September Sales Update - Over 96,900 books sold

Total as of 9/28/11 at 10 PM and does NOT include 25,000 FREE downloads

Amazon and Barnes & Noble combined sales

Return of the Rose - Released March 2, 2011    $2.99

Medieval Time Travel Romance

March:                           298

April:                              894

May:                            1,600

June:                            1,475

July:                             1,291

August:                        2,352

September:                    1,835*

Total:                                9,745      

A Knight in Central Park- Released March 18, 2011   $.99

Medieval Time Travel Romance

March:                            247

April:                            6,071 

May:                            4,306

June:                            2,414

July:                             1,330

August:                        9,812

September:                   1,978*

Total:                       26,158

Taming Mad Max - Released April 25, 2011  $2.99

Romantic Comedy

April:                                  30 

May:                                182

June:                                265

July:                                 310

August:                            934

September:                     1,764*

Total:                          3,485

Finding Kate Huntley - Released May 5, 2011   $2.99

Romantic Suspense

May:                                187

June:                                261

July:                                 325

August:                          1,159

September:                      3,130*

                    

Total:                          5,062

Abducted - Released May 29, 2011   $2.99

Romantic Suspense/Thriller

May:                                    25

June:                                  694

July:                                1,708

August:                          12,917

September:                      37,178*

Total:                          52,522

 *sales as of 9/28/11   10 PM (B&N and Amazon combined)

Twice a month, I plan to share my number of books sold in hopes that these numbers might help other writers make their own decisions about self-publishing.

I hope these numbers help to answer questions. What sort of spikes and/or drops will the holidays bring? How will the release of the $79 kindle affect sales? What genre will sell best in December? Will a new release take away from current sales or bring me new readers? Will sales go up and down based on the number of new kindle users peaking and then dropping? Does one genre consistently sell better than another or will my time travel romances out sell romantic comedy over the holidays?

As we all know, every writer has their own personal and unique journey. My hope is that I can inspire others out there who are working hard at their craft to NEVER GIVE UP. 

Let me know if you have ANY questions at all.

THREE CONTESTS - 3 times as fun

Contest #1 - Cheap e-reads writing and design contest. I am lucky enough to be one of three judges. Details are below: 

Cheap e-Reads

The winner of each contest receives a $50 B&N gift card, free publication of their work and free publicity on The Cheap and all our outlets. The deadline for entry is October 14th. Details can be found on our blog, The Cheap, at http://the-cheap.net/

Contest #2 - Win a Sterling Silver Spider ring!

My sister made this sterling silver ring especially for my contest. The ring is adjustable to fit any size. To enter, just leave your email (ex.: theresa ragan @ gmail dot com) in the comment section HERE or under the CONTEST TAB and write ANY sentence with the word "spider" in it. (ex: I love spiders.)

Contest ends October 31, 2011.

Contest #3 - Want Your Name in sequel to ABDUCTED?

I am taking names. On October 31, 2011, I will pick one or two names to use for character(s) in Book #2 of the Lizzy Gardner series (sequel to ABDUCTED by T.R. Ragan). To enter this contest just leave a comment with your email address and give me the name you would like used in the book: (example: RUTH COLE CUNNINGHAM or maybe just RUTH COLE), whatever you like. 

Here's the catch. You won't know whether the character with your name will be dead or alive by the end of the book. That's the risk you'll be taking if you enter contest #3.

Feel free to enter Contest #2 and #3 with one comment. What are you waiting for? If you have any problems leaving a comment, please email me at theresaragan@gmail.com.  GOOD LUCK!

OVER 64,000 BOOKS SOLD IN SIX MONTHS

Total as of 9/8/11 at 10 PM and does NOT include 25,000 FREE downloads

Amazon and Barnes & Noble combined sales

Return of the Rose - Released March 2, 2011    $2.99

Medieval Time Travel Romance

March:                             298

April:                               894

May:                            1,600

June:                            1,475

July:                             1,291

August:                       2,352

September:                      558*

Total:                          8,468

A Knight in Central Park- Released March 18, 2011   $.99

Medieval Time Travel Romance

March:                            247

April:                            6,071 

May:                            4,306

June:                            2,414

July:                             1,330

August:                        9,812

September:                      696*

Total:                          24,876

Taming Mad Max - Released April 25, 2011  $2.99

Romantic Comedy

April:                                  30 

May:                                182

June:                                265

July:                                 310

August:                            934

September:                        371*

Total:                            2,092

Finding Kate Huntley - Released May 5, 2011   $2.99

Romantic Suspense

May:                                187

June:                                261

July:                                 325

August:                          1,159

September:                        641*

                    

Total:                          2,573

Abducted - Released May 29, 2011   $2.99

Romantic Suspense/Thriller

May:                                    25

June:                                  694

July:                                1,708

August:                          12,917

September:                      10,716*

Total:                          26,060

 *sales as of 9/8/11   10 PM

Clearly, becoming an indie author was the best decision I ever made. But new writers should know that none of this came easily for me. For the past 19 years I wrote nearly every day. In that time, I completed ten 400 page manuscripts and countless partials. I have received my fair share of rejections. I worked hard to learn my craft and I will never stop learning. I joined RWA in 1997. I signed with two agents. I went to dozens of conferences and attended many workshops. I worked with other writers, driving hours to exchange pages every week. I entered contests and judged contests.

