The .99 Cent Ebook Refund - How Cheap Can You Be?

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.

Yikes... 

The Week Before Christmas...

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...

"The Christmas Cottage" was #227 in Kindle Downloads!!!

Still only .99 cents to download on Kindle, Nook and Smashwords and only $6.99 in paperback!  Would love to be in the top ten for Christmas!!! 

Show Me the Money!

So here's a funny thought - I am an author.  I have just released my second book and it is currently on three best seller lists on Amazon and three hot new release lists on Amazon.  It is climbing the charts.  The book cost me nothing to write, edit, produce and release.  You'd think, then, with a zero dollar investment, my return would be great on a best seller, right?

Think again.

I have been absolutely AMAZED at the blatant queries of how much I have made so far on "The Christmas Cottage".  I mean, CLEARLY, when you have a best seller, that must mean that I am being handed BUCKETS full of money!

Think again.

I have had some people since the book's release, looking for that dollar amount because they are wanting a share of the wealth.  They weren't interested in helping me promote the book, they weren't interested in even knowing what the book was about; they wanted FREE copies of the book and to know how many millions I am making.

And they were serious.

So for the mathematically challenged, let me make it super easy for you to understand... I invested $0.00 to produce the book - I used all of the free services that Create Space provided.  I invested $0.00 to list the book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords and in return, I listed the ebook version for a measly .99 cents.  Of that .99 cents, I get about .35 for each download.  The book would have to be downloaded 2,857,143 times (approximately) in order to make a million dollars.  I can GUARANTEE you, the book has NOT been downloaded that many times.

Now the print version.  I priced this version at $6.99 and it's paperback.  I still felt it was a little high priced for the size of the book but the reality was, that's what I needed to set it at to show any kind of profit. And that profit is only $1.48 per copy.  Amazon gets the rest.  If it sells through Create Space, I get a whopping $2.78.  I went with the free distribution options because to expand the options would have cost me $25 that I did not have.  For some reason, the sales haven't tracked on Amazon yet and I am working out the kinks to figure that out but according to Create Space, I have sold 29 copies of "The Christmas Cottage" and one copy of my previous title, "Jordan's Return" making my royalties for December $74.19.

I realized that advertising to get the book out there is not free.  Sure, there are some free options but to really get the ball rolling, you have to pay something.  So far I've paid out approximately $200 between advertising and having the blessing of an assistant.  So technically, I am about $125 in the NEGATIVE.

So for those of you looking to cash in on my success, please keep in mind that it is my author name that I am building; it is the achievement of a life-long dream that is making this success so damn wonderful.  I feel sorry for those who only see success in dollar signs.  I'm not going to get rich doing this but the joy that I have in writing something that people are reading?  That's priceless!

We hit an all time high earlier today on Amazon and it was pretty freakin exciting!

#29 in Contemporary Women's Fiction
#45 in Contemporary Fiction
#69 in Contemporary Romance
#12 in Hot New Releases in Contemporary Women's Fiction
#14 in Hot New Releases in Contemporary Fiction
#18 in Hot New Releases in Contemporary Romance AND...
#330 in Kindle Downloads

It was a great way to start the day and yet there was no chauffeur driven limo waiting to take me to work, I did not book a Disney Cruise and my lunch was some $5 take out from a local pizzeria.  I am not living a financially charmed life, people, but I am damn happy! 

Ebook Readers...

Love them?  Hate them?  Know how to use them?  

Last year for Christmas, Frank bought me a Kindle Touch.  I was not gracious about the gift at first.  I opened it, smiled and was like "Oh!  Look at this!" when the reality was I was fuming inside because I had told him a week earlier how much I did NOT want an ebook reader!  I prefer the feel of a "real" book, I enjoy turning the pages, I love scanning through them and re-reading some of my favorite parts...

What an idiot I was!

It took a little time but then I learned to embrace the Kindle and after a while, I kind of stopped buying paperbacks.  Not completely, mind you.  There are a couple of books that I have bought in paperback mainly because they weren't available in ebook format and I just had to have them right away.  Crazy, I know, but there it is.  

I didn't feel the need to step up to the Kindle Fire or covet any other more high-tech reader, I enjoy my simple Kindle Touch.  Then I discovered the Kindle App for my iPhone.

I'm lucky I still have a job.

I have found great joy in reading on my iPhone no matter where I am.  Hell, that's what got me through the long lines on Black Friday!  I read three novella's in a 24 hour period all from the convenience of my phone!  Who knew!

