Cheryl Kaye Tardif's Blog, page 20

Help Whale Song get into top 100 kindle bestsellers and be entered to win a Kindle Touch 3G

Want to win a Kindle Touch 3G? If so, keep reading. :-)

As part of my KDP Select Experiment, which will officially be over on February 20th (it'll be 1 month), I enrolled my bestselling novel WHALE SONG and saw over 20,000 free downloads in one day of free promo.

After the free promo was over, I saw a huge surge in sales, plummeting WHALE SONG into the top 300 bestselling kindle ebooks, then the top 200, and now it sits at #146--of ALL kindle ebooks sold on Amazon.

It is outselling works by James Patterson, Diana Gabaldon, Amanda Hocking, John Locke, J.A. Konrath, Lee Goldberg and many other well-known authors.

I am so close to seeing WHALE SONG int the Top 100, a prestigious spot to be in, and so today I'm asking for your help--and I'm willing to put a prize up for grabs to thanks you.

This is how it works:


To everyone that helps me spread the word about WHALE SONG, thank you! I sincerely appreciate your support. And good luck to everyone in my Kindle Touch 3G draw! :-)Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a bestselling Canadian suspense author.
www.cherylktardif.com

Check out Cheryl Kaye Tardif's novels!

The KDP Select Experiment: Part 10 - The Vow

In the movie theaters everyone is abuzz about the hit romance, The Vow, and with Valentine's Day being the most romantic day of the year, I thought I'd talk to you about my "heart book" and do a recap/update for you all on my KDP Select Experiment--just in case you thought my results were a one-shot fluke.

My ebooks have been doing better than some by James Patterson, Amanda Hocking, Dan Brown, Tom Clancy and many others. This floors me.

DIVINE INTERVENTION has been selling steadily at an increased daily average from my pre-Select days, though the numbers don't really amaze me. What does amaze me are the numbers of the second book I enrolled. 
To date, my thriller THE RIVER is selling more per day than it was per month. My daily average has slowly been INcreasing, not decreasing as I thought it would, even weeks after my free promo ended. This was the book that went out to over 20,000 readers for free over my 2-day free promo.
What is even more astounding to me is that my "heart book" WHALE SONG was just enrolled in Select and I did my first free promo yesterday and over 20,000 readers got it free in 1 day. It's free today too until around midnight, which means it could potentially reach 40,000 people.

Now for those of you who haven't read all my posts on this subject and who may be wondering why I'm so excited about giving away free copies, you need to understand a few things. In a very short period of time I will have reached over 50,000 new readers who probably hadn't read my books before. The chances are that they will buy one of my other books. 
I've already seen what a free promo can do. After the first one I did almost all my other ebooks noticeably surged in sales. And the books I had given away? Sales spiked drastically afterward. In fact I'm expecting a very BIG check from Amazon this month. Big as in I'll potentially make 1/3 to 1/2 of my past yearly average in 1 month. From my ebooks. Not from the books I publish at Imajin Books, just my own.
My vow to my readers is that I'll do everything to provide you with a gripping, unique story and interesting characters, and I'll continue to perfect my craft. My vow to myself is that I will finally get paid for my talents, dedication and hard work. It's time. :-)
If you have enjoyed my KDP Select Experiment or if you've found my journey helpful or inspiring, please consider buying one of my books. http://www.cherylktardif.comCheryl Kaye Tardif is a bestselling Canadian suspense author.
www.cherylktardif.com

Check out Cheryl Kaye Tardif's novels!

Valentine's Day Special - WHALE SONG - FREE KINDLE eBOOK - Feb 14th & 15th

This year I wanted to do something special to celebrate Valentine's Day, so I decided I will give away what I've always called "my heart book"--WHALE SONG.

I call it my heart book because it was my first published book and the story I am most emotionally connected to of all my titles. To say I "love" this book is an understatement. :-)

So today on Valentine's Day I'll share my love.

This international bestseller, which has received much movie interest, is FREE on Amazon TODAY & TOMORROW only.

WHALE SONG

A "compelling" story of family ties, love, tragedy, sacrifice and transformation that will change the way you view life...and death.
Thirteen years ago, Sarah Richardson's life was shattered after the tragic death of her mother. The shocking event left a grief-stricken teen-aged Sarah with partial amnesia.

Some things are easier to forget.

But now a familiar voice from her childhood sends Sarah, a talented mid-twenties ad exec, back to her past. A past that she had thought was long buried.

Some things are meant to be buried.

