23,000 Books Sold

Below, I have listed what I've been doing as far as promoting and social networking. More and more books are being released every day. It's easy to disappear. I'm not a saleswoman. I could never sell books out of the trunk of my car. It's just not me. But I know that if I sit back and do nothing, I'll be invisible. I want people to read my stories, which means I have to get out there and be seen. They can't read my stories if they can't find them.

Write. I must keep writing every day. Readers can't read my books if I don't write them.

My goal is to try everything at least once. I don't have to do it all this month or even this year. But when it comes to promoting my book and getting my name out there, especially if it's FREE, I'm probably going to give it a try.

Be fearless. Put yourself out there. Get out of your comfort zone.

Blogs: Questions and answers are fun, fast and easy. I talked with Trish Milburn in May. I answered questions on Dave Wisehart's Blog Kindle Author in June, 2011. I have a post on Joan Swan's Blog coming up on Monday, August 1st and Anne-Mhairi Simpson's questions and answers will be up on Thursday, August 4th.

BlogTalkRadio: I talked with Giovanni Gelati on July 28th on the G-Zone. Definitely out of my comfort zone but I had a blast and would do it again. In fact, I will be interviewed by John Rakestraw on November 6th, 2011, at Unbridled Editor.

Twitter: I love all of the great information to be found on Twitter. I could spend hours over there, but I still limit myself to 30 minutes or under a day and I spend more time reading other people's tweets than posting my own. @theresaragan

Kindle Boards: Same thing. I love interacting with other writers and seeing what they're up to. I also like checking out Book Corner (Kindle Boards) to see what readers are talking about and reading.

Facebook: A great place to see what writers and friends are up to.

Paid for Advertising: The Romance Reviews, Eye on Romance, Kindle Nation (September).

Book Reviews: I took part in Menage a Blog, a wonderful blog tour, run by the Indie Book Collective. I met lots of fun people. It was a lot of work but worth every moment. My book was sent to reviewers who were interested in the genre of the book I was talking about that week. I ended up with 7 new reviews, but not all of them have been posted on Amazon and B&N, etc. Hopefully that will happen soon. And I'm hoping any readers who liked my book will post a review, too!

The BookRooster. Just this morning I paid $ to have BookRooster find people who read in the genre of the books I submitted to their review site. It takes months because they find readers who like getting free books. And in return, those people give honest reviews and post them to Amazon. I am doing that for Taming Mad Max and Finding Kate Huntley. I will keep you updated.

March, 2011 thru July, 2011 SALES

 Return of the Rose - Released March 2, 2011    $2.99
Medieval Time Travel Romance

March:     253

April:       879

May:     1,595

June:    1,460 

July:     1,200*

TOTAL: 5,387

A Knight in Central Park - Released March 18, 2011   $.99
Medieval Time Travel Romance

March:    265
April:    6,017
May:     4,282
June:    2,383
July:     1,100*
TOTAL: 14,047

Taming Mad Max - Released April 25, 2011  $2.99
Romantic Comedy

April:      30
May:     182
June:     264
July:      290
TOTAL: 766

Finding Kate Huntley - Released May 5, 2011   $2.99
Romantic Suspense


May:      184
June:      256
July:       300*
TOTAL: 740

Abducted - Released May 29, 2011   $2.99
Romantic Suspense/Thriller

May:          24
June:        696
July:       1,600*
TOTAL:  2,320

Total Books sold for March thru July = 23,260*

*The July sales are estimated since today is July 30th and I will not know exact July sales until August 1st. I am selling between 130 and 180 books a day. I have not included Smashword sales, but those sales are improving every day. 

If you have questions, tips for writers or readers, a book to promote, then go for it and leave a comment!

Giovanni Gelati and Me...Tomorrow...7 AM

Join me tomorrow morning at 10 AM Eastern Time when I'll be talking to Giovanni Gelati on the G-Zone.


Giovanni Gelati is the author of Down Low-Dead and many other books that get great reviews. I recently read Down Low-Dead and laughed from beginning to end. The short story begins with Giovanni taking his wife out for their anniversary. His idea of a romantic night out includes cheesesteaks and a ball game. I was waiting for him to give her a brand new vacuum cleaner with a big red bow on the handle. :) The ending took me by surprise, but thanks to Vincent Zandri, Mrs. G gets the last laugh. $$$$$


Down Low-Dead gets five out of five money symbols because I don't know how to make any other symbol on blogger.

