of the world just makes me roll my eyes. Remember Y2K? Nothing. I just don't see that this is going to be anything significant except that people will remember how stupid people acted leading up to it.
Although, if I had to jump on the crazy bandwagon I'd have to say, Really, Mayans??? I finally get my life in order just for the world to end? How fair is that??? I mean, Frank and I both have jobs, Nick's going to college and I have fulfilled my lifelong dream of being an author with a book on a best seller list and I don't even get to enjoy it??? COME ON!!!
Has anyone thought that maybe the guy making the calendar died and no one else could finish it? Did you think that maybe they thought that they had put enough in to the calendar that eventually someone else would take over? I mean, how long were they supposed to work on this calendar? There are a million reasons as to why the Mayan calendar ended and I'm finding it hard to believe that any of them are because the world is ending tomorrow.
Boy will my face be red if that is the case!
And speaking of red, don't you love the red color on the cover of my book "The Christmas Cottage"? I mean, it's a cute, festive little cover and I really, really like it. Today at our highest point we were #165 in Kindle downloads! Holy cow!!! I've sold almost 4,200 kindle books in three weeks! I love that I can actually track sales now. It's pretty cool - and addictive. I'll need to take a break from all of the tracking in the new year and spend my time working on my next book because I can see that I'm getting a little bit crazed.
It was funny because when I finally figured out the tracking this week and where to find it, my goal was to hit 4,000 sales by Christmas Day. I was floored when we made it there today. So my new goal (dream) is to be at 5,000 sales by Christmas Day. I have no idea how successful we'll be but I would love to see it happen.
So as you might have guessed, I haven't been too thrilled with Amazon since learning of their return policy. As an independent writer who is paying for all of the marketing and promotional stuff for "The Christmas Cottage" on my own, any loss of sales is a big deal to me. Then there's the fact that I don't really SEE Amazon doing anything to promote me and my book even though they are taking a whole lot of my money.
So imagine my surprise today and when at 7:20 this morning a very dear friend calls me to tell me that she was going through her emails and there in her inbox was one from Amazon. If you subscribe to them you can get daily emails from them where they make suggestions for items for you to purchase based upon some of your shopping history. Well, under Literature and Fiction, guess what book was at the top of the list???
That's right! OMG! Who can believe it? But there it was! In full color on the page in the email in her inbox from Amazon...they were promoting ME! How freakin cool is that???
I am not going to lie to you, it was a pretty darn incredible feeling. I'm beginning to feel like a REAL author! The funny thing is, Amazon does not tell me when they are going to do something like this; I guess it's just the luck of the draw but I am feeling beyond blessed that they chose me. A little nobody Indie author from North Carolina!
Who is still waiting for either Oprah or Good Morning America to call... and perhaps the Hallmark Channel to call with an offer to make my book in to a movie.
Just a suggestion...
Actually, I'd be equally thrilled to hit the Top 10 in Women's Fiction and be in the Top 100 in Kindle by Christmas Eve. Please share the link with your friends; like the book on Amazon, check out our Facebook page. Everyone has been so amazing and supportive but I've got a long way to go and can use all of the help I can get!
Check your Amazon emails...I may be in there! LOL!
So tonight I FINALLY figured out where to find my sales on both the ebook version of "The Christmas Cottage" and the paperback sales. I was so excited as I was reading the report...I mean I was positively giddy. Then I noticed this little section of the report that said "Refund".
Seriously, on a .99 cent book?
I'm sorry, and I say this not just as an outraged author but as a human being in general - do you buy a magazine and then return it to the store? Do you buy a paperback book and then return it to the store? Um...no. Why? BECAUSE YOU USED IT!!! Amazon's policy is that if you purchase an ebook, you have seven days to return it! Well, had I known that, I would have returned MOST of the ebooks I've read and saved myself some money.
I've read some really great books and like I said before, I've read some really bad books but I've never thought of asking for a refund because I bought the book and read it! I know that there is some sort of loop-hole because it's a digital file and therefore no "wear and tear" can happen but for the love of it people, what is wrong with you??? What has to be going through your mind that you have to have your .99 cents back? Now if it were a $5.00 or more book, I'd consider it but .99 cents? Geez, if you can't afford .99 cents then don't BUY the book!
I worked in retail for many, many years and was always amazed at what people tried to return. Clothes that were clearly worn, food that was opened, books that were used...it was sickening. It's like everyone wants something for nothing. You purchase something, you USE it, and then you want your money back? To what end?
I'm disgusted, honestly and truly disgusted. This world is full of dishonest people and someone who buys a book and returns it is dishonest - you USED the book. Have the decency to keep the book. Indie authors make next to nothing and you want to take away the measly .35 cents we make because you want to work the system.
