10 Completed Series by HM Ward

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Does she ever finish a series?!” That sentiment, or something like it, has been popping up more and more lately.  I’d like to say Psh, to that. Psht! As if! Over the course of two short years I have started and finished the series below.

That’s NINE NOVELS, just for the series below, that were written and completed in 2 years. Plus the novellas!

THIS blog and my facebook page are the only places to get real answers about things. Authors aren’t allowed to comment on the Kindle forums, so please know that I’m not ignoring you when you ask questions. Come over to the FB page and any thing you ask will be answered pretty quick.

Here is a list of completed series.

COMPLETED SERIES: (9 NOVELS + the novellas written since 2011)

  1. DAMAGED (novel, 340pgs, cliffhanger, 1 of 2 book series)
  2. DAMAGED 2 (novel, 325 pgs, no cliffhanger, 2 of 2 book series)
  3. SCANDALOUS (novel, 324 pgs no cliffhanger, was originally a stand alone)
  4. SCANDALOUS 2 (novel, 338 pgs, no cliffhanger, was added b/c of fan demand)
  5. SECRETS 1-5 (serials, cliff hangers, ea vol is ~20K-35K words or 130-190 pgs ea at trade paperback size)
  6. CHRISTMAS KISSES (stand alone novella – 132 pgs)
  7. A LITTLE CHRISTMAS ROMANCE (stand alone novella – 96 pgs)
  8. DEMON KISSED 1-5 (novels, length: 242-496 pgs each, 5 novel series, cliffhangers)
  9. STONE PRISON (novella, 78pgs, stand alone)
  10. THE SECRET LIFE OF TRYSTAN SCOTT 1-5 (serials, cliffhangers, approx 130 trade paperback pages ea)
  11. THE WEDDING CONTRACT (stand alone novel, Ferro world – 306 pgs)
  12. SECOND CHANCES (stand alone novel, 316 pgs)

Many readers will enjoy a book, and go looking for another by the same author while waiting for the next release in the first series they picked up.  I often have a couple of active series going at a time, which can make it feel like everything that’s picked up leaves the readers waiting for something more.  That’s why I try to indicate completed series in the listings. Having multiple active series lets me continue writing while ideas still develop for another title. A traditional author may spend a year thinking and writing on a book. Instead of leaving that as dead time, I use it to write another book.

I know there are people who like to read series ONLY after everything is released, and that is wonderful. That is also the reason why the listings indicate if the book is part of a series, and how many there are. e.g. STRIPPED is 1 of 2.

As a general rule of thumb, H.M. Ward romance novels have 2 books per series, and 5 books per serial unless otherwise stated.

The exception to the rule is THE ARRANGEMENT. It does not have a firm number of books in the series because it is fan driven. That means the fans are dictating what happens to the story line (e.g. Should I leave in the dark sex scene in book 5?, Should Avery and Marty’s relationship change?, Should Sean propose?, What should happen to Mel?, etc.) Every decision the fans make alters the story and adds to it.

For people who like to know how many books the series will have, I can’t tell you yet. I do know that it’s winding down, but that’s all I know. It depends on what the fans ask for at this point. I strongly suggest NOT reading this series if you hate cliffhangers. The Arrangement series is the only series that I have that’s like this. It’s sold over a million copies and has at least half a million fans who LOVE the story and are dying for more.

Another common question is about release dates. Novels typically have a firm release dates, while serials do not. Why is that? It’s so that the serials get into your hands faster. If I set a publication date, I have to stall the release for as long as several weeks, which would suck. So I don’t do that. I release serials as soon as they’re finished, which is generally every 3-4 weeks.

On average, I’ve released a new book every 2.5 weeks this year.

RELEASE INFO! Last Monday A LITTLE CHRISTMAS ROMANCE was released. This upcoming Monday THE PROPOSITION 1 will come out. The following Monday will be THE ARRANGEMENT 12. Then, I’ll drop.

That’ll be 45 books written and published in 2 years.

Follow this link to read more about THE ARRANGEMENT series and fan driven serials.

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Updated on July 20th, 2014. Total book count over 55 at this time.

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10th New York Times Bestseller This Year for H.M. Ward!

I wanted to take a second to say thank you to all of my readers. You guys are awesome. THE ARRANGEMENT 11 hit the New York Times & USA Today bestseller’s list. Plus, it made it onto Digital Book World’s list, which is something since an Indie hasn’t made their list in over a month.