My chat with the G-man should be interesting. I'm a writer not a speaker and I don't think he's into romance novels. Join us and count how many times I insert foot into mouth.

WINNER OF KATE HUNTLEY'S SURVIVAL KIT!

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

BOOKWYRM - SURVIVAL KIT WINNER!!!

KELSEY (POISNIVYRED) - $20 STARBUCK'S CARD

RUBY95660 - $20 STARBUCK'S CARD

Thanks to every one of you for making Menage a Blog so much fun. I appreciate it! 

I will let you know when Indie Book Collective announces the kindle winner.

  

COMMENT AND WIN! IT'S THAT EASY!

Hey there, wow, YOU LOOK GREAT!

This is a flirt to the finish blog tour I'm doing run by The Indie Book Collective. 

I've been married for 25 years to the same guy. I'm out of touch with flirting. And look who I'm up against! Eden Baylee. Amber Scott decided to have me run against Eden Baylee because she was too scared to run against her! Thanks a lot, Amber. They don't get any sexier/flirtier than Eden. And then we have Jacquie Rogers who is going to act all sweet and innocent and try to get more comments than me. Ha! The one with the most comments goes to the next round. Just so you know...

Some guys think that a mere brush of the fingers against their arm, even accidental, means you want them! Can you believe that? I'm hoping all of you are that easy. Don't make me out flirt these women. Just leave a comment and your EMAIL ADDRESS so I can give you a free book...and a chance to win Kate Huntley's survival kit...and a chance to win a free KINDLE! Make sure to include your email address so I can send you a coupon # for your FREE copy of Finding Kate Huntley.

IT’S THAT EASY. COMMENT AND WIN!

After witnessing her father’s murder, Kate Huntley grows up in Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. She struggles to survive and lives for one reason only…revenge. Kate Huntley is a take-no-prisoners sort of gal. She shoots first and asks questions later. If you read some of the reviews, you'll see what I mean. The moment Jack Coffey, a rookie FBI agent, locates Kate, he realizes somebody wants them both dead. It isn't long before he can't tell the good guys from the bad guys. 

Every commenter will instantly win a free Finding Kate Huntley download. Each commenter will also have a chance to win Kate Huntley’s survival kit, which includes: 

• A PRINT copy of Return of the Rose
• (it’s a PROOF copy--the only book I have available in print!)
• Assortment of Chocolates
• A pink water bottle
• Tiny lantern so you can read at night
• Gift card for Starbucks
• (every jungle has a Starbucks, I swear!)
• Camouflage Bandaids
• And a surprise gift, too!

Want more chances to win the survival kit? Go to the following reviewer sites and write "I found Kate Huntley" in your comment and leave your email address, too. It's that easy. You can write other stuff, too, if you feel like it. Anyone that comments on one or more reviewer site will get their name put in the survival kit prize drawing based on how many sites they commented at. If you visit all seven sites, then that means your name is going into the bucket seven more times. Anyone that comments at all seven reviewer sites will also have a chance to win a $20 Starbucks gift card. The following reviewers took time out of their busy schedules to review my book for this tour and I would love it if you could show them some love, too. 

 TRACY RIVA'S BOOKS AND REVIEWS
ALISHA ROBINSON
WE WRITE ROMANCE
JOURNEY OF A BOOKSELLER
SCORCHING BOOK REVIEWS
BACK OF THE BOOK REVIEWS
CAROLINE CLEMMONS
LOVES TO DIVE'S REVIEWS - a review but no comments necessary

Every commenter will also have a chance to win a KINDLE. 

  

Tell your friends and family members to stop by and say HELLO so they will have a chance to win, too. You can't win if you don't play!

Winner of the survival kit and gift card will be announced after Monday, July 25th.

Please leave your email address on every comment or we won’t be able to send you your coupon # for your free book.

Any problems? Email me at theresaragan@gmail.com.

WANT MORE FREE BOOKS?

