I signed my first Publishing Agreement!

It's official! My Lizzy Gardner Series has been sold to Thomas and Mercer (Amazon).

I signed my first Publishing Agreement and it was official as of March 27, 2012!! I am unagented and therefore reported the deal on Publisher's Marketplace. The deal showed up yesterday on PM, but it says it's a four book deal. That's not true...it's a three book deal as follows:

T.R. Ragan's LIZZY GARDNER series, featuring a private investigator known as the "one who got away" and her two young assistants, including untitled Book 3 and re-release of ABDUCTED and DEAD WEIGHT, to Alan  Turkus of Thomas & Mercer, in a very nice deal, by author.

It's a scary thing, giving up control, especially since I love having control, but from the start I said I was going to try everything and that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm waking up every morning and doing what I love best. And I'm getting paid to do it. Yay!

I am enjoying every minute of this indie journey and I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

March Sales Update

BOOKS SOLD AS OF MARCH 15, 2012:  239,592


*Totals are as of March 15, 2012 at 10 PM and do NOT include over 160,000 FREE downloads
(Amazon and B&N combined Sales)
Borrows have NOT been included in total 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: 1,955
October: 1,527
November: 981
December: 1,074
January: 1,457
February: 1,519
March 2012:  793*

Total: 17,216*

 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: 2,088
October: 1,348
November: 876
December: 2,383
January: 2,685
February: 1,485
March 2012: 799*

Total: 35,844*


Taming Mad Max - Released April 25, 2011 $2.99

Romantic Comedy

April: 30
May: 182
June: 265
July: 310
August: 934
September: 1,872
October: 2,125
November: 2,150
December: 1,561 (272 borrows)
January: 4,393 (782 borrows)
February: 1,088 (99 borrows)
March 2012: 1,174* (114 borrows)

Total: 16,084*

 

Finding Kate Huntley - Released May 5, 2011 $2.99

Romantic Suspense

May: 187

June: 261
July: 325
August: 1,159
September: 3,363
October: 2,089
November: 1,095
December: 4,421 (1,088 borrows)
January: 2,523 (791 borrows)
February: 1,908 (123 borrows)
March 2012: 1,144* (46 borrows)

Total: 18,475*

Abducted - Released May 29, 2011 $2.99

Romantic Suspense/Thriller

May: 25

June: 694
July: 1,708
August: 12,917
September: 39,413
October: 18,176
November: 6,645
December: 3,649
January: 2,118
February: 32,500 (5,088 borrows)
March 2012: 11,667* (2,984 borrows)

Total: 129,512*

Dead Weight - Released December 22, 2011 $2.99

Romantic Suspense/Thriller

December: 451

January: 1,430
February: 11,385 (325 borrows)
March 2012: 9,195* (1,145 borrows)

Total:   22,461*

The BEST part of my indie author journey has been connecting with readers.

Thanks to all who have taken the time to read one of my books, write a review, comment on my blog, offer congrats, or email me to tell me I have a new fan!

No matter what YOUR dreams are, don't let anyone tell you that you can't succeed.

Don't be afraid to try new things. Stay positive.

YOU CAN DO IT!

Indies Unite For Joshua

A flexible funding campaign has been set up to help support an author's son in his fight against Leukemia. Joshua is the 21-year old son of author, Maxwell Cynn. Click on the picture to learn more about how you can help.

International Time Travel Day!

March 14th is International Time Travel Day!

March 14th is also the birthday of Albert Einstein, author of the "Space and Time Bend" theory.

In celebration, join these time travel writers across North America as they celebrate traveling through time! 

On March 14, 2012, visit the following websites and leave a comment along with your email for a chance to receive a free book!

Leave your email below for your chance to win both Return of the Rose AND A Knight in Central Park! 

Madeline Baker

Melodie Campbell

Pauline B. Jones

Chris Karlsen

Laura Martello

Troy McCombs

Theresa Ragan


Cate Rowan

Terry Spear

Lizzie Starr

Cheryl Kaye Tardif


Nicholas Wisseman

Over 214,000 Books Sold in First Year!

214,820 Books Sold!!

