Denise Grover Swank's Blog, page 7
August 31, 2014
Meet-Ups with Denise! Meet Me in YOUR City!
Meet-up in Rogers, Arkansas August, 2014
In 2015, instead of going to author events, I’ve decided to start creating “meet and greet” sessions. Once a month or every other month, I’ll travel to one or two locations and meet readers in an informal setting, giving us a chance to sit around and chat. You can ask me questions and I can share things most readers don’t know. You can buy books and swag (Crappy Doodles mugs, Team Joe and Team Mason shirts anyone?) Purchase is NOT required.
We’ve tried this in two locations now (see the photo) and I loved it! They last one and a half to two hours and they are completely FREE. You are encouraged to attend and bring friends.
I’m now trying to determine WHERE to go next–so this is where you come in. If you want me to come to your location, you need to fill at out the attached Google form. And you need to get your friends who might come to fill it out too.
I’ll be going where the most people want me.
We’ll start scheduling the Meet-up with Denise sessions for 2015, so get your requests in! Tell me where you want me to go HERE!
…oh wait, that didn’t sound right. 
July 20, 2014
Authors After Dark Book Request Form
I will be attending Authors After Dark in August, but with VERY LIMITED participation. I will be at the signing on Saturday, August 9, but due to the small tablespace provided, I will only bring a limited number of copies of After Math, Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes, and The Curse Keepers.
If you KNOW you want a book–especially one not listed here, please click on this link and request your copies. Also, if you let me know you are coming, I will bring you special swag.
I can’t wait to meet you!
I’m Coming to Arkansas!
I’ll be traveling in Arkansas in August and I’ve set up two Meet & Greets while I’m there.
The first is in Rogers, Arkansas at Starbucks on Saturday, August 2 at 1:00 p.m. The second is on Monday, August 4 at another Starbucks at 7:00 p.m. (Addresses below)
Come hang out and chat. I will bring books but only the books readers request before I leave Saturday morning. GETTING A BOOK IS OPTIONAL. I’m more interested in meeting you than making a “sale” so please don’t let that stop you from coming to see me. HOWEVER, I’d appreciate you letting me know if you’re coming so we can plan ahead. I plan to bring some swag to share with you. But I need to know you’re coming so I can bring enough.
I’ve attached a link to a form so you can let me know which location you will be attending and what books you want me to bring.
I plan on doing more of these in the future. If you don’t live in Arkansas, where would YOU like me to visit? I’ll go to the places with the most reader response!
If you are coming to see me in Arkansas, click here and answer three easy questions! I can’t wait to meet you!
Saturday August 2, 1:00 p.m.
Starbucks
2003 Promenade Blvd
Rogers, AR 72758
Monday, August 4, 7:00 p.m.
Starbucks
5719 Kavanaugh Street
Little Rock, AR 72207
July 13, 2014
Protected: Picking up the Pieces Part Two
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July 9, 2014
I’m coming to the UK!
My publicist is in the process of setting up a book signing tour for me in the UK in 2015! I’ll be with a few other authors and we plan to stop at several cities. But right now we’re trying to figure out where my readers are located!
If you live in the UK and are interested in meeting me in 2015, would you click below and answer two questions that will help with our planning? Thank you and I can’t wait to meet you all!
July 1, 2014
Happy Third Book Birthday Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes!!!
Three years ago today I entered the publishing world when I released the eBook of Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes on Amazon, B&N and Smashwords. But silly me didn’t officially declare the release for another week–until the print book came out.
Hahahahaha!
You see, even then I was still thinking in traditional publisher terms. A print book was VERY important to me. That made it a “real” book. Little did I know then what I know now–about 98-99% of all my sales are eBooks. (BTW, I still make a print book of all my books. So a print book still is important. Just not for the same reasons.)
Anyone who’s known me any length of time knows my story. I hoped to sell 1ooo books by December 31, 2011–six months. But I hit that “magic” mark in September. THAT was when I felt like a “real” author.
As of today, I’ve sold over 700,000 books. Add a minimum of 100,000 more if you include all the box sets and collaborations I’ve taken part in. Obviously I don’t.
Since July 1, 2011, I have:
14 indie published books
2 books with 47North (one more to come in September)
1 novella
3 short stories for sale (others posted free)
1 short story with 47North (two more to come, one in August, the second TBD)
2 box sets of my own books (these sales are included in my totals. Only works with other authors aren’t)
11 audiobooks (8 indie published and 3 with 47North)
sold the movie option rights to my YA series.
sold foreign rights of my Chosen series to Turkey
hit the New York Times list once
hit the USA Today list four times
If you had shown me these facts three years ago, I never would have believed it was possible as an indie author. Back in 2011, I suspected that I was committing career suicide, but I was stubborn enough to do it anyway. Back then, I still wanted to be traditionally published. Now I’ll consider it if the right deal comes along. (Never say never!) But back then I had a story born from my heart that my beta readers absolutely LOVED. Only no agent or editor really wanted it. Now, I can kind of see why. Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes is a genre bender. Part romance. Part mystery. Part coming of age. No one wanted to touch it.
Thank goodness for me.
