Chelsea M. Cameron's Blog, page 9

In which I finally post some sales numbers...

Okay, so I don't post sales numbers like a lot of authors do. I've talked about this before, but so many people have been asking me, I decided to go ahead. These numbers are specifically for My Favorite Mistake. I've sold probably less than 3,000 copies of my other books, total. Which isn't terrible, but I'd never made any sort of best seller list with those numbers. I am not posting these numbers to brag, or say, hey, I'm awesome. I'm just posting because people are curious. No, I won't tell you how much money I've made. If you want, you can do the math.To date, I've sold 13,492 ecopies on Amazon US, 1,653 on Amazon UK, 154 on Amazon DE (Germany) and a few in the other countries, 6,278 copies on Barnes and Noble, 81 copies on Kobo and 37 paperback copies. Sooo *gets out calculator* that's 21,695 copies since September 29. I've officially sold, as I told my mother, "a crap ton of books." So there you go. Numbers. Do with them what you will.Don't get me wrong, I'm so beyond thrilled. Actually, I'm so "whatever" about it, because it just can't be real.  There is no way that I'm selling this many. It has to be some sort of glitch. I don't think it's going to sink in until I get the money deposited in my account. My mom keeps asking me "how many books did you sell today?" and I tell her and we just shake our heads. What else are you gonna do? I think it's safe to say that I will be able to be a full-time writer soon. This has been my dream for so long I can't even tell you. I will do another longer post when I have more NEWS to tell you, but right now all I've got is that I've sold a lot of books and I'm a lot a lot grateful :)

Cover Reveal for The Crimson Hunt by Victoria Smith...

I met the lovely Victoria Smith online a little while ago when I went searching for fellow New Adult authors. She was so friendly and turned me on to the blog N A Alley (which you should go to for anything New Adult-related), and today she's revealing the cover for her New Adult Sci-Fi Romance, which releases November 12, The Crimson Hunt! First off, here are all the book deets:



College junior Ariel Richmond is working on year three of Project Normalcy.

Her house reeks of keggers past and her bestie is just a slight bit vulgar. But the thing is—they both aid in making life refreshingly uneventful.

So much for hard-earned mediocrity when Luca Grinaldi appears on the scene.

Luca’s sudden presence on campus is hard to ignore. Those bright eyes act like a beacon to unsuspecting females, and with features like his, he’s got to be moonlighting for GQ. Luca hopelessly captivates Ariel with his confidence and charisma, but the mysteries surrounding him make him nearly untouchable. And just when Ariel grows close enough to unlock his secrets, a tragic event sends her life in a downward spiral.

That steady life is no longer an option and allies quickly become scarce. The mysterious Luca seems to be the only one willing to help her—but with that trust comes the burden of his secrets. He has a dark mission of otherworldly proportions, and is willing to sacrifice as many lives as it takes to see it completed.

Gone are the days of simply maintaining normalcy, and if Ariel isn’t cautious with her trust, so soon may be her future.
Add it to your Goodreads Shelf here
Make sure you go to Victoria's blog where she'll be revealing the first chapter!
Here's a little more about Victoria:
Victoria H. Smith has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. She puts it to good use writing romance all day. She resides in the Midwest with her Macbook on her lap and a cornfield to her right. She often draws inspiration for her stories from her own life experiences, and the twenty-something characters she writes give her an earful about it.

In her free time, she enjoys extreme couponing, blogging, reading, and sending off a few tweets on Twitter when she can. She writes new adult fiction romance in the sub-genres of science fiction, urban fantasy, and contemporary, but really, anywhere her pen takes her she goes. 

Victoria H. Smith Links: Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads 
Oh, you wanted to see the cover? Oh, you do? Well, just scroll down a bit...
LOVE THE PURPLE!!!!!Cover Image Designed by: Michelle Johnson

So you want a signed proof copy of My Favorite Mistake?

Well, that's awesome because I have one! (actually, I have four) Not only is it one of only FIVE proof copies that exist, it will also be signed. Proof copies are the first printed paperbacks that I ordered to make sure the book looked okay before I put it up for sale. I'm the only person who has them :) Oh, but that's not it. Not by a long shot. See this?

What is that? Are those handwritten notes with little comments and tibits from yours truly? Why, yes!
I got this idea from my loverly beta reader Laura, and I thought it would be a fun prize. Not only are you getting a rare proof copy, but I've also gone through it and written notes and comments and other little things on each and every page. I'll probably be doing this with the others, so each will be unique. There also may be some little details that I've never revealed before....
Oh, and I'll throw in a gift card to Amazon or Barnes and Noble for $20.
So now that I've teased you, how can you get your little hands on it? Scroll down to the Rafflecopter! *This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL!*

For the Twitter entry, just fill in the line with your favorite quote or line from My Favorite Mistake

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winnnnaaahhhhhsssss...

Okay, here we go. First I'll announce the signed bookmark winners. I will be emailing all of you to get your mailing addresses shortly.
Drum rooollllll.....
PavanGiselleBailey P.Paige S.Giedre S.Sarah J. R.DianaAnnabellBrandi M. F.Momo X.LaurenIleana A.Joanne B. C.AsmaaMaria V. M.Marcia W.ChristyKindlemom1CazEmily G.
Ebook winners:Kim P.VeronikaPriya K.Rebecca F.Gemma L. P.ChelseaLisa C.KorinaChristine
Lucy W.

Congrats to all the winners!!!!!

Blog Tour Links!

The My Favorite Mistake Blog Tour is underway, and I have the first few days of links:FireStarBooksInsightful Minds ReviewsHunter's Character Profile, Insightful MindsBeth Art From The HeartDarah's Character profile
Hop on over and make sure you enter to win the major swagage :)

In which I talk about someone else's book for a change...

I know this is my blog and all, but I feel like lately I've only been talking about my own books, and I don't like that. To remedy that, I'm going to share with you some of my favorite recent reads, and some that are near the top of my TBR :)
My Paper Heart by Magan Vernon. Magan is a fellow indie author, and we've become friends online. I loved her alien romance books, and when she said she was writing New Adult, I was intrigued. I was just starting to be aware of the genre. During #indiechat I won a copy, and a few weekends ago I was FINALLY able to read it.OMG, you guys. It. Is. AWESOME. I was reading it in public and I started laughing so hard that I cried and then I had to put it away so people wouldn't think I was crazy. It's such a down-to-earth, homey, cozy story. I love every single one of the characters and Blaine Crabtree (how could you not love that name?) is exactly like so many guys I know. This story was so freaking good. I have already begged Magan for a sequel. You can buy it on Amazon: here and Barnes and Noble here. Seriously, buy it. RIGHT NOW.


Easy by Tammara Webber. This is another New Adult title. I bought it as an ebook, but I decided that the cover was so pretty, and it got such a good recommendation from some of my author and blogger friends, that I bought the paperback. Sooo worth it. This is a dark story, but a beautiful one. I'm a sucker for a quiet, tortured bad boy who always shows up when you need him most. *sigh* This was a riveting story, and I loved every second of it. This would be a really good one to read in front of a warm fire on a snowy day. On October 6, the new ebook version from Penguin will be out! You can buy it on Amazon: here and pre-order on Barnes and Noble: here.







Dearly, Beloved by Lia Habel. Dearly, Departed was the best book I read last year, and I'm DYING to read the sequel. I want me some Bram! If you don't know what these books are about, all I have to tell you is: Zombie love story. HOW CAN YOU SAY NO TO THAT? Seriously. It's so funny and awesome and swoonworthy. GAH! I can't gush about this series enough. Just read the book. I'm begging you.

The EPIC THING to end all epic things...

So I've been a little quiet (for me) lately and there's a reason. Let's go back in time, shall we? I had this idea for this book about two broken people; one seriously angry girl, and one boy who had ZERO shame and was also a little broken. Said idea hounded me and consumed me until I wrote it. I loved said story. I wanted to marry said story. I released that story to the world on Saturday. That story is My Favorite Mistake.
In the first few hours of being available, the book sold more copies than I thought was possible. A lot more. Cue surprised face #1

The book kept selling well, REALLY WELL. Cue surprised face #2
Then on Monday, my life completely changed. I was contacted by an assistant to Kim Whalen, a literary Agent from Trident Media Group. She represents such authors as SYLVIA DAY (yeah, Sylvia Day, the one who wrote Bared To You? The New York Times Best Seller?) and more recently, M. Leighton (of The Wild Ones and Down To You fame). She was reading My Favorite Mistake and LOVED it. Then she said the really EPIC THING.She wanted to know if I had an agent, and if not, would I want to speak with her about possible representation?
This was the first thing I did:
After I got done doing that, I did this: Me? YOU WANT ME?
I had all these fantasies of an agent contacting me. I just never thought it would ACTUALLY happen. I filled them away with the images of me on Ellen, and hanging out with Taylor Swift. Things that were unlikely to happen.
Three days. The book was only out for THREE DAYS.
After saying "oh my God" a bunch of times and shaking a lot, I read the email again. And again. I called my mom. And I started trying to figure out how to craft a response to said email that didn't sound like OHMYGODDDDDDDDD.
I decided to sleep on it, but in the meantime, I contacted Michelle Leighton. She was crazy enthusiastic about Kim, and I learned that she just sold The Wild Ones as a three-book series to Berkley. WOW. Could that happen to me?
Things like this don't happen to people like me: Twenty-six-year-olds who live with their parents and think an awesome night is watching Downton Abbey and spend WAY too much time on Twitter.
So I didn't answer the email right away. Then on Tuesday, I got another email. I finally had something coherent to say, so I sent an answer back saying I would be interested. To cut to the chase, Kim and I talked today, and I accepted her offer of representation!!!!
So now I'm doing this:
and this:
Also, I bought champagne :) 
Three days can change your life. I feel like Cinderella right now. I just wanted to say thank you for everyone who has made this book a success. You are responsible for making my dreams come true. You're all my fairy godmothers!

In which I act like Taylor Swift at an awards show...

This has been my facial expression for the past 24 hours. I had hopes that My Favorite Mistake would do well. In fact, I made this crazy goal of number of books sold. An insane goal.
I surpassed it. I'm SPEECHLESS.
I can officially call myself a best selling author. As of right now, MFM is #164 in the Kindle store, #27 in Kindle store > Romance > Contemporary and #33 in Books > Romance > Contemporary. It's also at #147 in the Nook store. Don't know about Kobo, because they're taking their sweet time publishing. I may have to send them an angry email.
WHAT. THE. CRAP.
I know I don't talk a lot about my sales, or how much money I make. I know a lot of indie authors are transparent, and I had every intention of being that way too, but when it came down to it, I decided I didn't want to share that kind of thing, at least not until I'd hit a milestone. Well, milestones have been hit and then some. I've already heard from so many people who have loved Hunter and Taylor's story. It is so gratifying to hear that people love it as much as I loved writing it. When I had the idea, I had this weird feeling that it was something special, but I didn't know until now that someone other than me thinks it's special too.
By the end of today, I will have made more money than I make in a month at my full-time job. IN TWO DAYS.  
I remember back when I started publishing and I'd read the success stories of Amanda Hocking and Samantha Young and Shelly Crane and Colleen Hoover and I was be so jealous. What can I say? It's a human emotion. I would see their sales stats and wish and hope that someday that could be me. That lightning could strike. That it could happen to me, too.
While it's still too early to make any grandiose predictions, I think it's safe to say that my student loans will be paid off a lot sooner than I thought, and I'll probably be able to move out of my parent's house and get my own place. 
I just wanted to write this and thank you. Thank everyone who bought the book. You have a hand in making my dream come true. I can't believe this is happening.
I've wanted to cry and laugh and jump around and tell everyone at the local store about it. I want to call up all my relatives and tell them that my mom has something EPIC to put in the Christmas letter this year. I want to screen shot EVERYTHING just in case something catastrophic happens and this wasn't real. Just so I can prove it. I also feel like I should be MORE excited, but right now I just feel astonished.
For the first time, I feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it's really freaking bright.

My Favorite Mistake is on its way!!

I hit the publish buttons on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Kobo a few minutes ago! Amazon will be up in the US within 12 hours, and everywhere else soon after. Barnes and Noble usually takes a bit longer, so it probably won't be until tomorrow or later. Not sure about Kobo. I'll post links as soon as I have them. I'm almost done formatting the paperbacks, so those are about two weeks away. Are you excited? I can't wait for everyone to meet the one and only Hunter Zaccadelli :)

My Favorite Mistake Release Day Giveaway!

We're only EIGHT days (September 29) away from the ebook release of My Favorite Mistake, my new adult contemporary romance, and I wanted to do a little contest to celebrate :) In case you don't know what MFM is about. here's the synopsis:
Taylor Caldwell can't decide if she wants to kiss her new college roommate or punch him.

On the one hand, Hunter Zaccadelli is a handsome, blue-eyed bundle of charm. On the other, he's a tattooed, guitar-playing bundle of bad boy. Maybe that's why Taylor's afraid of falling in love with him, or anyone else. She doesn't want to get burned, and even though her other roommates adore him, she wants him gone before it's too late.
Hunter himself has been been burned before, but the fact that Taylor calls him out on his crap and has the sexiest laugh ever make him decide maybe love isn't a lost cause. They make a bet: if she can convince him she truly loves or hates him, he'll leave the apartment--and leave her alone. The problem is, the more time they spend together, the less she hates him, and the more she moves toward love.
But when the man who holds the key to Taylor's fear of giving up her heart resurfaces and threatens to wreck everything, she has to decide: trust Hunter with her greatest secret, or do everything in her power to win that bet and drive him away forever.
So, in honor of the book, I'm having a massive giveaway! Up for grabs are 20 (yes 20!) signed bookmarks and 10 ebook copies! This contest is International as well :)All you have to do is scroll down and use the Rafflecopter. (Contest ends on October 6)Here's what the bookmarks look like:


Pretty, aren't they?
(You know you want one)

a Rafflecopter giveaway