Thursday, November 30, 2017

Book Bub Featured Deal Ad - Yay or Nay?

After 36 tries, I finally was accepted to advertise one of my Indie books on BookBub. 
My practical husband said "You have to be accepted for a paid ad?"
Yes, yes you do.

Book Bub is the tried and true nirvana of book advertising. I've submitted dozens of times with almost all of my books, getting the same rejection letter whose second sentence begins with "Unfortunately." That letter makes me pretty much cry in my soup about not being good enough like some teen trying to get in the cool crowd at high school. But, I keep trying. I liken my tenacity to Sue, a character on the TV show, The Middle, someone with the sunniest attitude I've ever seen (even if she is fictional.)
Indie Authors aren't always chosen first. The famous authors who are NYT Bestsellers are going to be way more appealing because they will definitely keep Book Bub's street cred up there. Readers will sign up to get the daily notice in their inbox because hey, they let you know when Obama's book is only .99.
Today, for example, they have the Neil deGrassie Tyson book, Rick Riordan, Alice Munro and Heather Graham. 
I understand. It's a gamble with an Indie author trying to compete with Alice Hoffman, Stephen King, Nora Roberts. BUT, so many of my author friends get these ads, it's hard to take it personally.

Certain categories are busier than others. For instance, our Romance Box Set of 12 books for 99 cents tried twice and we were told the category is super-competitive at Christmas leading us to think that we did not win something. Had we included Nora Roberts in our set or Catherine Bybee, we might have gotten the ad. As it was, we had one NYT Bestselling Author and 7 USA Today Bestselling Authors in the set. 
However, looking to the Deals site today, I see a cozy mystery that has only 8 reviews in that many years of being published and has very little success, so the skeptic in me wonders if she knows an editor at Book Bub or slipped in there with luck on her side. I'm rooting for her.
An author can try once a month to get an ad for each book and I'm getting ready to try again for Romancing the Holidays. It was this process and thinking that caught me unaware and without $748 extra dollars last week when Book Bub sent and email that did not have the word "Unfortunately" in it.
And tomorrow, I have my Complete Dream Jumper Series going live on Book Bub. How did the heavens open up and my luck change?
On the advice of Romantic Suspense superstar Kaylea Cross, I put the set at $1.99 and they accepted my offer to pay $748. to have it in the Supernatural Suspense category. (I actually had to borrow the money from a faithful and generous friend!) 
I got an acceptance email and jumped at the opportunity like a hungry puppy.

In order to make the money back, I need to sell about 1,000 books which, according to Book Bub's projections and numbers, I will. They estimate between 1,400 and 3,000 sales. I'm sending a message to the Universe that I want that last number please.
Getting ready for tomorrow's promotion, I rechecked the manuscript for formatting, added the link to signup for my newsletter, and asked readers to follow me on Book Bub. I added a list of my other books, fixed one typo, and changed the cover to look cleaner. I had the individual book covers above the titles on the side of the 3-D image and thinking that looked messy, I asked the cover artist, Novak Illustrations, to remove them. 
I have all my other books priced to make the set look particularly attractive, mentioned the books in the set are optioned for film in the description and am trying to see my book set through strangers' eyes to insure a sale.

The thing I'm worried about is that the set is multi-genre. It's Mystery/Suspense/Supernatural/Romance/Thriller/Travel/Action and appeals to readers of many genres, not just Supernatural Suspense. I want anyone seeing the ad to think the books will appeal to them if they read the above categories that but I guess beggars can't be choosers. I'll take what I get. I fixed the AMAZON description to include better wording and am keeping my fingers crossed.
Tomorrow, I will update this blog to include info about the sales and will continue to update for the few days after the ad, if you're interested in knowing how it did.
As a means of comparison, the box set has had 4 sales in the month of November and all of those happened when I reduced the price yesterday in anticipation of the ad and posted on Facebook. 
Follow this blog to hear updates.