I have never felt any competition with other writers. Whenever a writing friend would sell his/her novel, I was happy for them and glad to know that new authors were still being bought. Writers are the most helpful, encouraging people I've ever met. I love being around like-minded people whose minds are filled with plot scenes and characters. So many fiction writers have inspired me. I am certain I never would have become a writer if it weren't for Jude Deveraux's A Knight in Shining Armor. That is the ONLY book I have read more than once. If I had sold fifteen years ago, I would still be writing time travels. Instead, I was inspired to try my hand at romantic comedy (Taming Mad Max) after reading Susan E. Phillip's Nobody's Baby but Mine. In 2008, frustrated with not selling, I read about Lisa Gardner's journey to success and how it took her a couple of years to transition to writing single title romantic suspense. That's when I decided to write ABDUCTED and I named my main character after Lisa Gardner (Lizzy Gardner).

I don't know what the future holds for the book industry, but I do know that every writer has their own personal and unique journey. My hope is that I can inspire others out there who are working hard at their craft to NEVER GIVE UP.

Are You Shy?

I love this great post by Anne Marie Becker. Confessions of a Wallflower. Go HERE to read it.

I used to be introverted and shy. I'm still making up for lost time. How about you?

Have a wonderful long weekend everyone! Don't forget to smell the roses and read at least one book!

Sales Update: Five Months Later...

March 2, 2011 - August 24, 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:     1,277
August:  1,692*

TOTAL:  7,156

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:     1,317
August:   8,018*
TOTAL:  22,282

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

April:      30
May:     182
June:     264
July:      307
August:   537*
TOTAL:  1,320 

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

May:      184
June:      256
July:       331
August:     645*
TOTAL:  1,416

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

May:          24
June:        696
July:       1,688
August:    5,637*
TOTAL: 8,045

Total Books sold 03/11 through 08/24/11 = 40,219*

*The August sales are as of August 24th since today is August 25th. These sales do not include 25,000 free downloads. I am selling over 1,000 books a day. 

What a whirlwind the last five months have been. I went from 19 years of trying to get through the traditional publishing doors, to selling thousands of books practically overnight. At least that's how it feels at the moment. Luck and timing have been huge factors. I discovered that I really do enjoy doing promo and marketing. Who knew? I love meeting new readers and writers. If I had more hours in the day, I would do more interviews and visit more blogs. So many great blogs, so little time. But we all know what goes up must come down and if I want to keep the momentum going and make the most of my fifteen minutes of success, I need to keep writing.

I give much credit for my success so far to the reviewers who were nice enough to read and review my books. Paid advertising on sites like Pixel of Ink, The Romance Reviews and Eye on Romance gave me a big boost in sales...but, I am not telling other authors to spend a ton of money on advertising. At least not in the beginning...unless they can afford it.

In the beginning (the first two months), I got my name out there by sending out daily requests for reviews. My first mention on Pixel of Ink was free. My books would not have been seen or read if I hadn't visited blogs and put myself out there on sites like Shelfari, Goodreads, TRR, and ARE. For the first two months, I worked 24/7 on promotion, most of it was free.

I hope the above sales numbers inspire and/or help other writers make important decisions when it comes to their writing career. As we all know, a mention on one site works for one author and not for another. In my opinion, it's all about trying different things and seeing what works for you. I wish every writer much success in his/her career.

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

Other authors sharing their numbers: CAREY CORP, DEBRA HOLLAND, NORAH WILSON, D.D. SCOTT.

The Book of My Heart

Return of the Rose is the book of my heart. It took me five years to write and if I had sold it to a NY publisher fifteen years ago, I'm pretty sure I would still be writing medieval time travels. But everything happens for a reason.


I am so grateful for everything I have learned over the years...especially patience and perseverance. Return of the Rose garnered three finals in RWA's Golden Heart Contest.

As of today, I have two books in the top 100 Kindle store at Amazon. A Knight in Central Park is #50 and Abducted is #70. At the moment, Return of the Rose, is ranked #368 and #3 in Time Travels. Finding Kate Huntley and Taming Mad Max are climbing, slowly but surely.

I've had some big dreams over the past two decades and not one of them ever came close to what I am experiencing right now.

Return of the Rose is sponsoring Pixel of Ink HERE. Feel free to hit LIKE over at the Pixel of Ink site. You might have to click on the title or the book cover to get the LIKE button to appear.

Thanks to all who have left encouraging comments over the months and/or reviews and emails.

I will be posting a sales update on September 1st. As always, if you have any questions, leave a comment or email me at theresaragan@gmail.com.

DREAM BIG and ALWAYS BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!!!

Friday's Winner

Thanks for celebrating with me!

My husband literally picked the name out of a bowl and the winner is MARIA!

Thank you ALL!