  

 

 

Totals are as of the end of February 29, 2012 and do NOT include over 160,000 FREE downloads
(Amazon and B&N combined Sales)
Borrows have NOT been included in total 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: 1,955
October: 1,527
November: 981
December: 1,074
January: 1,457
February: 1,519

Total: 16,423

 

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: 2,088
October: 1,348
November: 876
December: 2,383
January: 2,685
February: 1,485

Total: 35,045

 

Taming Mad Max - Released April 25, 2011 $2.99

Romantic Comedy

April: 30
May: 182
June: 265
July: 310
August: 934
September: 1,872
October: 2,125
November: 2,150
December: 1,561 (272 borrows)
January: 4,393 (782 borrows)
February: 1,088 (99 borrows)

Total: 14,910

 

Finding Kate Huntley - Released May 5, 2011 $2.99

Romantic Suspense

May: 187

June: 261
July: 325
August: 1,159
September: 3,363
October: 2,089
November: 1,095
December: 4,421 (1,088 borrows)
January: 2,523 (791 borrows)
February: 1,908 (123 borrows)

Total: 17,331

 

 Abducted - Released May 29, 2011 $2.99

Romantic Suspense/Thriller

May: 25

June: 694
July: 1,708
August: 12,917
September: 39,413
October: 18,176
November: 6,645
December: 3,649
January: 2,118
February: 32,500 (5,088 borrows)

Total: 117,845

 

 Dead Weight - Released December 22, 2011 $2.99

Romantic Suspense/Thriller

December: 451

January: 1,430
February: 11,385 (325 borrows)

Total:   13,266

 

 

Nineteen years ago, when I set out to write my first book, I felt such a compelling need to not only write, but to get my stories read. It wasn't about ego or money, but about entertaining people and proving to myself that I could do this. I wanted to show my kids that perseverance and hard work pays off. More than a few people reminded me that writing was one thing, but actually getting my books published was quite another. I knew the odds were against me, but that didn't stop me. I believed that if I worked hard enough and long enough, I would see my books on the shelves of a local book store. Writing every day, finaling in prestigious contests, and signing with two agents wasn't making the process work any faster for me. I stopped attending writing conferences after 2008 because I was beginning to feel like a wannabe. All of my writing friends and critique partners were published by that time. I was always happy for their success, because whenever a friend sold that told me publishers were still buying, which meant there was hope. But still, I was beginning to believe that I had been wrong. Hard work combined with perseverance wasn't the magic key afterall. My husband had never read a word of what I had written over the years, but he knew I was feeling down and he told me to write for the love of writing or stop writing altogether. And he was right. For the first time since writing my very first book, I didn't care what was selling hot and what was not. Writing Abducted was fun and therapeutic. I was writing the story for me. Not only was my heroine going to survive a horrific event, she was going to learn to move on with her life and make a difference in other people's lives, too.

And the rest, as they say, is history!

 

Below I have listed some of the AMAZING things that have happened in my first year as an indie author:

• I received incredible emails from readers!
• A Knight in Central Park was selected by Pixel of Ink as one of their Top 10 bestsellers in 2011.
• A Knight in Central Park was mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, print and e-edition.
• A Knight in Central Park hit the Top 100 All Kindle Best Sellers List twice.
• Abducted hit the Top 100 All Kindle Best Sellers List twice, making it as high as #5.
• Taming Mad Max and Dead Weight hit the All Kindle Top 100 List.
• I was interviewed on USA Today's HEA blog.
• I was approached by some wonderful agents, foreign sales people, and two movie producers.
• I received mentions in Amazon's Press Release and KDP Newsletter.
• I was mentioned in PC Magazine on February 29, 2012 among others.
• Return of the Rose and A Knight in Central Park are still in the Top 20 in Time Travel after one year!
• Abducted received a wonderful review from Kirkus Revews.
• Abducted was given 4 1/2 Top Pick in the April 2012 Romantic Times magazine.
• Abducted was selected as one of the BEST for 2011 in Suspense Magazine.

The BEST part of this new journey has been connecting with readers.

Thanks to all who have taken the time to read one of my book(s), write a review, comment on my blog, offer congrats, or email me to tell me I have a new fan!

2011 has far exceeded my wildest dreams. No matter what YOUR dreams are, don't let anyone tell you that you can't succeed.

YOU CAN DO IT! 

February Sales Update II

198,278 Books Sold

Totals are as of February 21, 2012 @ 10PM and do NOT include over 160,000 FREE downloads
(Amazon and B&N combined Sales)
Borrows have also NOT been included in total 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: 1,955
October: 1,527
November: 981
December: 1,074
January: 1,457
February: 1,029*

Total: 15,933*

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: 2,088
October: 1,348
November: 876
December: 2,383
January: 2,685
February: 1,055*

Total: 34,615*

Taming Mad Max - Released April 25, 2011 $2.99

Romantic Comedy

April: 30
May: 182
June: 265
July: 310
August: 934
September: 1,872
October: 2,125
November: 2,150
December: 1,561 (272 borrows)
January: 4,393 (782 borrows)
February: 804* (89 borrows)