Out for now...       BookBub Deals Here

UPDATE: The ad was Friday and this is Sunday at noon. So far I've sold 1100 books, which is fantastic but I need 1232 sales to break even from the $748 ad. Yes, I'll gain new readers probably and the exposure was wonderful (check me out on twitter to see my photos - www.twitter.com/kimhornsby) and I took pictures of reaching #1 in several categories but I also needed to break even. I'm not so successful that I could take a hit here. I'll have to keep the series at $1.99 for another few days, I guess to catch the stragglers.
More later...

3 Weeks Later
To date I've sold $880 worth of the book which pays for the $748 ad, thank goodness! I wouldn't say it was the windfall I've heard about though.
I wonder if the problem was the $1.99 price point which isn't as attractive as $.99 or even $2.99 according to studies, or if it was the strange cover, or the strange category - Supernatural Suspense, at a time when readers are buying Christmas stories. I'll never know.
Would I do Book Bub again? Yes but with lower expectations. For my first time with a Book Bub ad, I really expected to sell thousands of books. I only sold 1500.

Still a win, though.



KIM HORNSBY is an Amazon #1 Bestselling novelist who lives in the Seattle area and writes books about women in dire circumstances rescuing themselves.

Newsletter Signup for Book Releases & Free Stuff www.bit.ly/KimHNews
Kim's AMAZON site www.bit.ly/kimamzn

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Win an AMAZON GIFT CARD!!!

I'm drawing for 5 - $10 AMAZON Gift Cards Monday, December 4th!
This is a reward to my readers for reviewing my books.

Even if I sent you a free book, you got the book free on Kindle Unlimited, or a friend sent it to you, you can still review. Amazon does not need a verified purchase from your account to allow you to write a review.


All you need to do to enter the GIFT CARD DRAWING is point out to me that you've reviewed any of my books on Amazon.



Send me an email to kim hornsby @ yahoo .com  OR message me on Facebook
www.facebook.com/kimhornsbyauthor

with the subject: I reviewed!
and I will enter your name into the random drawing for how ever many reviews you've posted.

It's easy to review.

Try my 20 second template:

********************************************

Title: Name of the Book - Enjoyed! or Liked! or Page Turner or Romantic or Suspenseful

In the body of the review:

I liked this book because ___________
I'd recommend it to readers who like _____________

*********************************************



Here is my AMAZON Site to make it easy for you to choose a book and scroll down to the reviews to where it says Write a Review www.bit.ly/kimamzn

Click on that tab and start typing. Or copy and paste from above.

That's all you need. You do not need to be Hemingway to write a review (fortunately) and they help an author SOOOO much!!!! Amazon rewards books with lots of reviews by giving it free advertising. So the rich kinda get richer.

Enter to Win! 
     
1. WRITE A REVIEW OR TWO! (One entry for each review)
2. Email me. 
3. Win a Gift Card!
MY AMAZON SITE WHERE YOU'll FIND MY BOOKS
                          
Thanks for playing everyone!

Book Deal Alert
The Complete set of Dream Jumper Books will be discounted to $1.99 November 30- Dec 5th.

Find the series here on AMAZON

  Novels by Kim Hornsby

Dream Jumper Series – Supernatural Suspense/Romance

Girl of His Dream
The Dream Jumper’s Promise
The Dream Jumper’s Secret
The Dream Jumper’s Pursuit
Dream Come True
 
Necessary Detour – Romantic Suspense
Rocky Bluff – Police Procedural Mystery

Leaving Town for Christmas Series

Christmas in Whistler—Contemporary Romance
Maui Kalikimaka – Contemporary Romance

The Husband Hunt Series 
- Writing as Kiki Abbott

Jaxie’s Mistake – Contemporary Romance
      Kat’s Season – Contemporary Romance   

___________________________________________

  Sign up for Kim's Newsletter to get info on FREE books, new book launches and Kim News!
www.bit.ly/KimHNews                                                        

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Hitting the USAT List!

