Goldy hits Gold in Romantic Suspense!

Necessary Detour, my Romantic Suspense, is doing well this month on Amazon Prime and I thought I'd give it a little shout out to offer some tidbits on the publishing story of a book about a newly retired female rock star hiding from a psychotic stalker at her lake house in Washington State.


ND was the second full novel I ever wrote. It was my experiment to see if I could write romance and when I shopped around for a publishing deal, only to get no response, I figured it was my throw away novel to hide and forget, even though I loved the characters and the story.

Nikki is the rock star GOLDY, comparable to Madonna's popularity and longevity, or Beyonce, Lady Gaga, but heartbreakingly beautiful (Of course! It's Romance!) When she suddenly announces her retirement from the music business at the age of 39, the world mourns, the media seeks an answer, and Nikki goes in hiding from a stalker who masterminded an unsuccessful murder attempt at her final concert.

It's a fun read. When I submitted ND to a few romance publishers 5 years ago, Source Books, Carina Press, The Wild Rose Press, I had interest and in the end, the one who came back with a publishing offer was TWRP, a boutique romance publisher that is known for being extremely author- friendly and easy to work with.
I was thrilled, and they published ND at the same time as I Indie Pubbed my other book The Dream Jumper's Promise. I felt like I'd given birth to twins and they were at separate hospitals as I ran back and forth caring for my babies!

Both books did well that first year, ND especially so when it fell it with thriller writers like Dean Koontz and other big names. Because I didn't control the book's cover, description, or other publishing details, I also couldn't see the numbers. I had no idea it was selling like it was until I got a whopping check in May and realized I should have put more effort into my RS. I was oblivious to how well it did those first few months.

Four and a half years later, ND is now with both TWRP and Amazon Encore who asked for it 6 months ago, seeing it did well enough to have a second start at bestsellership. I was honored to be asked!
And just after Christmas, ND was chosen by PRIME to take part in that program. TWRP contacted me and offered me 90 days of PRIME, for a flat payment rate and I jumped on it, never having made that kind of money for one book in 90 days. I was thrilled again!

ND hit #55 in the Kindle Store last week which is frickin' amazing and it's doing really well on PRIME, up there with Romantic Suspense Authors like Elizabeth Naughton and Kendra Elliot. My hubby says this is the little book that just keeps on giving and I have to agree with him.

For a novel that got written with hope, love, humor and then went under the bed due to rejection, I am proud that Nikki and Pete's story has a wide readership. Here's to love and danger!

As one reviewer recently said "It's a great book for the beach or the fireside."
Find Necessary Detour on Amazon.

KIM HORNSBY is a Bestselling Amazon Author who makes her home in the Seattle area where she writes at a desk overlooking a tree-lined lake with a cup of tea always by her side and plane tickets always on her desk.

Kindle Direct Publishing Select Free Days. Read this First!

KDP FREE DAYS, OR NOT? THAT’s THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION.

There are thousands of readers out there who will pay for your books but many of them will barely look at your novel without a sign it's worth paying for. Especially if you are a new author and without a huge following. 

One way to help get sales is to offer your novel free. This generates free ‘sales’ and looks good on paper, even if you don’t see money for those downloads. And, if you’re in this for the money, I feel kind of badly for you right now. (Imagine me patting your back and handing you tissues) I have done KDP Select free days about 10 times now and feel like a bit of a Select Amazon expert.

Amazon Headquarters in Seattle

For free days, I upload a version of my book that includes a note after THE END to ask if the reader sees fit to review, the author would really appreciate it.

In the days after free days, sales escalate. So do the reviews a week or two later. The ranking looks much better approximately two days later. Don’t freak the morning after free days when your book is 164,000 in rank. It’ll decrease as the day goes on.  Soon after, you’ll get reviews. Many of the reviews that follow your promotion will start out like this “I wasn’t sure what to expect but …”
Why do they expect so little? Because it was FREE! The expectation is less than if the reader paid $12.99 for an e-book download. It’s no wonder some of the best books don’t have all 5 star reviews.  Novel readers want their moneys' worth. I have yet to read Gone Girl because of the cost. Just sayin’. Oh and now it's going to be a movie, without my help.

                                                              Gone Girl Cast Announced

 If you have lots of reviews that are above 4 stars, you'll get more real sales eventually. This is fact. The readers who don't subscribe to free day lists on a daily or weekly basis will jump on board to buy the book when they see more reviews. Books with 200 reviews and over a 4.7* rating are more likely to catch on than 6 reviews and a 3.2* average. Do some hopping around on Amazon, and check out Safe Haven, Sins and Needles and Warm Bodies. I use those three because my novel was lumped in with them and I spent weeks/months watching. Two were movies and one was a breakout series that came out boom, boom, boom and caught on like wildfire.