I love Rose Gardner. I love how she’s grown and embraced life. She’s my fictional character, yet she’s very real to me, as are the supporting characters in the book–her sister, Violet; her boyfriend, Joe; Neely Kate and Mason Deveraux, who were both introduced in the second book, Twenty-Nine and a Half Reasons. Bruce Wayne Decker and Jonah Pruitt, in Thirty and a Half Excuses. And I love that these characters are very real to my readers as well. The Facebook discussion group for Thirty-Two and a Half Complications is a VERY active group. (If you’ve finished Thirty-Two, feel free to join!)
So how many copies of Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes have I sold? Only 36,000. But that’s because the eBook has been permafree since October, 2013. The real question is how many books have I given away? Over 800,000 copies. But the real key to the success of the series is how many copies I’ve sold of the second book, Twenty-Nine and a Half Reasons. Within the next day or two, I’ll hit 90,000 sales. When I add up the sales of all five books and the novella, I’ve sold nearly 275,000 books. In three years.
To celebrate anniversary of the book that changed my life and as a thank you to my awesome readers, I’m hosting thirty-one days of giveaways–a giveaway every day in July! Some will be a small prizes like eBooks or print books. One of the bigger prizes will be an iPad mini. Be sure to stop by Facebook page every day!
And thank you to all my readers! I wouldn’t be where I am without you!
June 23, 2014
Now Accepting Applications for the DGS Street Team
We are now accepting applications for the DGS street team! Just an FYI, the street team is run by Heather Pennington, Denise’s assistant, so most early contact about joining the team will be through her.
We’re excited that you want to join the street team, but Heather has put together a list of expectations so you know what you’re signing up for.
Expectations for Street Team members:
1. Two unique/new DGS reviews each year. The links need to be from Amazon or Goodreads and need to be sent to Heather through an email OR the preferable means of sending it would be through a Facebook message directly to Heather. Please do not link Denise to these messages. She has enough on her plate without being bombarded by links.
2. Five individual Shares on Facebook(these do not include mandatory shares). These links also need to be shared with Heather in the same means that you shared the reviews.
3. Share anything that is clearly stated as mandatory. We keep track of shares and if we see that you have not complied, then you will be removed from the group. Your share links for mandatory shares need to be sent to Heather as well.
4. Use promotional materials sent to you appropriately. We want to know when you hand out cards and how receptive people were to them. You don’t have to report back on every single card but we do want to hear that you are actively promoting DGS in your group of friends and family. We love to see the creative ways that you are getting the word out about our favorite author.
5. Maintain a positive attitude at all times on our forum and also in other forums when representing DGS. You will be removed if we find out that anything that might be construed as inappropriate behavior is observed.
Once you have spent three months as a part of our team, have completed all shares and reviews(sent to Heather), then you will be eligible to graduate to the next level of our street team. You will need to continue reviewing and sharing at the next level as well though.
If you’re still interested in joining, click on the link below and fill out the application!
Join the DGS Team!
June 11, 2014
Somewhere (On the Otherside #3)
Blurb and release date coming soon!
May 23, 2014
Thirty-Two and a Half Complications Has a Cover and a Blurb
Coming June 24, 2014
There’s no denying trouble finds Rose Gardner like a divining rod finds water, especially when Rose lands in the middle of a bank robbery. But after the robbers steal her deposit bag—containing a large amount of cash—she soon finds out that trouble is threatening her business as well, thanks to her sister Violet’s financial mismanagement,.
To top it off, Rose’s ex-boyfriend, Joe Simmons, has moved back to Henryetta to fill the chief deputy sheriff position. Rose’s involvement as a witness is the perfect opportunity for Joe to reinsert himself into her life. But Mason Deveraux, Fenton County Assistant District Attorney and Rose’s new boyfriend, has waited too long for Rose to give her up without a fight.
Rose’s pregnant best friend, Neely Kate, suggests they find the robbers using Rose’s visions and Neely Kate’s knowledge about everything in town. The women are soon hot on the trail of the stolen money, but Rose is caught off guard when Neely Kate’s snoopiness detects the biggest complication of all: Rose might be expecting a baby of her own.
April 10, 2014
Happy Release Day BUSINESS AS USUAL!
Happy Release Day BUSINESS AS USUAL
This is the third book in the USA Today bestselling Off the Subject series. BUSINESS AS USUAL tells Lexi Pendergraft’s story. My original plan had been to make the third book Tina’s story, but Lexi stole my heart while I was writing REDESIGNED–and from reader comments–she stole a lot of your hearts as well. I loved telling Lexi’s story and found her intimacy issues heart-breaking. I hope I did her justice. And Ben–her love interest–I think Ben is one of the most “real” characters I’ve ever written. Both characters are in dark places, trying to make the best of what they have. But when they find each other–it’s magic.
I’ve had readers ask if there will be more books in the Off the Subject series. At this time, I’m not planning to write more. But if I did, I’d tell Tina’s story and the reason for her downward spiral. Tina’s story would be a lot darker than the other three. Perhaps if I knew there was a strong interest in her book, I’d write it. But for now, I have plenty of other projects on my plate to keep me busy.
I hope you like BUSINESS AS USUAL. It was fun to revisit the characters from the previous two books and I’d love to try something like this again. Hmmm… Maybe I have something in the works.
BUSINESS AS USUAL IS NOW AVAILABLE AT:
iBooks
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon DE
Amazon AU
Amazon CA
Amazon FR
Kobo
B&N