 Four women embark on their own journeys of fantasy fulfillment, marked by lust, passion, and obsession

Comment on Eden Baylee's Blog for an instant FREE Fall into Winter ebook

AND/OR

Daisy wants to be a detective just like dime novel heroine Honey Beaulieu. But her parents insist she marry. What better solution than to marry the new marshal!

 

Comment on Jacquie Rogers blog to win an instant Much Ado About Marshals ebook.

  

Thanks so much for stopping by. You're all the best!

**IF YOU ARE HAVING PROBLEMS COMMENTING ON THIS BLOG (AS MANY ARE) PLEASE EMAIL ME DIRECTLY AT THERESARAGAN@GMAIL.COM AND YOU WILL GET AN INSTANT FREE FINDING KATE HUNTLEY EBOOK. I do believe I figured out the solution, thanks to Jo Ann at Journey of a Bookseller. So, if you tried commenting earlier and couldn't, please try again. Thanks and sorry for any inconvenience.

Menage a Blog on Thursday, July 21st

On Thursday, July 21st, three authors will be competing for your comments. Come back on Thursday, comment, and you will instantly win a free book AND a chance to win prizes. One lucky commenter of the tour will win a kindle. SEE YOU THURSDAY!

Sales Update

This is for those of you who like to see what's happening with other writers. Amanda Hocking wrote a post for her blog in December 2010 showing her sales. It's fun to look at and it gives us writers something to shoot for. Here is the link to Amanda's post: http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/2010/12/pics-or-it-didnt-happen.html  You can feel her excitement in her post.

And on a less grand scale, but no less exciting for me, here are my sales thus far.

Return of the Rose - Released March 2, 2011    $2.99
Medieval Time Travel Romance

March:     253
April:       879
May:     1,595
June:    1,460 

A Knight in Central Park - Released March 18, 2011   $.99
Medieval Time Travel Romance

March:    265
April:    6,017
May:     4,282
June:    2,383

Taming Mad Max - Released April 25, 2011  $2.99
Romantic Comedy

April:      30
May:     182
June:    264

Finding Kate Huntley - Released May 5, 2011   $2.99
Romantic Suspense

May:      184
June:     256

Abducted - Released May 29, 2011   $2.99
Romantic Suspense/Thriller

May:        24
June:     696

Total Books sold for March, April, May and June = *18,770

*On July 9th I hit 20,000, but I am not including July sales here. I am selling about 150 books a day.

By the end of the year I am hoping that I'll be able to make some sort of judgment as far as what genre sells the best for me. Right now (looking at my July sales so far) it looks like romantic/thrillers are the way to go. But Return of the Rose seems to be rising in sales and is keeping up with Abducted, so who knows. Either way, I'll keep you posted.

I am working on my second romantic comedy and then I plan on finishing my third medieval time travel before Christmas, 2011. After that, I plan to finish my second romantic thriller which I can hardly wait to get back to!

Let me know if you have any questions.

Blogs and more blogs!

I was interviewed at Heather Brewer's Blog. Don't wish your life away:  http://habrewer.wordpress.com/

Lots of great posts all week on WG2E http://thewritersguidetoepublishing.com/

Ann Voss Peterson interviews M.J. Rose this week at http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/

Part II of an interview with Mary Buckham at Savvy Authors (Writers helping Writers) http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/content.php?1263-Part-Two-Interview-with-Award-Winning-Author-Mary-Buckham-by-Elizabeth-W-Gibson

Tips for Creating Cover Art at Kristen Lamb's blog http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/

If anyone has a great blog/post to share with us, please do!

RELAX, WRITE, POLISH

I am seeing way too many writers scrambling around desperately trying to get their books released and then blogging and tweeting until their fingers are blue with little or no results.

Relax.

For many years now there was nothing I could do to make someone buy my book. I had no choice but to write and submit, write and submit. Nothing has changed. You do NOT want to put your work out there too soon. You'll regret it if you do.

And once you have sent your book to a few reviewers, bought an ad or two, and blogged a few times, sure you can spend a few minutes on FB, Twitter, and Kindle Boards, but don't make the mistake of being frantic about your promo/marketing...feeling as if your book needs to sell today! If you're lucky enough to have a story that appeals to readers, then you need to be patient and wait for word of mouth to do it's job.