I'm a stat watcher. I watch my stats daily, sometimes three or four times a day. When things are going well with a book, I’ve been known to wake up in the middle of the night and check stats. By stats, I mean ranking, not sales. It’s not necessary to check my sales if I’m looking at ranking on the Amazon list. Ranking reflects sales. Another thing I do is keep track of books that were published the same week as me. I love to reflect on how their sales are better than mine. From this obsessive activity, I’ve learned a lot. Here’s some of what I know to be true. The ranking is directly related to sales and sales are affected by :

1. 'NY Times Bestseller' at the top of the cover, or something similar

2. Lots of good reviews – Over 100 is good, Over 300 is better

3. Amazon Ranking (or Kobo etc) Less than 10,000 in Kindle books is great

The above indicators help a reader to avoid paying for a clunker. And there are a lot of poorly written books out there right now, with self pubbing at an all-time high.

4. Whether you have the power of a publisher or NY publishing house behind you.

5. Whether it's a series, or not. Series are BIG!!

6. COVER! Non-pro covers are overlooked on a regular basis. Pay the $200.

7. Whether the author has a following. If this book is the third of a series, the sales should be better than a first one with no second published.

8. Ads, marketing, word of mouth, BUZZ!

9. If you love ranking, find a rare category and boast that you are top ten in psychic romance. Sure it might be Romance, Suspense, time travel, werewolf, psychics but you’re top ten!

I watched Safe Haven rise to the top of the lists this year. And stay there. For a long time. Yes, Nicolas Sparks has a huge following. Look at the list above and the only one not used was #5, the series, and instead of that he had a movie with Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel.

I also watched a novel (comparable to mine) rise to a USA bestseller in the last ten months. The author did free days with me, right after we both published late December 2012, both of our books did well, then she published the second and third in the series within two or three months of each other and her rise to stardom was imminent. The writing is pretty clean for a self- pubbed author, the cover is hauntingly compelling and she has over 200 reviews on each of the 3 books. Ta Da! She went free several times with the first one to get her stats up, published the second, went free to get those stats up and the rest is history. What this author did with her high concept romantic suspense novel that I did not do, was release 3 in one year, had a pro cover to start with, and who knows what else. I'm still watching her... Not that The Dream Jumper’s Promise was left in the dust. It’s done well for itself. Especially for a first novel, but without a second in the series to keep the readers engaged, I lagged behind.

And so, dear readers, these are my observations. I’m a huge fan of Free Days. And of marketing those days to the absolute max. When my thriller, Necessary Detour, went free over Valentine’s Day in 2012, with The Wild Rose Press, I had 42 ads out there to announce the deal. Some were free to me, some cost a few dollars. None cost over $20.  I got 35,000 downloads in 5 days and made almost $2,000 in the following month in royalties as well as landing #42 in Author ranking, above some very heavy hitters. That was a month to remember.

If you decide to do KDP and take advantage of the 5 Free days, here’s my gift to you. 

Do 3 of your 5 days at the beginning of the 90 days, and do 2 days, 60 days in. To advertise, log on http://authormarketingclub.com/members/submit-your-book/  to see 20-30 sites that will advertise for your free days at little or no cost. Then sit back and watch. 

You’re welcome.


 

Kim Hornsby is the  author of KDP Free Days, http://amzn.com/B00AFJ8BJS a cheap eBook on Amazon that elaborates on how to get the most out of your Select Free days.
She's also the Amazon Best Selling Author of Necessary Detour and The Dream Jumper's Promise. He highest ranking as of November 10, is The Husband Hunt, a perma free short story that reads like watching a series of THE BACHELOR.

  

Writing Romance is Harder Than it Reads!

Ever read a romance novel and think "I could write this stuff!" Well you can't. Not without years of hard work, training and tears. For those of you who have the know-how, (and I don't mean the personal romance know-how) and the education, this doesn't mean you. I'm talking to the people who poo poo the genre and say it is easy to write a romance. If it were, wouldn't everyone do it?
If a romance author let you think you could do it without a degree in creative writing, or at the very least classes and workshops on novel writing, they are probably one fine writer. Making the story flow, making you feel you are a part of the story and can write like that if you tried, is the sign of a good writer. It might look simple, but it is not.

Thank God I didn't know this before I started my first novel. I said those above fated words while reading a Susan Wiggs romance one summer. It seemed to me that there was nothing to thinking up a compelling story and then just typing it out. No offence to the author but sheesh, just write a handsome man, a woman the reader would care about, a nice setting, story and BINGO! Publication.
I was so confident, I started writing in the fall and had a spring power outfit hanging in my closet for an inevitable meeting with my editor in New York.

