One year ago today, my debut novel, My Soul to Keep, went live on Amazon and other online book retailers. It’s been a good year and I wanted to celebrate. I’m glad you came! There’s no better way to celebrate than with friends. Help me celebrate my one year anniversary and a giveaway!
One Year Ago
On this day (August 21) one year ago (2018), I pushed that publish now button. There’s nothing more disheartening than the push of an electronic button. There’s no sound. There are no balloons or flags or cheering crowd. I’d done very little promotion and had few sales beyond my friends and family. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate every one of those sales. But when the first person who was not a close personal friend posted a five-star review, I was beyond thrilled. There was dancing and laughing and, I’m not ashamed to admit it, tears of joy. They were nothing compared to the watershed when I held the print version in my hands.
The physical book was the culmination of years of working hard to learn to write stories. Millions of words written and trashed or put away in a drawer. A lot of people compare publishing a book to having a baby. There are some parallels, but it’s not the same. Writing a book requires a long gestation period and a lot of “labor,” but when you put it out in the world the creation part is done. There are things to do—marketing, book signings, and events. It’s not like holding or nurturing a baby from then on.
The Ride
As a first book in a series, I decided not to promote My Soul to Keep much. It’s hard watching your book languish on the shelves.
So I did a few appearances and a couple of promotions. Both of which gave my novel a sales bump. A book club chose to review my book. That led to my first review from a reader in Great Britain.
I had no real sales goals. Why? Fear that no one would like the book I think. About mid-way through the year I decided to see if I could sell 100 books in the first year. Without any advertising, I fell short of my goal. But I came close.
Celebration!
Finally, I get to the good part: The My Soul to Keep One Year Anniversary Giveaway. A $32 value, winners will receive the following Kindle ebooks from Amazon:
Tribe of Daughters by Kate L Mary
My Soul to Keep by me, Lynette M. Burrows
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
Red Clocks By Leni Zumas
To win, enter on the My Soul to Keep One Year Anniversary Giveaway page and follow the directions on links to click and share this giveaway. Points are accumulated by clicking the links or sharing the giveaway or signing up for my blog or newsletter.
Current subscribers to my blog and newsletter, don’t worry, there are daily bonus points available for you.
The winner will be chosen by KingSumo.com and announced on this blog and Facebook and Twitter on September 6th.
Thank You
I appreciate each and everyone of you whether you’re a lurker or someone who comments on posts.Thank you for being part of my adventure into publishing and for helping me celebrate my one year anniversary and giveaway. ETA: This contest is completed and a winner selected. Thank you for your participation. Sign up for blog updates to get notification of future contests.
1 comment