My soon-to-be 13 year old (yikes!) was browsing the campus bookstore when we went to tour Nick's college and he discovered the Nook from Barnes and Noble.  He was mesmerized by the whole thing and then started a campaign to get one for himself.  I was curious as to why it had to be the Nook; I don't have anything against the Nook but I wanted to know what it was about the Nook that drew him in.  The answer?

He could watch Netflix on it.

Seriously.

So I did a little research and basically the more high-tech "tablets" or ereaders have all kinds of apps to not only read but watch movies on and he told me that he is allowed to have an ebook reader at school with him.  I then had to remind him that he would have to actually READ on it if he had it at school and not be watching Dr. Who on Netflix.  I got the eye roll and the "Mom, please" but I could tell that he hadn't considered the possibility of getting caught watching TV at school.

Ah, youth.

The thing that really got me was the price of the Nook, the Fire, and the like.  He's 13.  I don't think that any child (and yes, he is still a child) needs to have the most expensive gadgets on the market because really, they don't know how to take care of them.  So we compromised and he agreed to not NEEDING the Nook and would be happy with an Android tablet.  Thank God for Amazon and Black Friday.  We got a sweet deal and when I see that he can really take care of his electronics (he's lost his iPod about a dozen times), we'll think about upgrading.

So what's your favorite tablet or ereader?  Have you found one that is far more superior than the rest?  I would love to know!

And you know what is the best part of the ereader?  MY BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE ON THEM!!!  "The Christmas Cottage" is currently #398 in Kindle downloads and 83,174 on Nook and only .99 cents per download!  Such a deal!!

Daily Amazon Stats:

#32 in Contemporary Women's Fiction
#52 in Contemporary Fiction
#80 in Contemporary Romance
#11 in Hot New Releases in Contemporary Women's Fiction
#14 in Hot New Releases in Contemporary Fiction
#22 in Hot New Releases in Contemporary Romance

Would Oprah please give me a call!!!
 

Indie Author Support

I am, by nature, a talker and a sharer.  Sometimes I share too much.  If you've read this blog for any amount of time I'm sure you'll agree.  I don't keep much to myself and if there is a way I can help someone then I will.  I believe in trying to be encouraging and supportive while at the same time, being realistic.

I sound fabulous, don't I?

Anyway, in my long running quest to becoming a published author I learned one solid truth:  Authors are VERY secretive.  It's true.  Particularly the ones that have agents and have a big name publisher behind them; they would survive all kinds of torture before offering any real advice or leads on how an unknown author can get published.

They don't tell you who their agents are, they aren't really forthcoming in their tale of how they finally landed their agents or publishing contract and essentially you get a very "Stepford Wives" kind of vibe - everything is good, it all worked out great and they are so happy.  Seriously?  Now I know that not everyone has a great "road to getting published" story like J.K. Rowling but most of us will never see that kind of success either.  

Now as I have waded in to the pool of being an Indie Author (I really like that title!) I find that Indie Authors are a MUCH more forthcoming breed of people.  They are willing to talk to you; they are willing to go to your page and hit "like", and they are willing to offer a heartfelt congratulations.  I've worked with several published, main-stream authors and not one of them has offered me a personal "congratulations" on the success of "The Christmas Cottage".  I'm a little offended by that.

Then the next area of support/no support are the locals.  We have a newspaper here in town.  They took the free copy of my book, promised an interview...three weeks ago.  Small town bookstores look at me like I'm asking them to give me their first born when I ask to put a couple of books on their shelves!  Hey, did it ever occur to any of these people that locals might benefit from supporting locals?

Back when "Jordan's Return" came out I can remember how I had so many people congratulating me and encouraging me and I had an aunt who said to my mom, "I don't see what the big deal is; it's not like it's a real book."  Why?  Because I'm self-published; because I'm an Indie.  

You know, we are a society that supports all kinds of idiots who have no talent but have their own reality shows but for the thousands of Indie Authors who have REAL talent, we can't get the time of day!  How is that possible?  Now I know that not every Indie Author has talent but then again, haven't we all read a book by a normally best selling author that kind of sucks?  I know I have and more than once!  

I feel like making a bumper sticker that says "Have you hugged an Indie Author today?"!  How funny would that be?  Would anyone bother to hug me??  It's crazy...  All I'm trying to say is, hey, Indie authors are just as talented, if not MORE talented, than traditionally published authors and we should not be treated like the red-headed stepchild.  For those of you not wanting to engage because you think you are better than us...you don't know what you're missing.
 
