Tempest Tossed Hit #1!

Phew! Well, the book launch for TEMPEST TOSSED is over and I am super pumped by the results. Thanks to all my wonderful book launch partners.

TEMPEST TOSSED made it to #1 in Christian Mystery and #4 in Christian Romance on Amazon.ca! (This screenshot still shows #5…)

I must admit that I was bracing myself for disappointment (in a philosophical way, of course) by late afternoon on launch day. I had made the decision to try a “toned down” version for the book launch since I had little time, and frankly not much more energy! As I had explained to followers on my newsletter, I’d done a huge launch for the first book in the series with tons of planning three months in advance, and a big FB party with prizes and the whole “shabang”. The results? THREE STRAND CORD made it into the best seller lists – Hooray! Unfortunately, when BLOOD TIES released, (Book 2 in the series) I did absolutely nothing – and it showed. So, I wanted to do something in the middle.

However, by late afternoon on launch day, the sales weren’t great. Despite my awesome launch team and lots of well wishes, the numbers on Amazon were dismal. Then my husband said something that made me pause. “Why don’t you just ask people to buy it?”

At first I balked. I HAD been asking – on Facebook and elsewhere – and there is nothing I hate more than coming off as spammy. Then I got to thinking about the difference between the generic ‘ask’ and a personal ask. He pointed out that I know a lot of people. We’ve moved dozens of times, and I have a large family to boot! Asking “real” people is different than posting on Social Media.

Interestingly, I had just read an email that very day from someone I follow who said the very same thing. If we establish personal, one-on-one relationships, we shouldn’t be ashamed or afraid to ask for the sale! (Dan Blank of “We Grow Media” is amazing. I love his “human centred” approach to marketing.)

So, I stepped out of my comfort zone and asked for the sale. I private messaged real people I know who are friends and supporters. It was short and sincere, explaining that sales ranks are important on launch day, so if they had any inkling of buying the book, now would be a good time. I also provided the link to make it easy. Then I posted a live video on FB explaining what I’d done. I’m pretty sure no one felt like I was being too salesy or spammy. It was just me being honest.

Within about an hour, my ranking went from a ga-zillion in the kindle store to a few thousand. I didn’t take a screen shot until the book hit #44 in Christian Mystery, which I was thrilled with because that meant it made it into the top 100 in a category – technically a “best seller”. I watched off and on until around midnight it spiked again – this time to #2 in Christian Mystery and #5 in Christian Romance! Then I went to bed.

In the morning I checked one more time and low and behold it was #1 in Christian Mystery and #4 in Romance! Here are a few more screenshots.

Moral of this story? Don’t be afraid to ask! I’m not talking about bombarding Social Media with, “Buy my book!”, but there is something to be said for sincerity and honesty when it comes to marketing. I’m proud of my books. I think they’re entertaining and well written. So why do I sometimes fall victim to a false sense of humility when it comes to selling them?

A few of the people I spoke to afterward said, “Oh yeah. I knew your book was releasing today, and I planned on buying it sometime. I just didn’t think of it until you messaged me. Thanks.”

So, with that in mind… It’s not too late to purchase your copy – or any of the books in the series! (P.S. For those who did purchase, don’t forget to leave a review!)