Torn by nightmares and visions of a yellow-eyed wolf and aided by creatures of the Earth and killer whales that call to her in the night, Sarah must face her fears and recover her memories―even if it destroys her.

Some things are meant to be remembered―at all cost.

Reviews:

"I read Whale Song and loved it." ―Jodelle Ferland, actress (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Case 39)

"Tardif's story has that perennially crowd-pleasing combination of sweet and sad that so often propels popular commercial fiction…Tardif, already a big hit in Canada…a name to reckon with south of the border." ―Booklist
"Whale Song is deep and true, a compelling story of love and family and the mysteries of the human heart...a beautiful, haunting novel." ―NY Times bestselling novelist Luanne Rice, author of Beach Girls
"A wonderfully well-written novel. Wonderful characters [that] shine. The settings are exquisitely described. The writing is lyrical. Whale Song would make a wonderful movie." ―Writer's Digest

"Whale Song is reminiscent of Ring of Endless Light by M. L'Engle, and Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd." ―Carol D. O'Dell, author of Mothering Mother

"One doesn't simply read a Tardif story, one experiences it! Among the very few authors I've ever said that about is my all-time favorite Pat Conroy. Like him, Cheryl Kaye Tardif has a definite way with words." ―Betty Dravis, co-author of Dream Reachers I & II.

"Tardif leaves a lasting mark on her readers…Moving and irresistible." ―Midwest Book Review
Pick up your FREE Kindle copy of WHALE SONG today. You can read it on your Kindle ereader, smartphone, tablet with the Kindle app, PC or laptop.Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a bestselling Canadian suspense author.
www.cherylktardif.com

Check out Cheryl Kaye Tardif's novels!

THE RIVER television series and the bestselling thriller THE RIVER by Cheryl Kaye tardif

I'm really anticipating the new ABC television series, THE RIVER. Why? Because I love a thrilling adventure and because it is very close in plot to my bestselling technothriller by the same name. I've watched the trailer, read the synopsis and found the plotin this series to be compelling and suspenseful. I can't wait to see what happens.

Here's part of ABC's official press release:

"The River" follows the story of wildlife expert and TV personality Emmet Cole. Emmet set course around the world with his wife, Tess, and son, Lincoln, while filming what would become one of the most popular shows in television. After he goes missing deep in the Amazon, his family, friends and crew set out on a mysterious and deadly journey to find him. Famed explorer Dr. Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood) went looking for magic deep in the uncharted Amazon and never returned. The shocking truth about his disappearance is out there, somewhere, just waiting to be discovered. 

To the millions of kids who grew up watching his nature show, Dr. Cole was a hero. To his own son, Lincoln (Joe Anderson), he was more of an enigma. Now, six months after he vanished, Lincoln is finally ready to bury the past when Dr. Cole's emergency beacon suddenly goes off. 

At the urging of his mother, Tess (Leslie Hope), Lincoln reluctantly joins her on a search for his father. To fund the rescue, they agree to let Dr. Cole's cagey ex-producer, Clark (Paul Blackthorne), film the mission documentary-style. The mixed crew of old friends and new acquaintances includes the sexy and resourceful Lena (Eloise Mumford), loyal mechanic Emilio (Daniel Zacapa) and lethal bodyguard Captain Kurt Brynildson (Thomas Kretschmann).

Check out the trailer:
In celebration of this new TV series--even though I have absolutely nothing to do with it and it's NOT based on my novel--I will be giving away copies of my thriller THE RIVER on Amazon tomorrow.

You can download a free copy of my bestselling thriller THE RIVER tonight after midnight and up to tomorrow, February 8th, until about midnight.

You can read this on your PC, laptop, smartphone, Kindle ereader or any other device that allows you to download the Kindle app. If you read and enjoy my novel, please consider leaving a short review on Amazon as this really helps other readers decide if it's for them. Thank you.

~Cheryl

Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a bestselling Canadian suspense author.
www.cherylktardif.com

Check out Cheryl Kaye Tardif's novels!

The KDP Select Experiment: Part 9 - After the Sunset

It has been 10 days since my free promo of Divine Intervention ended, and 11 days since The River's, and I've received a lot of emails about my experiment. First, thank you for following my journey and sharing your thoughts and questions.