Today's Stats:
#39 on Amazon's Best Seller's in Contemporary Women's Fiction
#68 on Amazon's Best Seller's in Contemporary Fiction 
#516 in Kindle Downloads
#13 on Amazon's Hot New Releases in Contemporary Women's Fiction
#16 on Amazon's Hot New Releases in Contemporary Fiction

Remember, "The Christmas Cottage" is only .99 cents on Kindle or $6.99 in paperback.  Help me show those snobs that an Indie Author can stay strong on the Best Seller List!!  Order your copy HERE.  

Advertising on Facebook

In my quest for more social media marketing, I am coming up against some weird options and some that are a little, shall we say, less than forthcoming with their prices and then the ever so popular "Free" advertising that is not anything even remotely resembling free.

I have paid some money for advertising and it's all been relatively small - $5 on one site for 24 hours worth of exposure, $8 on one and $10 on another.  I believe they are working because we're doing well on the Amazon charts and that's where I am focusing the most right now because while Barnes and Noble is awesome, I truly believe that Amazon is going to generate more overall sales.

Tonight, I did something that I was kind of confident that I wouldn't do.  I created an ad on Facebook.  They aren't free, it's $10 a day but with the target audience that I generated the ad toward, I have the possibility of reaching over 30 million people.  We'll see.  To me, that seems like a lot and really, I'm pretty sure that out of that target number, about 75% of them aren't on Facebook all that much.  I'm doing the ad for only two days to see what kind of sales/interest it generates.

The ad is simple; it simply headlines "Samantha Chase Fan Club" and then mentions that the Kindle download is only .99 cents and then the link to the Amazon page.  Next time I may do it just to get the likes, I'm not sure.  There was a spot for me to enter a coupon code toward the advertising but I could not find any such code.  So I'm going to search the web over the next two days and see what I can find because if I can find that elusive $50 in advertising credit code, that would give me more time to keep the ad out there.

We were in the top 30 on the Amazon Best Seller list today and that is always exciting.  My goal is to hit the top 25 by next weekend.  I'm hoping this little campaign will help me achieve that goal.  This is just all so new and confusing to me.  Add to that the fact that Amazon hasn't released any of my sales info yet, it would be nice to know that I am actually MAKING some money and not just spending it.

This is why writers need assistants.  We cannot possibly write the next best seller when we are continually having to market and promote.  Although, from what I understand, the days of the publisher helping with that is almost gone forever so really, whether you are an Indie author or with a publishing house, you have your work cut out for you and you would be wise to have someone helping you.  Thank you, Dot, for helping me!  Soon, you'll be making more money than me on this endeavor.  LOL!
 
Our final stats for the day aren't great but we'll take them!
# 41 in Contemporary Women's Fiction
# 68 in Contemporary Fiction and # 538 in Kindle Downloads.  

If you see the ad on Facebook, give it a click!  And if you haven't had the opportunity yet, please click HERE and go to Amazon and "Like" the book - and download for only .99 cents!  Help the starving Indie Author! 

When Good Books Get Bad Reviews

I am not going to lie to you, as an avid reader, I have read my share of bad of bad books.  I do a lot of book reviews both for websites and do them on Amazon, too, and while it's always easy to write a positive one, it's not as easy to write a bad one.  What we enjoy reading is a personal choice.  Not everyone is going to share your opinion and what one person loves another may hate.

All of this was not really a big issue to me until I became an author. Now all of a sudden it's a HUGE issue.  On Amazon I have a hard time leaving a bad review because it is MY name next to it and I feel like I wish I could leave the review anonymously.  I don't want the author to know my name.  She may look me up and yell at me!  LOL!  So why leave negative reviews?  Sometimes, it's the only way to get some satisfaction from a really horrible book.  

Today, I got my first bad review.  One star.  Yikes.  My heart dropped.  Now I am realistic and I know that the book is not perfect.  It was not meant to go as far as it has and I did not spend as much time editing it as I should have because it was originally planned to be a freebie download and I was under a time crunch to get it out for Christmas.  So the reviews are now starting to come in outside of my loyal readers and today's review hurt a little.

Then I went to the reviewers profile.  

