While I didn't hit the number one spot overall, the book did make it to number seven, a highly respectable number.
Three weeks before the book was due to release I lost my cover artist and my publisher. No, I didn't misplace them, and no, they were not connected to each other. Due to personal reasons they both abruptly withdrew from all their projects, not just mine.
I'd purchased three promo days on Kindle Nation Daily six months in advance, which as you all know isn't cheap, especially for a writer on a shoe string budget. Suddenly I had a book, a promo, and no publisher or cover.
For one very long night, I had no idea what to do. Then I decided to do what any self- respecting author would do.
Beg.
I found a cover artist among the wonderful group of people I follow on Face Book. I filled out the required form and detailed my plight to a woman I barely knew, the amazing Linda Boulanger. The synopsis of my book intrigued her and she was willing to take the project on, no guarantees, but she promised to do her best to meet my Kindle Nation deadline. Not only did she make the deadline, she created a cover that blew me away, and after seeing my formatting, jumped in and corrected my mistakes. In a nutshell Linda Boulanger not only saved me, she did it with grace, professionalism and a whole lot of talent.
The Kindle Nation Daily promo ran with satisfactory results. Deadly Consequences did hit the number ten spot in female sleuths and suspense for part of a day. Afterwards, my rankings in the paid store were decent. I became more active in The Independent Author Network, a group I'd joined two years ago when State of Panic was released and discovered another wonderful group of indie authors, The Author Social Media Support Group.
I waited a couple weeks, then decided to do a second KDP promo, and this time, with the support of the indie community, and a bunch of old high school friends, word got out and the little book that almost never was had a darn good ride.
With thanks to Linda, IAN, ASMSG, and all the others who helped in our indie corner of the world, my heartfelt thanks. As I continue my writing journey and come closer to publishing Till Death, the second in the series, I'll be sharing my experiences and hopefully help other indie authors by sharing the resources I discover along the way.
This one is for Linda Boulanger, and the great authors at IAN, and ASMSG! Thank You!
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