In some ways it's wonderful to be so confident. I'd just been on a family vacation in Canada, over the border from Eastern Washington, and decided to set this blockbuster hit on a lake, like the one we'd just been to. And then I started writing. And deleting. And writing. And deleting.
This wasn't my first novel, but it was my first romance. I'd already written a Women's Fiction that had been rejected by some of the finest agents and editors in NYC, so you see, I wasn't totally green. Just unpublished and uneducated about the process of novel writing. Aside from a few workshops on the Hero's Journey, I had no clue. I didn't even read romance but after reading Susan Wiggs' novels, I thought I might start.

Then I read somewhere that the second book doesn't usually sell. It's purpose is solely to babysit the dust bunnies under your bed, The third book was the one that would sell. Regardless, I finished the book, sent out a queries, and got rejected by some of the finest agents and editors, not only in NYC but all over this fine country. It was unanimous. No one wanted it. No one wanted the first thirty pages, let alone the full manuscript. Although I loved the high concept, no one else did. I'd written a story about a modern day Goldilocks and the Three Bears, something that apparently would sink like a lead hard copy, and I was told repeatedly that it was a bad idea. It had either been done to death or couldn't be done, I can't remember which.

That was bad news to me, who had a series all planned out with Red Riding Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk about modern day women who find themselves in similar circumstances to the nursery stories. The completed romance was titled Goldy and the Bayers, about a rock singer who suddenly retires and escapes the media by hiding out at her lake house, only to find herself spying on the family next door - the Bayers.

The completed manuscript collected dust for several years while I continued writing. I'd gotten too far in to quit now. I had thousands invested in Writers' Conferences and posit notes and felt I owed it to myself to prove that writing a book and getting it published was super simple! Dammit!
When I saw a call for Fairytale stories by Entangled Publishing, I ventured under the bed to get Goldy, and sent the pitch to several other publishers while I was at it.

Then I got a shovel, a pick ax, and a big garbage bag and started editing and cleaning up the first three chapters. When several publishers asked for the full, I smirked and told myself to dig out that Power Suit for NYC. Turned out I hadn't exactly written a romance. No siree. According to several agents who almost considered representing me at this point in my almost career, the story wasn't formulaic enough. Apparently there is a definite formula to follow for romance and I hadn't done that. In the first few pages my hero did not catch the protagonist when she fell off a ladder in her Daisy Dukes, his hand getting tangled in the jean rips, until they broke apart, embarrassed. I wasn't sure what the formula was, but when one of the queried editors suggested some easy changes to make it fit the formula, I gladly said yes and signed on the dotted line. Thank you Ally Robertson!

Writing romance is not easy. And it isn't just me who's had a hard time at this. Most writers will tell you that if you think it's easy, the joke is on you. Writing a romance (and a believable sex scene, while we're talking about it) takes a ton of skill and talent. It is not the walk in the park it looks to be and next time you read a novel that's as smooth as a piece of crustless cheesecake, think about the craft that goes into writing your entertainment.
How about it writers? Anyone ever heard that romance writing is easy?

Kim Hornsby is the author of Amazon Bestseller, Necessary Detour with The Wild Rose Press, originally named Goldy and the Bayers.

Blog Hop Fun (for me, at least!)

Carol Mason, author of The Secrets of Married Women, The Love Market and Send Me A Lover   interviews me below. Seeing she is one of my favorite authors and almost as famous as Kate Middleton in the U.K., I was thrilled to be included in this blog hop. Take it away Carol...

I am going to ask 11 questions of Kim Hornsby, author of The Dream Jumper’s Promise and Necessary Detour, to name two. http://www.kimhornsbyauthor.net/ Kim, here goes…

1. Describe the type of books you write, as I believe you also write under a pen name.

 I'd like to think I write novels that appeal to smart women who like a little mystery and romance. (Men have been known to enjoy my books too!) THE DREAM JUMPER’S PROMISE has the added aspect of supernatural dream sharing and serendipity, something I hope to layer into my future novels. NECESSARY DETOUR is romantic suspense after my editor worked her magic on it to make the romance more important for the Wild Rose Press Crimson Rose suspense line.

I took a stab at contemporary romance this year with the pen name Kiki Abbott, writing a type of fan fiction, about the TV show THE BACHELOR. Because Romance sells the best, I figured it couldn’t hurt to take a stab at romance and I have to say it was super fun! I also wrote a novella for an anthology available on Amazon with 3 other authors, titled Sweet Summertime Romance.

2. You were once photographed with Sylvester Stallone. Is there something about you that we need to know?



Ha! I sang with the Maui Philharmonic Swing Band for years and in 1994 we were working a “Hollywood Party’ on New Years Eve on Maui and the host was  film producer, Shep Gordon. Loads of celebrities showed up every year and that year Frank Stallone, the writer of the song Eye of the Tiger, from Rocky, was in the house. I asked him to sing with me on stage and he declined. When his brother Sly arrived with his posse of followers, I spoke to him on a set break. He let my friend take a pic of him with me if I did not sell the picture to a magazine. Having just finished a film in Florida with Sharon Stone, he talked about how hard he worked out to look good on film. He's much shorter than you'd think and very easy to talk to. In my singing career, I met a lot of celebrities, including Maya Angelou. I spent about a half hour talking to her backstage. My band opened for her keynote speech to a convention group. Unreal!