She leaves bad reviews for everyone!  She's done a total of five reviews and they are all bad.  And let me tell you, it's not just on indie authors, she gave a one star review to Danielle Steel!  And she's like the QUEEN of women's fiction!!  She gave a two-star review to Nora Roberts!  So while my first thought was "how do I erase this review?" after seeing what this woman does, I realized it was like a little badge of honor.  Clearly she is reading the wrong genre if she feels the need to hate everything she reads.  STOP READING IT THEN, DUMMY!

I mean, if I only read Science Fiction books of course I would write bad reviews because I HATE Science Fiction!!!  So while I hate seeing that stupid review, I feel like I've "arrived" a little.  Now I truly am entering the league where there are players who are my heroes.  Writer's whose work I have long admired, I now have something in common with!  It's kind of cool.

So this little one star review will not get me down.  Why?  Because I am still moving up the charts!  Suck it, bad reviewer!!!  Sorry, that was a mean girl moment!  Here are the daily stats:


#35 in Contemporary Women's Fiction
#64 in Contemporary Fiction
#91 in Contemporary Romance

#12 in Hot New Releases in Contemporary Women's Fiction
#17 in Hot New Releases in Contemporary Fiction
#29 in Hot New Releases in Contemporary Romance

Thank you for all of your continued support!  "The Christmas Cottage" is a sweet little novella and would make a perfect stocking stuffer for the romance reader in your life!!

Christmas Shopping on Facebook?

I know I may be in the minority here, but I truly wish I had more time to just sit down at my computer just for fun.  I sit at a computer all day at work but I don't have the luxury of doing anything "fun" on it during the hours of 8 and 5.  Sad but true.  With so much to see on the web I am limited as to how much I can see and and with working full time, I am limited in the time I have to actually go OUT and Christmas shop.  The solution?  

Shop on Facebook.

No, I'm serious.  Think about it.  I am a fan of all kinds of products that I love.  I follow Target, Walmart, Amazon...all of the big stores so when there's something BIG going on, they share it on Facebook.  Then, with the invention of Pinterest, you get people sharing things that they like to see, do and make and then it gives you ideas of what you can, well...see, do and make for the holidays.

I find out about new books from authors that I love, I find out about contests to enter to win stuff for the holidays; really, for me?  Facebook has almost become a one-stop shopping endeavor.  I get to catch up with friends, see what's new in their lives and find out what they are buying and doing for Christmas.  Why?  Because we share EVERYTHING on Facebook!  Even stuff we shouldn't (and you know who you are!).

I found a deal where I can get $5.00 off on Amazon through a link on Facebook.  I found a giveaway that Target was doing, heck, most of my book sales on "The Christmas Cottage" have been generated from posts that I've put out on Facebook!  It's really a great social media resource.

And I wanted to add an addendum from Thursday's post:  "Social Media Marketing".  Another great way to get the word out besides blogging, Facebook, Twitter and the like is Digg.com.  This site allows you to post links to articles that you want to share with the masses.  I think they are primarily looking for news worthy articles but I post the link to my blogs there and it's generating some traffic so THANK YOU, Digg.com.  I greatly appreciate the opportunity to post my ramblings on your site.

So do you find Facebook informative or just a place to go to kill time?  What social media sites do you find to be most helpful?  I'd love to hear about them!

Daily book update!  We have made some MAJOR headway on the lists and I am THRILLED!!!  As of 9:00 this morning the stats are as follows on Amazon:
#42 in Contemporary Women's Fiction
#80 in Contemporary Fiction
#11 in Hot New Releases in Contemporary Women's Fiction
#16 in Hot New Releases in Contemporary Fiction
AND.... Drumroll please...# 627 in Kindle downloads!!!

I am beyond blessed by this endeavor and I am so thankful for all of the support I have received!!!

Social Media Marketing

This whole experience lately has been a learning process. What I figure out daily is exhausting.  I can now understand why people figured out that they can charge for this service and people will pay for it.

Social media marketing.

I am telling you, a year ago when I published my first book I figured I'd put it up on Amazon, tell some friends and word would spread like wildfire.

It did not.

I learned to list it wherever I could, blog about it, put it on Facebook and Twitter but it's not the kind of thing that can only be done once.  It has to be done DAILY.  Several times a day.  On multiple websites.  All. Day.  Long.  In the last year I have found quite possibly hundreds of sites that are for book reviews and reviewers, discussion boards about books, places where you can list your book (some for free, some not so much)...it would take quite possibly a month to just catalog all of the sites and figure out which ones will give you the most exposure.