Return of the Rose is just now working it's way up the charts after four months. I hope Finding Kate Huntley and Taming Mad Max have the same success in a few more months. I'm blogging tomorrow and next week and then I plan to RELAX while I write.

Who is going to feel better in two months? The writer who has finished another book or the writer who is still frantically searching for that one magical advertisement/blog/review that will make his/her book sell?

Edit and polish an old book. Start a new book. Just write.

If anyone is having trouble commenting on blogger, you have to hit preview 2 or 3 times and then UNCHECK the tiny box that says "stay signed in" and then yay, your comment should go through!

20,000 eBOOKS SOLD

Over the years, I signed with two agents and worked closely with a couple of editors in NY. I gave myself self-imposed deadlines. I found a fill-in-the-blank contract with a NY publisher on-line, printed it off, filled in the blanks, signed it, and kept it on the wall in front of my computer. I wrote a make-believe Publisher's Lunch Sweet Deal made by Theresa Ragan and hung that up too. I went to RWA's National Conferences, filled my days with workshops, and learned from the best. I critiqued and brainstormed with some amazing writers. And yet I couldn't make a sale. I thought about giving up, even tried it for a few months and couldn't.

After that, I did what I had to, I kept on writing...in the car while picking up kids, late at night, early in the morning. I don't have an office. I take my laptop from room to room. Sometimes I write without the light on so I won't wake anyone up.

When you're a writer, you write.

Four months ago I was looking through the Want Ads for a job. After nearly two decades of writing while raising four kids, it was time to get a job that pays. With nothing to lose, I self-published my two medieval time travels, followed by three more books. 

I hit the 20,000 mark on July 9th, but I haven't known what to say on my blog. Yay me! sounds stupid. I don't want this to sound like some sort of Oscar speech either when I thank my readers...every single one of them. But if that's what it sounds like, then so be it.

THANK YOU READERS!

And thanks to every single writer and family friend who bought my book just to support me and my dream.

Sales Update and Kindle Boards

I try to blog once a week, but I’m running behind because I’ve been writing like crazy. I am ripping apart my second romantic comedy because it needs some work. I’m actually having fun doing it because I have some great new scene ideas to add. I try to keep my books moving along at a good pace. That’s important to me as a reader and therefore also as a writer. When reading, I tend to skip boring dialogue or any scene where characters talk about the weather and what they’re going to do today.

But enough about that! Let's talk about BOOK SALES and what YOU can do to increase your sales, too.

I hope to hit 20,000 books sold by July 10th (this weekend!)

I have been selling over 1,000 books a week (Amazon, B&N, Smashwords). I sold more books in May than in June, but with some super duper paid for advertising on Eye on Romance and The Romance Reviews, I hope to have better sales this month. I’m certainly not complaining. In fact, I’m trying to concentrate more on writing books and less on all this other stuff.

BLOGS

So many great blogs out there with amazing authors who are all helping one another. I love it! But I’m sure you can relate when I say I’m having a hard time keeping up with all of these great blogs.

Whenever I find a new and wonderful blog, I will post the website URL on my LINK page.

KINDLE BOARDS

Here is a great post on why you should use kindle boards.

Today I’m reading all about Kindle Boards. Lots of fun, great info whether you’re a writer or a reader or both! But, like most things I’ve been learning about lately, it takes time to figure it all out. Just make sure you follow the rules…and if you are like me and you don’t like rules, too bad. You have to follow them over there. They are strict about rules and you don’t want to get kicked off or eaten alive if you post on the wrong topic. Ha! Come register at Kindle Boards and say hi!

One more thing...

IndieRomanceInk

PERMISSION GRANTED TO FORWARD (& forwarding is much appreciated!)


Indie Romance Ink is a free gathering place for indie romance authors. Come to the new IRI Yahoo group to network and share the indie journey with your peers--tips, wins, marketing strategies, etc. The co-founders (Cate Rowan and Carly Carson) want it to be a great resource for the indie romance community, so we've also reserved the URL IndieRomanceInk.com for future expansion--blogs, author/reader interactions, etc.


Indie Romance Ink is open to anyone who's self-published a work of romance (short story to mega-novel--it's all good!). RWA membership isn't required. Come on over--and please spread the word to your indie friends!


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndieRomanceInk/