The Day After

This Is Number Six Win a Paperback Copy Of My Deadly Val...

The Day After

It’s no secret that I don’t like launch parties. If I’m going to a party, I prefer the real thing to the virtual version.

Yesterday’s launch of My Deadly Valentine was no different. I was on call from just after six yesterday morning, took an hour out to collect the dog from the boarding kennels where he’d been while we were on holiday, then took another hour out for a bit of sleep early in the afternoon. Aside from that, I was at the computer all day. I even monitored the launch party while England played Brazil.

And normally, they’re a bit of a flop. The titles tend to make more impact in the days following a launch do.

Yesterday’s thrash, however, was encouraging. At lunchtime, My Deadly Valentine was hovering around the 15,000 mark in the Amazon overall chart. At about 6:30 last night, it moved into the UK Kindle British Detectives top 100 at number 80. When I got up at six this morning, it had moved up to number 60 and when I checked it again just now, it had climbed another notch to 59. (I wouldn’t like you to think I’m obsessive about the charts. I’m monitoring them for a reason, which will only be divulged in the summer.)

The purpose of any exercise is not to sell books. I stand firm in the opinion that you cannot sell novels in the way that you sell mobile phones, TV/satellite/cable packages, home improvements and so on. No matter how hard you push, you cannot persuade someone who reads only romance to buy a whodunit and vice versa.

Books are not sold, they are bought, and the idea behind launch parties, excerpts, giveaways, competitions, is to raise the book’s visibility.

My Deadly Valentine is now visible, and it’s made a more profound impact than any of its five predecessors. Each book crept into the top 100, then dropped out, crept in, dropped out, and so on, before finally making the chart and staying there. My Deadly Valentine appears to have moved into the chart and stayed there.

I’m grateful to the readers. It means they’re enjoying the work I put out, and aside from the satisfaction it gives me, it also encourages me to write more STAC Mysteries.

Watch this space.