Today someone asked me what I would recommend with regards to the 5 days of free promo you get with Select, what days are better and how should one break the 5 days up. While I feel there's still room to experiment some more, this is what I said:

With Divine Intervention, a mystery about psychic agents searching for a serial killer (and book 1 in a series), I used up all 5 days. It was my first book enrolled in Select and I thought I'd go in strong. What I noticed was that free downloads were relatively consistent and strong for the first 2 days and then less for the last 3 days.
I set up my technothriller The River for a 2 day free promo (which overlapped with the 3/4th days of the promo for DI. It shot ahead in the 2 day promo and ended up with more downloads in those 2 days than DI had in 5.
In the past these 2 titles have sold relatively evenly, with The River maybe a few copies ahead of DI, definitely not such high numbers as in this promo time. This leads me to believe that one would be better off scheduling a 2-day promo and either a 3-day promo, or two 2-days and a 1.
I found that for an author who has done decently in sales but is not a big name author it takes 2 days to get the sales rank down low enough to really make a difference—ie. getting the book listed on multiple bestsellers lists.
My promo for DI ran Saturday to Wednesday; The River's promo ran Monday and Tuesday. Most people download ebooks on the weekend, so my results for TR surprised me.
As for after sales, The River is still doing WAY above normal in sales. I am stunned by the numbers compared to my normal average. I estimate I am selling 10-15 TIMES more. But I believe it has a more universal appeal and a wider target audience, whereas DI appeals to a slightly smaller audience. Divine Intervention's after sales have been steady and higher than normal, but even more, the sales for Divine Justice are much higher than usual. Even 10/11 days after these promos ended.
If you have found my experiment helpful, please consider picking up a copy of THE RIVER or DIVINE INTERVENTION and leaving me an honest review. Thank you.
P.S. I'm getting ready to put up another title--2 actually. I'll let you know what happens. :-)Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a bestselling Canadian suspense author.
www.cherylktardif.com

Check out Cheryl Kaye Tardif's novels!

The Kindle Select Experiment: Part 8 - Alice in Wonderland

Ok, so I'm Alice and KDP Select is Wonderland--full of strange possibilities, though danger seems to lurk everywhere. The danger, of course, is this: will Select make up for lack of sales via other distributors, and now that Amazon has asked for exclusivity for 90 days, will they want more?
To study my results with Wonderland more thoroughly, I enlisted the assistance of my husband Marc, whose math skills are far better than mine. The questions I wanted answered were: 1) am I actually selling more of THE RIVER and DIVINE INTERVENTION now that their free promos are over, and 2) has being enrolled in Select influenced the sales of my other ebooks. (2 days ago I stated I hadn't seen any noticeable difference because I suck at math.)

Marc's sales report:

As of 11 AM this morning Cheryl has SOLD 727 copies of these 2 titles on Amazon (including foreign). This is up from the 380 sales she reported yesterday morning, almost doubled. These numbers exclude any sales made BEFORE the free promos (23/24 for THE RIVER and 21-25 for DIVINE INTERVENTION) and free copies downloaded. So that's 727 sold, 2 titles, in 3.25 days.) Keep in mind, these titles were mid-sellers for Cheryl, not her highest selling.

Ok, so maybe the increase is a fluke. Or maybe her books sell this high all the time. Nope. I wish they did. They might if she paid for a $200 ad promo. So to determine the validity of the increase in sales, we have to look at the increase in averages (if there is any.) Based on the numbers Cheryl sold of both titles combined before the free promo and comparing to the numbers she sold after the free promo, we've seen a 350% increase in sales.

So the answer to her question #1 is YES. The 2 ebooks are selling at a higher rate than they had sold before the free promo.

So how do these numbers compare to her other titles that are NOT enrolled in Select, and have those sales been influenced in any way, positively or negatively? 

Cheryl's 4 slowest selling titles basically kept their same average of sales, no real change positively or negatively. These were NOT affected by the free Select promos in any way. But what about her other 3 titles, the ones that sell consistently?

CHILDREN OF THE FOG - not in Select - has seen a sales increase of 160% AFTER she held the 2 free promos for her other titles.

WHALE SONG - not in Select - has seen an increase of 150% AFTER she held the 2 free promos for her other titles.

Small increases really, nothing overly amazing, except that Cheryl doesn't usually see this kind of increase unless her ebooks are on sale (which they weren't during the time we calculated) or she had aggressively marketed them (which she didn't; she has virtually ignored them since January 18th)

These numbers tell me that Cheryl's 2 KDP Select promos with 2 other titles affected the sales of COF and WS in a positive way.

