Lia Fairchild's Blog - Posts Tagged "contract"
My Road to Amazon
As some of you may know I recently signed with AmazonEncore, an imprint of Amazon Publishing. The official announcement was made about a week ago on the site Let’s Get Digital.
I can’t tell you how excited I was to finally be able to share the news. But what was even more overwhelming was the outpouring of messages of support and congratulations. Among those, many fellow writers as well as fans had questions about my journey and what I think ultimately got my novel, In Search of Lucy, noticed. So, I thought this was a good time to provide a brief overview of my adventure in self-publishing.
I’m not here to tell you how to sell a million ebooks, because honestly, In Search of Lucy hasn’t come close to that number. But, it has had a nice steady sales record since it was released in February 2011. And, I’m not going to say that I think what worked for me will work for you. I’ve learned from trial and error that what works for one author may not necessarily work for another.
So, here it is. In Search of Lucy was my first novel and when I hit that publish button on KDP, I had no idea what I was in for. One advantage I did have was ten years of experience in marketing and public relations. The first thing I did was reach out in social media. I was already on Facebook but joined several reading and writing groups. Then I joined Twitter. I wanted to learn as much as I could as fast as I could. Looking back, I realized that this was all stuff I should have done before my book was finished. You don’t want the feeling of having to play catch up. Luckily there were some very nice people more than happy to answer my millions of questions.
Once I sort of got my bearings, I began seeking reviews and interviews. At present, Lucy has 27 reviews with a 4.5 average. Most of the feedback I receive are people talking about how they can relate to the characters and the emotions they’re going through. All of us have felt lost or hurt at some point in life, or maybe wanted to reach out to someone that was hurting. I’ve also been told the characters were very real and endearing.
As time passed, I had a steady stream of features and interviews showing up online which I could promote and share with Twitter and Facebook fans. This is what got my book into some of the Top 100 lists. At various times it was in the top 100 of: Hot New Releases, Bargain Books Kindle Drama, Bargain Books Kindle Romance, Kindle Store eBooks Drama, and the Bargain Bookstore.
Being on these lists was great for sales, but in the end it was the reviews that got my book noticed by Amazon. I guess you could say it was a combination of the two as I probably would not have had as many great reviews without all of the sales and the visibility of the features.
The last thing I want to leave you with is a big THANK YOU. If you are a reader, author or both and you’re reading this, then there’s a good chance we’ve connected somewhere in the Twitterverse or on Facebook. I greatly appreciate the support and advice I’ve received over the last eight months and can honestly say that writers are the most caring and generous group of people!
Now, here’s some more on In Search of Lucy:
For fans of Nicholas Sparks, King of read em and weep, this emotional tale will appeal to anyone that has ever experienced love, loss, and friendship.
Thirty-year-old Lucy Lang’s in freefall. Unfulfilled at work and abandoned by both her alcoholic mother and the sister she helped to raise, she’s become cynical and depressed. Then, just as romance strikes, she finds out her sister needs a kidney transplant and only Lucy can help. Bolstered by new found friends, Lucy sets out on a road trip to save her sister’s life and in the process, makes discoveries about the kind of person she truly is.
This romantic drama will pull you into the world of its heroine and inspire you to see the true power of human relationships.
Some editorial reviews:
“I knew from the very first page of In Search of Lucy that I would enjoy reading this book immensely and I was right.” Tanya –All Things Books
“I really enjoyed this novel. I loved following Lucy on her journey. I thought Ms. Fairchild did an excellent job adding realism to this novel. Lucy was the perfect balance of hope and despair.” –Alice, Girls Just Read
“In her debut novel, Lia Fairchild shares a compelling tale with carefully drawn well-defined characters.” –Lynnette, Avid Book Reviews
Trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvp7vI...
Amazon US http://amzn.to/i1uX06
Amazon UK http://amzn.to/h2tyuY
For a list of all my works: http://amzn.to/pdEUhh UK http://amzn.to/owCBhE
I can’t tell you how excited I was to finally be able to share the news. But what was even more overwhelming was the outpouring of messages of support and congratulations. Among those, many fellow writers as well as fans had questions about my journey and what I think ultimately got my novel, In Search of Lucy, noticed. So, I thought this was a good time to provide a brief overview of my adventure in self-publishing.
I’m not here to tell you how to sell a million ebooks, because honestly, In Search of Lucy hasn’t come close to that number. But, it has had a nice steady sales record since it was released in February 2011. And, I’m not going to say that I think what worked for me will work for you. I’ve learned from trial and error that what works for one author may not necessarily work for another.
So, here it is. In Search of Lucy was my first novel and when I hit that publish button on KDP, I had no idea what I was in for. One advantage I did have was ten years of experience in marketing and public relations. The first thing I did was reach out in social media. I was already on Facebook but joined several reading and writing groups. Then I joined Twitter. I wanted to learn as much as I could as fast as I could. Looking back, I realized that this was all stuff I should have done before my book was finished. You don’t want the feeling of having to play catch up. Luckily there were some very nice people more than happy to answer my millions of questions.
Once I sort of got my bearings, I began seeking reviews and interviews. At present, Lucy has 27 reviews with a 4.5 average. Most of the feedback I receive are people talking about how they can relate to the characters and the emotions they’re going through. All of us have felt lost or hurt at some point in life, or maybe wanted to reach out to someone that was hurting. I’ve also been told the characters were very real and endearing.
As time passed, I had a steady stream of features and interviews showing up online which I could promote and share with Twitter and Facebook fans. This is what got my book into some of the Top 100 lists. At various times it was in the top 100 of: Hot New Releases, Bargain Books Kindle Drama, Bargain Books Kindle Romance, Kindle Store eBooks Drama, and the Bargain Bookstore.
Being on these lists was great for sales, but in the end it was the reviews that got my book noticed by Amazon. I guess you could say it was a combination of the two as I probably would not have had as many great reviews without all of the sales and the visibility of the features.
The last thing I want to leave you with is a big THANK YOU. If you are a reader, author or both and you’re reading this, then there’s a good chance we’ve connected somewhere in the Twitterverse or on Facebook. I greatly appreciate the support and advice I’ve received over the last eight months and can honestly say that writers are the most caring and generous group of people!
Now, here’s some more on In Search of Lucy:
For fans of Nicholas Sparks, King of read em and weep, this emotional tale will appeal to anyone that has ever experienced love, loss, and friendship.
Thirty-year-old Lucy Lang’s in freefall. Unfulfilled at work and abandoned by both her alcoholic mother and the sister she helped to raise, she’s become cynical and depressed. Then, just as romance strikes, she finds out her sister needs a kidney transplant and only Lucy can help. Bolstered by new found friends, Lucy sets out on a road trip to save her sister’s life and in the process, makes discoveries about the kind of person she truly is.
This romantic drama will pull you into the world of its heroine and inspire you to see the true power of human relationships.
Some editorial reviews:
“I knew from the very first page of In Search of Lucy that I would enjoy reading this book immensely and I was right.” Tanya –All Things Books
“I really enjoyed this novel. I loved following Lucy on her journey. I thought Ms. Fairchild did an excellent job adding realism to this novel. Lucy was the perfect balance of hope and despair.” –Alice, Girls Just Read
“In her debut novel, Lia Fairchild shares a compelling tale with carefully drawn well-defined characters.” –Lynnette, Avid Book Reviews
Trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvp7vI...
Amazon US http://amzn.to/i1uX06
Amazon UK http://amzn.to/h2tyuY
For a list of all my works: http://amzn.to/pdEUhh UK http://amzn.to/owCBhE