3. What is your ultimate dream as a writer if you could map the course of your writer’s career?

 I LOVE THIS QUESTION! I’d like to be as famous as Janet Evanovich, write like Elin HIlderbrand and rub elbows with Jodi Piccoult at writer conventions. I hope to be traditionally published in 2014, have film options that same year and be able to write full time with a gorgeous office and the respect of my husband who does not support my career choice at this point.

4. What is the best novel you have read recently and the one that disappointed you the most, and why?

I read a lot! A book a week. I have read and loved so many books in the last few months. The Secrets of Married Women was gorgeous,Looking for La La was hilarious, The Rules of Dreaming was cerebral, ROOM was haunting, The Girl From Long Guyland was like a blast from the past, Summerland was perfect, and the book that disappointed me the most was a N Y Times Best Seller and not as good as I would’ve liked. Sorry author! I also feel okay saying I did not like Safe Haven as much as most people. Straight romance is often disappointing to me. At this point in my life I like Women’s Fiction. If it has a romance…BINGO. Or a mystery to solve!

5. Describe your writing process – to plot or not to plot, before you begin?

Plotter or Pantser?  I plot a fair bit, write, and see where it takes me so you might say I’m a plotser or a pantter. I like to know where I’m going, what the conflict is and who the main characters are before I start. With Dream Jumper, the big surprise ending (the twist) was added just before I published, as an afterthought. Am I ever glad I did that! Read my reviews to see how important the surprise ending is.

6. Since you first started writing, up until now, how would you say you have grown as a writer?

As a writer, I’ve grown by about 7 pounds. But then, I also had my 50th birthday in the last few years. I'm in that stage of life where I 'm trying to embrace my new curves. Kidding aside, I'm now working on the first book I ever wrote because I love the story so much. I have grown as an author a lot in nine years, thank goodness. My writing is stronger, cleaner and has more cut to the quick in it. Phew! 

7. How do you come up with a book idea?

The question should be ‘how do you deny all the ideas you have for books?’ I’m inundated with ideas, shooting at me all day long.

8. How secure are you as a writer (given that creative people are thought to be quite insecure about their art)? If you had a great book idea and 5 of your writer friends shot it down, would you write it anyway?

 I am overly secure as a writer. The first book I wrote, there was no question that it would be a household word. I had a business suit pressed and ready for the big agent meeting. This is why I teach the course Channeling Your Inner Rock Star, a workshop on public speaking. There is no doubt in my mind that I’ll be successful as a writer. It’s just a matter of when. I suppose it’s better than being shy but being overly confident has its drawbacks too. Keep in mind that I used to make my living as an actress. I had a youtube channel called Dr. Venus, offering love advice as a foreign 'doctor' of love.

That said, if 5 writer friends shot it down, I'd listen. I still feel like a baby in this industry and my writer friends would not shoot something down they didn't feel was all wrong. I'm thinking here of my critique group and their advice is golden.

9. Without giving away any plot, what is your favorite scene in a book you’ve written?

  I love the scene in The Dream Jumper’s Promise where the main character, Tina, walks the beach with an old boyfriend who’s come to Maui and finds her in a terrible state. Her husband has gone missing and is presumed dead but she can't accept his death without a body. Her dreams of him are driving her nuts. The old boyfriend, Jamey, feels he must reveal that he can enter dreams. And with this strange and unbelievable ability he offers to visit her dreams to help her determine her husband’s whereabouts. They have quite a history together and after an argument, he kisses her. Writing a book where there is a missing husband, an old boyfriend and a confused woman had to be handled very carefully but I'm told it works.

11. Tell me about Beach Read Authors. What can readers hope to find there?

  Beach Read Authors is a blog group I formed with several up and coming novelists who write gorgeous, compelling books that can be savored to read on vacation. We have blog posts, contests and cross promote each other’s work. If you find yourself at our site, you can discover over twenty-five different books of all genres by nine different authors who write like their life depends on it. Love this group!Beach Read Authors

10. If you were forbidden from writing novels, what would you do that might come close to satisfying you?

 Writing short stories and stringing them all together. Or painting, drawing, some form of art. I once won an award in the American Songwriting Competition but that's a hard life, writing songs. I feel like music is behind me now.

Thanks Carol for the fun questions. As someone who used to practice being interviewed by Johnny Carson in the mirror as a child, I was tickled to answer your questions!