Now get this...there is one title we were very curious about. When Cheryl selected DIVINE INTERVENTION as her first ebook to experiment with, she chose it because she was hoping that the freebies would lead to sales of the second book in the series, DIVINE JUSTICE. Many people told her it wouldn't, but we had to see for ourselves. Since DJ is not one of Cheryl's big sellers, she didn't expect to see much of an increase.

DIVINE JUSTICE - not in Select - has seen an increase of 450% AFTER she held the 2 free promos for her other 2 titles. 450%. 

This tells me without a doubt that Cheryl's 2 free promos of DIVINE INTERVENTION and THE RIVER via KDP Select HAVE influenced her sales, POSITIVELY. 

Thanks to Marc, I now have accurate stats and my head doesn't hurt so much. Plus I've answered my two questions and the answers are exciting.

So who's in Wonderland now? Now we wonder: how long before sales return to pre-Select normal? Or will they?


Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a bestselling Canadian suspense author.
www.cherylktardif.com

Check out Cheryl Kaye Tardif's novels!

The KDP Select Experiment Link List

To make things easier for you, here's a list of links to all the Parts of my KDP Select Experiment:

The KDP Select Experiment: Part 1 - Mission Impossible?

The KDP Select Experiment: Part 2 - Waiting to Exhale

The KDP Select Experiment: Part 3 - Good Will Hunting

The KDP Select Experiment: Part 4 - The Fast & the Furious

The KDP Select Experiment: Part 5 - The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

The KDP Select Experiment: Part 6 - The Untouchables

The KDP Select Experiment: Part 7 - Enter the Dragon

If you have conducted your own KDP Select experiment and have shared your stats (positive or negative) on your blog, please leave a link to your blog in the comments. Thank you.

~ CherylCheryl Kaye Tardif is a bestselling Canadian suspense author.
www.cherylktardif.com

Check out Cheryl Kaye Tardif's novels!

The KDP Select Experiment: Part 7 - Enter the Dragon

One thing I've always been is a fighter. Not physically, but mentally. If someone tells me something can't be done and I know it can, I'll do everything to prove them wrong. Some people told me I was stupid to try KDP Select. Some say I don't value my work if I give it away for free. Others say I won't see sales after all those 40,000+ free downloads. Well, they're all wrong.

Yesterday I watched my sales at different times throughout the day. I noticed that my rank was steadily going lower, meaning more sales. Usually after I do a promotion and it ends, the rank rises, and not too slowly.

At 6:30 PM, DIVINE INTERVENTION's rank was 5032 Paid Kindle. It was also #6 in the top 100 books about Canadian Detectives.

By 9 PM, DI's rank was 4038 Paid Kindle, #3 in Books - Canadian Detectives and #89 in Kindle - Police Procedurals.

At 6:30 PM THE RIVER's rank was 907 Paid Kindle, meaning it was in the top 1000 Kindle ebooks sold by Amazon. It was #6 in Books - Technothrillers, #6 in Kindle - Technothrillers, and #20 in Kindle Sci-fi Adventure.

By 9PM its rank was 831. THE RIVER was also #4 in Books - Technothrillers, #4 in Kindle - Technothrillers, and #19 in Kindle Sci-fi Adventure.

I have done nothing else out of the norm to promote these titles, other than a few tweets (which I usually do for my titles every week or two), some RTs by others and one special promo for THE RIVER on the 25th, which was only for the day. Past experience says my ranks should be higher. Since the only other thing I've done that's different is have them in the KDP Select program, I can only deduce that it is what's responsible for my increased sales.

So what kind of increase have I seen? It's not huge, but I'll take it as a sign of what's to come.

I've sold over 380 copies of DI and TR in the past 2 days on Amazon with very little effort or marketing. This includes about 80 sales on the foreign Amazon sites. 

Prior to trying KDP Select and the 2 free promos, neither of my titles had sold this month on any other foreign Amazon, with the exception of a handful of copies total on Amazon.co.uk. I've now broken into the .de (Germany), .fr (France) and .es (Spain) markets with actual sales.

One thing I wondered early on was: would my free promos spur sales of DIVINE JUSTICE, book 2 in my Divine series? It appears it has. Today I saw a sudden spike in sales for DIVINE JUSTICE, and again I've done nothing to promote it. I haven't even tweeted about it lately. If the sales rank continues to go lower I'll know for sure it's a result of KDP Select. Otherwise it's just a fluky coincidence, right? :-)

Was this experiment worth it?Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a bestselling Canadian suspense author.
www.cherylktardif.com

Check out Cheryl Kaye Tardif's novels!

