Every author has their own approach, but we all want the same thing. The end all be all. That elusive orange ribbon. The rank of Bestseller.
If only it were easy.
On top of stiff competition from big name books like Divergent and The Fault in Our Stars, your path to becoming a bestseller will be different depending on what you write. If your books are average sized or larger, paid marketing services like Amazon and BookBub Ads are a great way to reach new readers. But if your works are shorter, these methods won’t be cost effective and free options like social media marketing and building your mailing list would work best.
In the latter case, that is how our guest Deanna Jackson rocketed her holiday short to the top of its category. Mr. Christmas was ranked in the top of the 45 minute romance reads category when it first released.
On top of writing and running her blog that you can check out here, Deanna works in real estate which allows her to meet a lot of different people and has been known to use a few of those "unique" personalities in her writing. What people don’t know is that Mr. Christmas is loosely based off her childhood. Her father, who passed away in 2001, was also known as Mr. Christmas by many. And so it’s no surprise that his daughter went on to create a love story perfect for the holidays.
Here is a brief synopsis of Mr. Christmas:
All roads lead home at Christmas.
Usually her favorite time of year, Leann doesn’t feel much like celebrating after being dumped by her fiancé, and receiving an alarming call regarding her dad’s latest fall. Alone and worried about her dad, Leann travels home to take care of her family and try to get back in the holiday spirit. She soon realizes that her brief trip home will have an enormous impact on her life. It will be a Christmas to remember, filled with family, memories and romance.
So today, we’ll be talking with Deanna about how she achieved this impressive milestone.
Nicole: First, thanks so much for coming on Deanna! Excited to have you, and congrats again!
Deanna: Thank you! I am so blessed with how well this story has been received so far.
Nicole: And it’s well deserved. Mr. Christmas was ranked #1 when it first released. I also feel the need to point out that it released in November, before the peak season for Christmas stories, which makes this even more impressive. What steps did you take for marketing?
Deanna: The first thing I did was market the preorder. I already had a good number of sales before it ever released. That was huge. After that, I sent out email blasts from my blog and long nights of tweeting and posting on Instagram. It's a lot of work but has really paid off. I also made sure to do promotions through Kindle which was huge just to get the book into people’s hands. It's amazing how wonderful social media is for sales.
Nicole: Was there a specific Kindle promotion that you used?
Deanna: I used a two day free promotion and decided to run it on a weekend. I believe in those two days I had over a hundred downloads. I didn't make any money off of it, but for a debut author/book, I think it’s important to get your story in readers hands too. It grows a following.
Nicole: I’ve heard that social media can be hit or miss for sales. Is there a certain approach that you took?
Deanna: I was blessed to have already grown my following, especially on Twitter, before the release. So I was able to get all of my followers to essentially help me promote the preorder. Also, I always participate in the certain hashtag days on Twitter for writers. It's huge to get involved in those because those days are dedicated to helping get the word out for everyone's book. I heard someone say that you should start growing your readership and following three years before your book’s release. It seems silly, but it's true.
Nicole: Was there a method that was more successful? Or one that surprised you?
Deanna: To be honest, all of my efforts surprised me. I didn't think the story would do as good as it has. I knew I loved it, but didn't know if other people would. I just kept trudging through. I think if I would have got a few bad reviews at first I may have given up on the marketing.
Nicole: Speaking of reviews, those play a big role in marketing. Mr. Christmas already has 10+ reviews, all positive. How did you get those reviews so quickly?
Deanna: I had a few of those I offered a copy in exchange for a review. Most of them are just from readers who enjoyed it. The readers who told me they bought it I kindly reached out to them and asked if they enjoyed the story after a week or so. I've noticed it is a nice way to "nudge" someone to leave a review. Other than that, I am thankful that anyone else has reviewed it on Amazon or Goodreads. I've still had a ton more sales than reviews, but it happens.
Nicole: Another helpful tactic is making sure your book is in the right categories, that way it’s easy to find for your target audience. Do you think that played a role?
Deanna: Not really. I write romance, and I knew this was romance. The story does center around family too, but it is definitely romance.
Nicole: Of course we have to talk hindsight. Is there something you know now that you wish you knew as you were starting to market?
Deanna: I wish I would have started the preorder marketing sooner. I could have started it in early September and done a bit better. I also would have given more ARC copies before release. I think I only gave out maybe four copies for reviews this entire time. It's been beneficial, but I could have done more.
Nicole: Well I think you’ve done great. Thanks again for coming on. Before we go, is there any advice you’d like to give to authors who are planning a release soon?
Deanna: Aw, thanks for your support! I would suggest to start marketing a few months before release day and don't be scared to put yourself and your book out there.
The path to becoming a bestseller is a long one. But with hard work and advice from others like Deanna, you can make it a shorter journey.
Merry Christmas everyone!
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