As much as I love Amazon, I'm not feeling like I'm getting a whole lot of anything from them.  If anything, they've sort of stalled my progress.  I've had reviews removed because, to them, they seemed like the writer of the review was too personally close to me.  So basically they are saying that people who know me, who BUY the book and like it, cannot write a review unless it is something basic like "Loved it!"  Now don't get me wrong, I would love to have about a hundred "Loved it"'s on the site but that's not happening right now and I can't obsess about it.  So although they are getting money from my book, they aren't doing anything to help it sell.

Where is the logic in that?

Twitter is still a mystery to me.  I don't spend a whole lot of time on it.  I have almost 400 followers (and you can follow me HERE) but I wonder, do any of these people really read what I'm tweeting?  I just really started doing the tweeting about a month ago so in the world of Twitter, I have relatively few "tweets"; I'm rectifying it now.  But I know for me, I don't have time to sit and read the tweets of the nearly 800 people that I follow!  So how does this benefit me?  I don't know.

I have a Facebook fan page for my author persona.  Samantha Chase has 51 followers.  That makes me a little sad but the numbers are growing a little bit more ever week.  It's another slow process.  Every day, several times a day, I post the progress of the book or something about what's going on in my "career" but it's nothing exciting.  I have a website but a friend designed it and it's too complex for me to update and so it's a little stagnant right now - all of the Jordan's Return stuff is all over it; very beach themed and sort of clashes with the whole Christmas thing I've got going on right now.

I would love to get on a blog roll of some sort.  I need the exposure but there are some long waiting lists to get on them.  The other day I was a featured author on addictedtoebooks.com and I've got another site that is interested in doing an interview with me.  These are all great things but it's searching them out and again, figuring out who is going to get me the most exposure that I'm trying to figure out.

The local newspaper is supposed to get back to me about an interview and I have a display in a local bookstore...back in the day, these would be great things but local advertising really doesn't do much for you.  We have another local bookstore here in town that won't carry the book until he sits and talks with me.  That's going to take another week and being that the book is Christmas themed, I kind of feel like the time is NOW to get it out there.  No one has the urgency that I do and I'm growing frustrated with it.

So what have I learned?  I've learned that even well-known, multi-published authors have to do their own marketing.  Most of them have assistants to do that for them because the publishers are not doing it.  There is no magic fast-track to climbing the chart when you are a new indie author.  You still get blocked by the big guys.  So I sit and I wait, not so patiently, for my turn.  It can happen.

Daily Amazon Update:  #59 on Amazon's Best Seller List for Contemporary Women's Fiction and #1101 in Kindle downloads.  We're still moving up and it still feels great!  But I wouldn't turn down some more "Likes" and maybe a review or two...just saying...

Hi-ho, Hi-ho...it's off to college he goes!

So time is FLYING by and before I know it, it will be January and we will be dealing with a MAJOR milestone in our home. 

My boy is going to college.

We always hoped that this would happen but he seemed to not be in any kind of hurry to MAKE it happen.  Sorry, but once you move out, my theory is that it is no longer the parents job to make sure the child goes to school.  We were hopeful, we encouraged but generally, the choice was all his.  

He did all of the paperwork himself.  He took the SAT's (2 years after graduating high school).  He filed for all of the financial aid and found himself a place to live and is working on getting a job.  I cannot describe the level of pride that I am feeling right now.

But I will be a mean girl for a moment:  For those of you who for years put my son down (and you know who you are), I'd like to ask, what are your kids doing?  Because although I dislike the tally sheet method, if I were to have one, I'd say a lot of you should have spent a little more time worrying about where YOUR kids were going than spending time putting mine down.  

I've seen teenage pregnancies, drug use, alcohol abuse and, oh yes, not a whole lot of them heading off to college.  On their own.  Paying for it themselves.  So while my son may have been a little more "in your face" than most, I think he's pretty damn spectacular and we are just beside ourselves with pride.

I was joking with him the other day about how it's his turn now to support me.  He shares all sorts of crazy things on Facebook, but does he share the news of him mom's writing success?  Um, no.  Then I had to remind him that should my book make us some money, that some of it could go to HELP him with college.  Has he done it yet?  Um, no.  So I posted it on his wall only to realize that his 400 friends aren't really going to see it because I posted it, not him!

Killing me...slowly and painfully...