The KDP Select Experiment: Part 6 - The Untouchables

If you've missed parts 1-5, just scroll down; if not, keep reading. :-)
My KDP Select free promo for THE RIVER ended January 24th. We're into day 3 of the "after-Select" and I've noticed something: THE RIVER is selling above normal. Not huge amounts, but enough to be noticeable. DIVINE INTERVENTION finished its free Select promo on the 25th and I'm seeing the same thing: an increase in sales.

Full disclosure: I paid for a 1-day promo for THE RIVER for the 25th so that would account for some of the sales increase on that day. But it's the 27th and usually sales from that promo would be over. I had no extra promo for DIVINE INTERVENTION and the sales have increased.

Not only can I see the increase in numbers sold, the other way I can tell that these 2 titles are doing above normal sales is that their sales ranks are lower than my top 2 bestsellers--WHALE SONG and CHILDREN OF THE FOG, which consistently outsell my other titles. Until now.

If the sales ranks for THE RIVER and DIVINE INTERVENTION remain lower than my top 2 over the next few days then I'll know that the free promo DID bring me sales.

I'm not done with this experiment. I'll let you know if the sales continue.

!!!EXCERPT UPDATE!!!

I promised I'd update you also if I ever got clarification from Amazon regarding the excerpt issue. As I reported in my first post, I was told by one rep that I couldn't have an excerpt on my blog, site etc. so I removed them. Others were told the same thing and this became a big buzz on the forums.

Today I received an email from Amazon:

Hello Cheryl:

You may offer a sample, excerpt or teaser of your KDP Select-enrolled book on your website, as long as it doesn't include a substantial portion of your book's content. Up to about 10% of the book's content is a reasonable amount.

Keep in mind that a sample of your book is also available on your Amazon.com detail page, and we recommend linking to your detail page from your other sites.

I hope this helps. Thanks for using Amazon KDP.

I replied and let them know I'll use this email as my guide and I'll keep it on file. So...excerpt away, people!

By the way, DIVINE INTERVENTION is available on Amazon for only $1.99. THE RIVER is available for $2.99. Happy reading!Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a bestselling Canadian suspense author.
www.cherylktardif.com

Check out Cheryl Kaye Tardif's novels!

The KDP Experiment: Part 6 - The Untouchables

If you've missed parts 1-5, just scroll down; if not, keep reading. :-)
My KDP Select free promo for THE RIVER ended January 24th. We're into day 3 of the "after-Select" and I've noticed something: THE RIVER is selling above normal. Not huge amounts, but enough to be noticeable. DIVINE INTERVENTION finished its free Select promo on the 25th and I'm seeing the same thing: an increase in sales.

Full disclosure: I paid for a 1-day promo for THE RIVER for the 25th so that would account for some of the sales increase on that day. But it's the 27th and usually sales from that promo would be over. I had no extra promo for DIVINE INTERVENTION and the sales have increased.

Not only can I see the increase in numbers sold, the other way I can tell that these 2 titles are doing above normal sales is that their sales ranks are lower than my top 2 bestsellers--WHALE SONG and CHILDREN OF THE FOG, which consistently outsell my other titles. Until now.

If the sales ranks for THE RIVER and DIVINE INTERVENTION remain lower than my top 2 over the next few days then I'll know that the free promo DID bring me sales.

I'm not done with this experiment. I'll let you know if the sales continue.

!!!EXCERPT UPDATE!!!

I promised I'd update you also if I ever got clarification from Amazon regarding the excerpt issue. As I reported in my first post, I was told by one rep that I couldn't have an excerpt on my blog, site etc. so I removed them. Others were told the same thing and this became a big buzz on the forums.

Today I received an email from Amazon:

Hello Cheryl:

You may offer a sample, excerpt or teaser of your KDP Select-enrolled book on your website, as long as it doesn't include a substantial portion of your book's content. Up to about 10% of the book's content is a reasonable amount.

Keep in mind that a sample of your book is also available on your Amazon.com detail page, and we recommend linking to your detail page from your other sites.

I hope this helps. Thanks for using Amazon KDP.

I replied and let them know I'll use this email as my guide and I'll keep it on file. So...excerpt away, people!

By the way, DIVINE INTERVENTION is available on Amazon for only $1.99. THE RIVER is available for $2.99. Happy reading!Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a bestselling Canadian suspense author.
www.cherylktardif.com

Check out Cheryl Kaye Tardif's novels!