I'm trying, once again, to reach USA Today Bestseller status. It's a lofty goal for any writer but not unattainable. And I believe I'm as deserving of many who've reached this milestone as a writer.
I put together a box set anthology of 12 happy Christmas Romance novellas. Some are sweet, some sexy, one is a bestselling mystery, there's a cowboy in one, a Marine, a hockey player, a juror. All have loads of Christmas spirit and at the end of the set is a wonderful collection of over 20 Holiday Recipes.
If we sell a lot of these books, USAT bestseller status might happen for the six authors of the thirteen who are not yet USAT bestselling authors.
It's hard for an Indie author to reach this status without lots of money from a publisher to buy ads. Ads sell books.
We have only $1200 to spend, not $20,000 like the big publishing houses who can pretty much buy bestseller status for their authors.
On November 14th, our box set launches everywhere and we have one week to make enough sales to reach top 150 books sold that week. We have 800 sales, so far which might seem like a lot, but we need about 4,000. Our ads that week, will hopefully make up the difference. Our fingers are crossed.



My first box set in 2015 got really close but we didn't make it. My second didn't get all that close because we made some serious mistakes. I'm hoping third time is a charm.
If you can spare 99 cents, even if you don't read romance, please consider donating to breast cancer with that money. We are donating proceeds to the Breasts Cancer Awareness Fund. The last time I did this, we gave over $1,000 to the charity.

So for 99 cents you get a Christmas Recipe Book, 12 wonderful Christmas novels and a donation to cancer.
Thanks for your support!
BUY A COPY Here...







KIM HORNSBY is an Amazon #1 Bestselling Author who lives in Seattle, writing Suspense and Romance. Find her on Amazoto see how she opened shows for Jamie Foxx and The Smother's Brothers in Hawaii, then became a novelist.

Sign up for Kim's Newsletter to get info on FREE books, new book launches and Kim News!

Friday, November 3, 2017

Christmas Entertainment for Women!

I believe in entertainment.


When the world looks grim, having something to laugh at and enjoy, is worthy and necessary. I used to sing for a living. That felt like I was giving people a moment of pleasure, maybe even helping some forget their troubles for a brief time. Now I write novels. My audience can be entertained whenever it suits them, not having to come to a show of mine.















For years, I haven't admitted that I write romance novels. And some would say my books are light on the romance. I don't write formulaic romance where the hero is introduced on page 3 and the first kiss happens by page 10, etc. I write stories where the romance creeps in, almost organically.

I recently spoke at Bouchercon -- The World Mystery Conference -- on a panel about Romantic Suspense and when questioned why I write this genre, I said that love makes the world go round and I think if you are compelled to write suspense, having a romance in the story balances things out so the only message is not "Watch Out--the World is a dangerous place!" but something more hopeful.

I want women to know that the world is full of love too. And not just romantic love but familial love, neighborly love, even stranger love. I don't mean a one night stand either. Yesterday I had a conversation with a stranger where we found common ground and exchanged information that may make life better for a family member of mine. It was ten minutes of sharing information, out of nowhere, in which both the stranger and I ended tearing up. These moments are everywhere when you remain open to listening and taking time.
For that reason, I write a romantic story line in every book. No woman in need of good love is left behind. She gets her happily ever after when I'm in charge. And there are no shades of grey in my books, just plain grey. And no hiding behind fetishes and calling it love. No degrading college girls with light torture. I want my readers to feel pampered, lovely, not frightened. I want to show empowerment and possibilities.

I decided this autumn to compile a group of 12 happy, holiday romances to sell at rock bottom price, everywhere. I wanted to offer something fun and satisfying this year. We need it, Ladies. It's been a stressful year as a nation, as caregivers and as women.
On November 14th, we launch that set of 12 novellas (shorter than a novel and longer than a short story) but if you want to make sure you get your set now, feel free to go to the site where you buy ebooks and reserve your copy. It'll be auto-delivered to your inbox on the morning of the 14th and then you can start reading. And being entertained.
Our catch phrase has been "Fall in Love this Christmas"
Links at the bottom for sites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

I wrote a brand new novella with never-before seen main characters but borrowed Pepper from my Dream Jumper series as a best friend. My holiday romance is set on Maui and occurs during the evacuation of a community in the path of approaching lava from Kilauea's volcano. Two people end up on Maui at a mutual friend's house for Christmas and find themselves perfectly matched.