I cannot even believe that Christmas is a week away! Where did the time go? How did it get here so dang fast?? I am so not ready and I am ALWAYS ready for Christmas. Of course, the last time I was working full time at Christmas time was...1993. I kid you not. Add to that the fact that I am NOT as young as I was in 93 and that I am now the mother of two rather than one...well, lets just say I'm exhausted.
The tree is up, all of the presents that I've bought (and that is the key here) are wrapped but there is still quite a bit of shopping to do. Luckily my bosses were gracious and gave us off for Christmas Eve so I get a four day weekend next weekend and I will most likely spend most of it in preparation of Christmas. There is still food shopping to do and desserts to prepare along with the holiday meals. Again, it's exhausting.
Christmas is a little weird this year. Nick will be leaving for school in a matter of weeks. When we went to get our tree last weekend, it hit me that it would be the last time, realistically, that he would be with us to shop for a tree. He won't be home to do that next year and quite possibly the whole four years he'll be at school. And who knows if he'll move back here when he's done! So that depressed me.
We decorated the tree and again it hit me, that it would be the last time he'd decorate with us. For such a great accomplishment on his part, it is certainly messing with my Christmas joy this year!
The shootings in Connecticut were horrific and as a parent, I cannot imagine what their Christmas is going to be like. As much as I go on about how depressed I am that Nick will be a couple of hours away and not be able to be home to pick out and decorate a tree, the reality is that I WILL see him for Christmas. Those families will never see their babies again. There are presents under their trees right now that will never be opened. So my griping is rather petty in light of their loss.
I'm trying to not watch the news because it's too sad. There are so many people that I miss at Christmas and seeing this all unfold just makes me even more of a mess. Last year was the first time in a long time that I was numb with grief. It wasn't that we had lost anyone recently, but for some reason I FELT the loss so heavily that I could barely move. I would cry at the drop of a hat and people were starting to get concerned.
I miss my grandparents.
I miss my stepmother.
I miss my cousin.
As our lives are finally showing signs of getting better after nearly 20 years of near debilitating bad luck and struggles, I wish that all of them were here to celebrate with us. Frank and I both finally have jobs. Nick is going to college. I have a best selling book out. Michael is growing in to this amazing young man...I think that my grandparents - who were from a generation of the most AMAZING grandparents - would just be beaming with pride and joy at all that we've overcome. I miss them. I love them. I would give anything for one more Christmas with them.
So I will start of this week by getting off of my sad sack and do my full week of work with the joy of knowing that I have a job. I will go and order our Christmas roast (which is delicious!). I will finish the shopping and be thankful that we have money for gifts this year. I will await some test/biopsy results and be thankful that I was able to even GO to a doctor. I will set up our little Christmas village that until a day or two ago, I was too sad to take out because it belonged to my stepmom and just taking it out makes me miss her. Instead, I will take it out and light it up and say a prayer of thanks that she shared it with me. I will be thankful for all of the friends who have supported me and loved me and helped me through some rough times and how they have embraced my dream of becoming a writer.
I will thank God every day for my husband and my sons. They are the greatest gift of all.
And, to end this sad little post on a high note, we had another great Amazon day that I am extremely grateful for, too. Drum roll please...
#17 in Women's Fiction #23 in Contemporary Women's Fiction #40 in Contemporary Fiction #44 in Contemporary Romance #73 in Romance
#5 in BOTH Hot New Releases in Women's Fiction and Contemporary Women's Fiction #7 in Hot New Releases in Contemporary Fiction #12 in Hot New Releases in Contemporary Romance #21 in Hot New Releases in Romance and Finally...a new record...
Your gentle face and patient smile with sadness we recall, you had a kindly word for each and died beloved by all. The voice is mute and stilled the heart that loved us well and true, ah, bitter was the trail to depart from one so good as you.
You are not forgotten loved one nor will you ever be as long as life and memory last we will remember thee. We miss you now. Our hearts are sore. As time goes by we miss you more, your loving smile, your gentle face. no one can fill your vacant place.
Grandma & Nick
Priorities
PRIORITIES
"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove.... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child."
I am a 40 year old mother of two who is still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up! I am a wanna-be author, a homeschool mom, wife, and all around mom-on-the-go who does her best to avoid her crazy, extended family!
What do I mean? Okay, this morning my newest book "Trust in Me" is number 32 on Barnesandnoble.com. And not just in romance! No! It is #32 on the site! That is pretty freakin exciting, right? I mean, top 100! There are some seriously big named authors on there all around me! So I get all giddy and excited and dance around the house and then I jump over to Amazon.com and there is the same book, released the same day and where is "Trust in Me" on their list? I'm number 1406. The book is only .99 cents on both sites so it's not like one has the advantage over one another but if you do the math, clearly there's a difference.
