Milestones

Saturday Surprise

Book sales are moving along, not anywhere near a stunning pace, but about where I thought they would be for a first timer after only three weeks. I've been working on marketing, book/library talks, bookmarks, bookplates, publicity, business cards, press releases, securing professional reviews, updating my blog and Goodreads, and numerous other projects to help promote The Bunco Club. Today while checking Amazon to once again make sure that this is not a dream, and that my book, author page, and  wonderful reviews from readers are really there, I note two new milestones added to my budding career.

My paperback is priced at $15.50, but at this moment it is listed for $13.95. I'm thinking what the heck--what gives? After some research I find out that Amazon can put a book on sale at will but (here's the good news) my royalties stay the same! Other authors claim it's a good thing and Amazon is trying to tempt buyers to notice your book. Okay, sounds good to me.

The second milestone (and I'm really excited about this one) is The Bunco Club finally (I know, I know, the book hasn't even been on sale for a month yet) has a "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" such-and-such book. Well, it's not just any such-and-such book, it's Marie Bostwick's brand new book, Between Heaven and Texas (Cobbled Courts Quilts Series)! So I click as fast as I can to see Marie's page, scroll down to her "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" section--fingers crossed and breathless...I don't see my book. But wait! She has fifteen pages of books listed--click, click, click. There it is, on page six, The Bunco Club by Karen DeWitt!

This is momentous to a rookie author--we all look forward to this day. I realize page six is not exactly the front of the pack, but it's also not page fourteen or fifteen. I'm solidly in the middle AND it's by an author whose readership is very similar to mine.

I am elated! Every day I'm more and more happy to be on this journey and look forward to what might happen next.