And for your daily update:  "The Christmas Cottage" is currently #75 on Amazon's Best Seller List in Contemporary Women's Fiction and # 1461 in Kindle downloads!!!

You didn't think I'd go a whole post without mentioning that, did you?

 

Braces, Books and Yo-Yo's...Oh, My!

So I had to take my 12 year old to the orthodontist today.  Personally, I don't think his teeth are THAT bad but it's something that needed to be done.  

Oh.
My.
Gosh.

If you look at Michael, there's not a whole lot that is obviously wrong.  He has one tooth that hasn't come in (and today we found out why) and his two front bottom teeth are a little crooked but other than that I was thinking this was going to be minor.

Silly, silly me.

After some lengthy panoramic X-rays and pictures I finally got to sit down with the good dentist.  Nice guy, no issues with him but once he started his presentation suddenly I felt as if I was a bad parent for letting my child leave the house with his mouth in the condition that it is!  Bottom jaw grew faster than the top jaw, top jaw needs to be widened, head gear will need to be worn, not enough room for wisdom teeth...blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!  And then when I seemed a little torn he was like "Or we can just do surgery and make the room faster."

Hey, hey, hold on there sparky.  Slow down with the surgery.  Why does everyone jump to surgery??  We finished discussing it slowly and then he left and one of his assistants came in to discuss the "contract".  For real? Well, long story short for a fee of $5,800 over two years my boy can have a spectacular smile!

You're lucky I'm not typing from the cardiac care unit right now.

I leave there feeling a little dazed and take Michael home and pack up a lunch so that I can head off to work.  But before I go I check my Amazon ranking.  Seriously, it's a disease!  I'm sorry!  I was pleasantly surprised to still be in the 90's and had a ranking of 1992 in Kindle downloads (out of a million titles) and so I had a little spring in my step.

I'm telling you, the hourly updates are hard for me.  I keep checking, I rejoice when it goes from 95 to 94 and then want to cry when it goes to 98.  It's like a 24 hour a day yo-yo!  It never stops!  LOL!!  Help a sister out and keep me moving toward the top 25!!!

I had the great pleasure of being the highlight story on a great website - Addictedtoebooks.com.  They are a great site that highlight some awesome ebooks and indie authors.  You should definitely check them out - and like my post while you're there!  



 

At least I'm in good company...

I don't know how much my old heart can take!  The road to publishing success is way more emotionally grueling than I ever would have imagined!  The numbers change hourly - damn technology.  I find it's like a mild addiction - that need to go and check the numbers and see where I'm at when nobody's looking.

Well, I think my boss has caught me a time or two but is being mildly tolerant right now.

So today when "The Christmas Cottage" disappeared off of Amazon's Top 100 list for Contemporary Women's Fiction, I decided to do some research.  Lo and behold, there were some pretty impressive names that were also surrounding me in the numbers on that list - even when we weren't in the Top 100!  Books that show up as being in the top 10 on one list are in the 100's and 200's on another!  

Finding myself on the Top 100 (and I mean I am nearing the 100) was very exciting and I had to make myself stop obsessing (a little) about why I'm not getting closer to the top.  Why?  Because the top is filled with some AMAZING authors!  Who am I to compete with the likes of Nora Roberts, Danielle Steel, Debbie Macomber, Susan Mallery...I mean, I am NOBODY next to these women!  That Fifty Shades of Gray woman is all over the damn top 10 and that kills me - I can't even read it!  

But as you go down the list you find authors who are little less known but who have multiple, wonderful books and you know what?  It's kind of cool to see my book in the same category as these writers.  I have to remember that I AM an author and there's nothing wrong with me!  I have a book that is climbing the charts, I have talent, I have skills, I have stories to tell and it's okay for me to be in the company of these other super talented authors!

So I will continue to ride the emotional roller coaster with the numbers (I still want those 100 Likes on Amazon by Christmas!) and I'd love to get in to the top 25 on one of those lists and really, it would be a freakin dream come true to see my book listed on the same page as one of my writing idols.

It could totally happen...

The Christmas Cottage is an Amazon Best Seller!!

What a great way to celebrate my birthday!!!  I got up this morning and went on the computer and BAM! There it was...The Christmas Cottage was # 1724 in Kindle downloads and #82 (Yes, you are reading that right), #82 on Amazon's Best Seller Book List for Contemporary Women's Fiction!

I HAVE A BEST SELLER!!!!!!