Total:  14,626*

Finding Kate Huntley - Released May 5, 2011 $2.99

Romantic Suspense

May: 187
June: 261
July: 325
August: 1,159
September: 3,363
October: 2,089
November: 1,095
December: 4,421  (1,088 borrows)
January: 2,523  (791 borrows)
February: 1,260* (112 borrows)

Total: 16,683*

Abducted - Released May 29, 2011 $2.99

Romantic Suspense/Thriller

May: 25
June: 694
July: 1,708
August: 12,917
September: 39,413
October: 18,176
November: 6,645
December: 3,649
January: 2,118
February: 23,619* (3,903 borrows)

Total: 108,964*

Dead Weight - Released December 22, 2011 $2.99

Romantic Suspense/Thriller

December: 451
January: 1,430
February: 5,576* (181 borrows)

Total:   7,457*

*sales as of February 21, 2012 @ 10 PM (B&N and Amazon combined)

For more info on self-publishing, go to my LINKS tab.

I enrolled ABDUCTED and DEAD WEIGHT in KDP Select in the beginning of February to see if I could get sales moving again. I put Abducted for FREE for 2 days (2/9 and 2/10) and had 50,000 free downloads. 48 hours later, ABDUCTED hit #5 in the All Kindle Paid list. Woohoo! There has been a definite crossover in sales for my other books, too. DEAD WEIGHT has made the Top 10 List in Romantic Suspense and the 100 All Kindle Paid list for the first time. As far as I can tell, ranking is everything. Better ranking = better sales. I know that's pretty obvious, but this is why giving away books can be used as an important marketing tool. Many authors disagree and that's fine. In my family, we often agree to disagree. The famous cookie lady, Mrs. Fields, wasn't selling any cookies until she hit the street and started giving them away.

I realize my sales are above average. To those who might not be selling as well as they would like, remember that nothing has changed when it comes to trends. If you have a well-edited entertaining story, readers will come...eventually. Right now thrillers are HOT. I lucked out, but I'm not talking about dumb luck, I'm talking about hard work + opportunity + good timing = luck. Down the road, another genre will be hot. Until your sales begin to climb, focus on writing the stories that you love to read. Write with passion. Don't rush it. Your time will come.

Recently, Nina Pierce, author of Deceive Her With Desire, wrote a post about her sales because she wanted to let other authors know that "it ain’t all roses and royalty checks for everyone" If you feel as if you're the only one not making enough to quit your day job or buy a new car, you must read Nina's informative and helpful POST.

Self-publishing a book might be easier than ever, BUT you're not going to be successful unless you put in the work. If you have just finished your first book, join RWA or another writers' group. Find a critique partner. Attend writing workshops in your area. Take a class. If you can't afford an editor, but your not sure if your book is ready, have the first ten pages edited so you can get an idea of how much work might need to be done. More than anything you must BELIEVE in yourself. Life is way too short to be fearful. You can do it!

***

David Gaughran is asking self-published authors, whether they have sold 10 books or 10,000 books, to take a quick survey. Steven Lewis runs the Taleist Self-Publishing blog and the Taleist 2012 Self-Publishing Survey is now open. SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED! THANKS TO ALL!

Brenda Hiatt is collecting data on independent publishing. Help her out by sharing your numbers so that we can all benefit. It's all done anonymously. Click HERE for more information.

If you are thinking about self-publishing, but don't know where to start when it comes to marketing, promotion and formatting, don't worry. There are so many helpful authors willing to share what they have learned. My advice to you is to join Indie Romance Ink run by Cate Rowan and Carly Carson. There are over 500 members. Many IRI members are traditionally published and have already self-published a book or two. Some members are undecided. All are welcome to join and learn.

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

Meet Cathy Perkins!

Cathy Perkins’ suspense writing lurks behind a financial geek day-job, where she learned firsthand the camouflage, hide in plain sight, skills employed by her villains. Born and raised in South Carolina, she now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her work-a-holic husband and a 75-pound Lab who thinks she’s still a lap-puppy.

Set in South Carolina, stopping the serial killer who is terrorizing college campuses drives the plot of THE PROFESSOR. The tension and stakes build as the characters’ wants and needs set them on a collision course: Charismatic State Agent Mick O'Shaughnessy wants more from life than work and a pretty face. Fiercely independent graduate student Meg Connelly always wanted a loving family and professional success, but has to learn to trust in order to get either. The Professor knows the only way to get what he wants is to take it—and taking Meg’s life will destroy Mick with the same stroke of his knife.