I like to write about people who've hit bottom and are trying to pick themselves up to make something of their lives.

Here's a sneak peak from the center of my novella, Maui Kalikimaka:

 ****

He’d just slipped in to the steamy water of the outdoor hot tub when Lena came around the corner in a turquoise one-piece swim suit. Even though Lena probably looked great in a bikini, she looked breathtakingly beautiful walking across the deck to the hot tub in a one-piece suit. Kalani was a sucker for long legs. She’d pinned her long hair up and carried a towel at her side and walked like a model on a runway. He had to stop himself from whistling. That would have been the old Kalani, the one who used alcohol for bravery, like a shield. The new Kalani realized he didn’t have the right to openly judge a woman’s physical appearance with his cat calls and whistles. Still, he greatly admired Lena’s physical appearance.
She didn’t make eye contact with him but slipped quietly into the steamy water. Even though the outside temperature was the low-seventies, the hot water was a nice contrast and judging from Lena’s sigh as she sank into the bubbling water, she thought so too.
“Are you one of those people that like to go from the hot tub to the pool?” He tried to not stare at her look of sheer relaxation and pleasure.
“Probably not,” she smiled. “I haven’t had enough to drink for that.” Lena looked over to him. “I’m not sure if that kind of humor is distasteful to a recovering alcoholic. I’m sorry.”
The world was so full of references to drinking alcohol, Kalani hadn’t really noticed. “Not to me. I only know that I can’t drink alcohol any more, but, like a lot of alcoholics, I have no problem with other people drinking.”

“Was it hard to give it up?” Lena swept the water back and forth in little waves towards her chest, sending ripples over the tops of her breasts.
“Yes, and no. By the time I realized that I was on a destructive path and had lost some very important people in my life, I’d hit rock bottom.” He remembered the morning he woke in a strange tourist woman’s bed at a Kona coast hotel, with no recollection of how he got there, or where his dog was. The feeling of having hit an emotional brick wall, told him he’d gone as low as he ever wanted to go. “Drinking was slowly ruining my chances for having a great life and if I wanted to make something of myself, it would have to be without alcohol. I went cold turkey, started going to meetings, and haven’t had a drop since that day. It happened two days after I told you I was hot stuff in bed, if you need a reference.”
Lena smile at him kindly. “I knew you’d had a lot to drink that night we met, but I still found something about you that was sweet.”

Their eyes locked and then Lena looked away.

*****

I wrote Kalani as a recovering alcoholic because it's a theme of interest to me and shows great strength by overcoming an addiction. Strangely, a review on our Amazon site asks what this author (me) actually knows about alcoholism. I was married to an alcoholic, my two best friends are in the program and family members go to regular meetings. I think I have a pretty good understanding of the disease.









If you're reading this and would like to experience that feeling of falling in love at Christmas, you'll get a copy of Romancing the Holidays. I hope you feel thoroughly entertained and pampered when you read these stories!


12 Novels, 13 Bestselling Authors, plus Christmas Recipes


A portion of the proceeds goes to the Breast Cancer Research Fund

Here's where to find the Box Set of Novels - Romancing the Holidays

Nook 




Happy Holidays, Everyone!















KIM HORNSBY is an Amazon #1 Bestselling Author who lives in Seattle, writing Suspense and Romance. Find her on Amazoto see how she opened shows for Jamie Foxx and The Smother's Brothers in Hawaii, then became a novelist.

Sign up for Kim's Newsletter to get info on FREE books, new book launches and Kim News!