I cried all damn morning.  Then, I have been blessed all day with wonderful birthday wishes on Facebook and phone calls and my dear sweet friend Danette stopped by with her hubby and brought me a Black and White cookie (an absolute FAVORITE of mine) and visited for a while...it's been amazing.

But quite possibly, one of the most emotional moments of the day came when Michael gave me my birthday card.  He made it himself.  So I'm sitting at the computer, crying, and he comes up and gives me a hug and gives me the card and it says:  Happy Birthday, Mom!  I hope it gets better and better every hour.  P.S.: Super duper congrats on your book rising like a never setting sun.  Love, Michael.

Seriously?  It doesn't get any sweeter than that.

So here I sit, in my jammies at 4:20 in the afternoon - I seriously will have to shower before going out to dinner but why rush?  The numbers have fluctuated a bit over the course of the day but it's all good.  I'm still #90 (which is awesome to be in the Top 100 of ANYTHING!) and I'm at # 1944 in downloads.

I sold several copies on Nook, I sold one through Smashwords, I have no idea how many have sold through Amazon yet but I am a blessed woman and I've never felt it more so than today.

I am so thankful for everyone who has clicked on any of the links and clicked like and ordered the book.  You have no idea the difference you have made in my life.  I wish I could thank you all individually.  Please continue to spread the word!  I would love to stay in the Top 100 a little beyond today.  

That would be awesome!!!!

I'M SAILING!!!

Anyone remember the movie "What About Bob?" starring Bill Murray?  Well, there's a scene where he conquers his fear of sailing.  How?  By being tied to the front of a large sailboat!  He's up there and he's smiling and he's yelling "I'm Sailing!"  That's become a bit of a long-running joke between me and a dear friend and we refer to it when life just seems to be spinning out of control - but in a good way.

Today, I am spinning.

Yesterday I was positively giddy to have "The Christmas Cottage" reach in to the 9,000's on Amazon downloads.  I mean, "Jordan's Return" never got any better than the 12,000's so this was pretty darn cool.  I had asked some people to post some reviews because that is helpful in climbing the list, too, so I when I woke up this morning, I wanted to see if anyone had submitted a review.

They had and I thank you.

So I'm getting ready to leave the page and then I happen to glance down and I just about fell out of my chair.  I was at # 2,829!!!  I was sitting there like an idiot, all by myself (Frank had to work today and Michael was sleeping), crying and shaking.  I couldn't believe it!  So I posted on Facebook, I texted some people and just sat there, feeling giddy and numb at the same time.

I had a bunch of errands to run today and I'm not going to lie to you, there was more than a little spring in my step.  No one knows who I am, no one really knows that I'm an author but inside I was like "Look at me!  Woo-hoo!" 

I came home, was kicking back, relaxing and got notification that the book is now available on Barnes & Noble's Nook!  That was some exciting news PLUS it opens me up to more readers.  THEN...because that wasn't enough, it got listed on Goodreads!  AND...people are pinning it on Pinterest!  So, I'm basically looking at my book all over the internet and decided to go back over to Amazon.  I wasn't going to but Michael was like "Hey, mom, has your book climbed anymore?" and I was scared to look.  I mean, what would I feel like if I went on there and suddenly I was at 420,000?  

Talk about a buzz kill.

But I took a leap of faith and went on over.

I AM AT # 2784!!!!

My company Christmas party is tonight and my birthday is tomorrow and THIS is a pretty damn exciting weekend for me!!!

Please keep sending friends and family to the page!  Please keep recommending it!!  Please write some reviews!!!  I would love to wake up tomorrow and be at #2500...

Just sayin...

Climbing the Charts!!

I have to admit, I think things are going well this time around with my latest book, "The Christmas Cottage".  Book sales are pretty good, we're getting the "likes" that I wanted - although when I put it out there as much as I have and only have 25 I tend to wonder what is going on with Amazon.

Which brings and interesting thought to mind.  My book is published under a pen name, I wrote the review under my read name.  The Review got published and then two hours later, it was gone!  So I submitted another review that was never even acknowledged!!  What in the world???

But I digress.  So today, I hit an amazing number on the Kindle download chart.  Out of over 800,000 Kindle titles (and it goes up daily), my book hit #9084!!!  That is like something I never thought would ever happen!!  It felt pretty darn good - and then a little disappointing because I was at work and could not celebrate!

I took Nick to lunch and he was moderately impressed but it wasn't the same as going out with someone where we could laugh and gush and dream about all the ways that I could possibly become famous!  As if!!!