Did you ever want to quit writing? Why or why not?

I started writing for my own pleasure. I didn’t even think about publication until later. There were times when I wondered if I would ever push that particular boulder all the way up the hill, but I never considered not writing. Creating the characters, the world, and turning them loose is simply part of me.

Have you truly mastered grammar and sentence structure? Do you feel 100% confident about every comma in your book?

What a funny question! Have you ever read Eat Shoots and Leaves? Funny grammar guide – add your own commas to the title and it means completely different things!

Having said that, given the teachers who drilled grammar rules into me, I do feel confident. What I’ve noticed, however, is a change in the publishing industry’s rules of grammar. Commas are deleted; phrases rearranged. Hyphens are removed from words. As long as the meaning of the sentence is clear, I don’t worry about it. I’ve even ended a few sentences with prepositions. Remind me to tell you a joke I heard about that.

How many pages do you think you could write in one day if you had zero interruptions from 8 AM to 8 PM?

I cannot imagine a day with zero interruptions…

I’m still working the day job, so I write early in the morning or at night. I’ve written a chapter (10 to 15 pages) in an evening, so as long as I have an idea where the story is going, I can probably write several chapters—if that mythical free day appears.

How do you think (take a guess) writers like Nora Roberts write so many books in a year?

She cloned herself. It’s the only answer.

What would be easier for you to write, a sex scene or a murder scene?

I don’t think one is more difficult than the other. In a gross, over-generalization (which means, of course, this would never apply to you!) I think people stress over love scenes because they aren’t comfortable with the subject or they’re  forcing the action. When the characters have reached a point in the relationship and/or the story arc where they would make love, I find the emotions flow and the scene isn’t difficult to write. I enjoy these scenes for the richness of the emotional connection.

Murder scenes can be a challenge unless I’ve gotten into my villain’s head and know why he’s killing. Once I know that, I just have to channel my inner serial killer. J

If you were allowed to have only ONE book (of yours) for sale on Amazon and B&N, which book would you select? Why do you think readers might enjoy it?

I have a book I’ve never tried to sell (the working title is Gone) that’s probably my favorite story. My beta readers loved the characters – and invested in them so heavily I had to remind one reader these were fictional characters when she got upset about an experimental treatment I employed! But the story opens in a very dark psychological place that I’m not sure most readers will accept. For now, that story is just for a few carefully chosen readers. I may change my mind later… stay tuned.

What made you decide to become a writer? 

While I’ve had a life-long love affair with reading, I didn’t start writing until about five years ago. This probably isn’t how most people start, but I had a lengthy consulting job in a city about 90 miles away. I’d listen to music and daydream during the commute. Pretty soon the day dream had dialogue and I thought, hmm, this is turning into a good story. That particular book lives in a box under the bed, but I was hooked on writing, creating worlds and characters.

I realized how much I didn’t know about writing, so I took classes and joined a critique group. These writers encouraged me to join RWA and enter a few contests, including the Golden Heart. The Professor, my debut novel, won those contests and was a Golden Heart finalist, but I kept hearing ‘romantic suspense is dead’ so I really didn’t try to sell the book.

Instead, I put the story away and kept writing. About this time last year, I pulled The Professor out and thought, I love these characters and want to share them with a wider audience. Carina Press made an offer and I’m thrilled to say the novel released on January 23.

Any advice for new writers just getting started?

Never give up! The road to publication can take numerous twists and turns. Whether an agent or editor will want your story may involve timing and other projects they’re working on as much as the merits of your story. Add in individual likes and hot-buttons and you just have to keep working and submitting. If the story is rejected, remember it’s business, not personal. A well-written novel has multiple opportunities.

The second piece of advice is, keep learning. I’ve sat next to multi-published, NY Times best-selling authors and watched them take notes in a conference class. Sometimes it’s a new concept and sometimes a speaker hits me between the eyes with exactly the question or idea that I needed to pull a scene together.

There are so many new avenues for authors – traditional and small presses, digital first, and self-publishing. Which one to pursue is a very personal decision, based on your story and your personal publication goals.

I’ll leave you with some advice Angela James offered at the Emerald City Conference – just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Her point was, make sure whatever you send out is ready, polished and your best work.

Thanks for having me here today, Theresa. I appreciate the chance to talk about The Professor, my debut release from Carina Press. 

Links to learn more about Cathy Perkins!

http://facebook.com/CathyPerkinsAuthor

http://twitter.com/cperkinswrites

www.cperkinswrites.com

Amazon   http://amzn.to/tm7uf6

B&N  http://bit.ly/rQKCHp