So, again, please check out the book!  Please go to Amazon.com and click "Like".  We're getting ready to publish on Barnes and Noble this weekend.  A friend contacted the Hallmark Channel about the book, people are posting it on Pinterest...I honestly have some amazing people in my life who are just blowing me away with their willingness to to support me in this.

My birthday is this weekend and I would LOVE to stay in the top 10,000.  Can you help?  Please!!!

have a great weekend everyone!!!

A Social Experiment - Read With Caution

Okay, so yesterday I made the announcement of releasing my second book, "The Christmas Cottage".  I self-published again and I am responsible for all of my own marketing and promotion (with the help of my friend Dot).  So part of the whole process is essentially asking friends and family to go and go to Amazon.com and click "LIKE" to get some traffic tracked on the page and then, hopefully, for them to buy the book.

Early in the day I sent out an email to about 10-12 people - close family and friends.  Well, let me backtrack for a moment.  My first book, "Jordan's Return" was released a year ago.  Twelve months.  Fifty-two weeks.  Basically, a LONG time ago.  Over this last weekend I've come to find out that there are people who are supposed to love and support me that have NOT told ANYONE that I have written a book.  I mean, I know it's not all about me but...come on!  You can't mention to your friends or extended family that I did this - or buy the damn book???

Deep, cleansing breaths...

So last night I went on to Facebook to conduct a social experiment.  I sent out three private messages to three groups.  The first group was family, the second group was friends and the third was acquaintances.  None of the people in these groups were included in my early morning email - this was a totally separate thing.  Each group message was sent to a group of 12-15 people. 

Now, in a normal world, it would be your family members supporting you the most, right?  (Insert loud, obnoxious buzzing sound here).  Clearly, not in my world.  Out of the three groups, the acquaintances (women that I have never met face-to-face but have become friends with through mutual on-line interests) have supported me the most.  Almost EVERYONE in that group email has commented and either downloaded the book or bought the paperback (now available for $6.99 through Amazon) and all have clicked "LIKE" as I asked.

Next was the friend group.  Out of the 12-15 in that group, TWO responded and they were friends from high school that I have not seen in over 25 years.  And the family group?  ONE.  Yes, one.  And it was a second cousin of mine that I have not seen in over 32 years.

Seriously!  You cannot make this stuff up!  

So in the social experiment department, I've learned where my support truly comes from and while I am thrilled for the support of these wonderful people, the results of it all make me sad.  I remember a time when family supported one another, cared for one another and wanted to see others succeed.

What happened to that time?

The Christmas Cottage Release Day!

"Any couple who spends the night in the Christmas cottage shall have love everlasting...

Lacey Quinn did not believe in happily ever after or the legend of the Christmas cottage. As maid of honor for her best friend Ava, her duties included decorating the cottage for the newlyweds. It was a simple enough task, but she hadn't counted on sexy Ean Callahan, the bride-to-be's brother, to be assisting her.

Spending the evening ensconced in the overly romantic setting while a blizzard howls outside has Lacey wondering if fairy tales really do come true..."

Excerpt from "The Christmas Cottage" by Samantha Chase. 

So it's finally here!  My latest book which, ironically, was not something that I had planned on, what released today!  I had another book that I've been wanting to write but I just can't seem to get the words on the page.  Then, I have a book that is being reviewed right now by an agent.  So when National Novel Writing Month came up this month, I was amazed at how fast this story came to me.  I started late, finished early and basically have a finished product that is a sweet, romantic Christmas novella.

I guess when the story's right, you just know.  

My original plan had been to get this story done and as a Christmas gift to my readers, offer it as a free Kindle download.  Amazon is not letting that happen.  So for now it is a .99 cent download through Kindle and it is also available as a paperback for $6.99.

If you enjoy a good holiday themed story, I hope you'll give "The Christmas Cottage" a try.  My goal is to get 100 "Likes" on Amazon by Christmas.  Will you help?  You can contribute your help (even if you don't buy the book) by going to Amazon.com and following the link HERE and clicking on the "LIKE" button.

Thank you!!

"The Christmas Cottage" by Samantha Chase

This is what has kept me so busy that I have not had time to blog!  

 Released today exclusively on Amazon's Kindle, you can download it right now for only .99 cents!!!  Click HERE to order and don't forget to click "LIKE".

Have a great day, my friends, and enjoy!!