The other thing I’m super excited about is that this is my 10th New York Times Bestseller this year! Talk about thing I never thought would happen. Hitting the list once is amazing, but 10 times? There are no words to describe how awesome that is, and I know the only reason I hit any list is because of you guys, so thank you so much! Thank you for telling your sisters, your friends, and your family about my stories and jumping to buy them when they come out. You guys are amazing!

Some of you know I’ve been under the weather, so stuff like this is awesome. Plus all the Mr. Turkey pictures one of the fans posts on Twitter cracks me up, so I’m setting things up to play a game. I bought a turkey vulture and we’re going to play PASS THE TURKEY. More info coming on that coming soon. Watch the FB page, because sign up will be done over there.

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THE ARRANGEMENT Millionth Book Bash Giveaway!

It’s time to start THE ARRANGEMENT series MILLIONTH BOOK BASH GIVEAWAY!!! Wahoo!!! That means prizes and fun!

So, who wants to win the biggest prize I’ve ever given away?

How does a $500 Amazon gift card sound?

You know you want it!!! And just in time for the holidays! There are new ways to enter to win, so make sure you check it out.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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THE ARRANGEMENT 11 is Available Now!

THE ARRANGEMENT VOL. 11 was released today!

DESCRIPTION:

THE SERIES WITH OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD
~Volume 11 in the New York Times Bestselling Arrangement Serials~

Sean Ferro is my addiction. I can’t tell him no, no matter what he asks for, and I know there are so many dark questions behind those blue eyes, so many things he wants me to do with him.

When I watch him go down on one knee, with his sexy body covered in sand, and hold up a glittering ring, I can barely stand. It looks like he’s going to propose, and I know exactly what I’m going to say.

Genre: New Adult Romance
This story unfolds over multiple volumes approx. 20,000 words each.
~The Arrangement Vol 1-11 are on sale now.~

GRAB THE ARRANGEMENT 11 NOW AT THESE RETAILERS:

         

Are you a paper person and wondering when the paperback will be released? Tah dah! Preorder for paper is already up. Go click it and the book will show up on your doorstep on release day. It’s awesome. Click here to preorder the paperback of ARRANGEMENT 11.

What readers are saying:

“I LOVE LOVE LOVED it! Not only does this author write amazing stuff she is a down to earth person who listens to what her fans want! Number 12 is going to be amazing with the cliffhangers that were at the end of this one. Sean and Avery’s story has been a roller-coaster ride and this book just took you through the biggest upside down loopty loop! LOL! Was not able to stop reading until I finished the whole thing!” -Keitha B.

“Amazeballs! OMFG!I am in complete and utter shock! This is definitely my favorite installment by far! I love this Sean, the sweet caring and open Sean! He loves Avery and I’m so happy he shows it.” -Jasmine C.

And more:

Thank you so much for reading!!! I’ll keep you guys updated on the other sites. Have an awesome Monday!

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H.M. Ward – Rapid Releases, Writer’s Block, & What’s Next

I thought I’d take a second to let you guys know how I go about writing my books.

The key thing is: There are always several books in the pipeline at once. I’ll work on something for a while and put it aside when it’s not ‘speaking to me’ anymore. Why do I do this? So I can wait until inspiration strikes and then pick it up again.

Writing this way keeps things rolling along, avoids writer’s block, and periodically there will be a succession of rapid releases where three to four titles get published in a few weeks. You guys probably noticed that. It happened recently when Trystan Scott, Stripped, and The Arrangement all came out back to back. In the span of 4 weeks, there were 3 new titles. It took longer than that to write them, and the only reason I was able to release books that quickly was because I was working on more than one title at a time.

I’d just like to take a second and point out how insane it is to release books that fast. Traditionally, books that are released quickly come out every 6 months, with a typical release date of a year being more the norm. Hardly anyone releases books on a weekly schedule, but I do. On average, a new H.M. Ward title comes out every 2.5 weeks. If I wrote one title at a time, there’s no way that would happen, and you’d actually get books slower because wrestling with a book that doesn’t want to be written is like pulling teeth from a camel’s butt. It’s seriously messed up.

Once in a while, a few very excited fans will tell me to just write one thing at a time thinking that’s what works best, but the truth is that different things work better for different writers. This is what works for me, so the next time you see my upcoming releases, you can know those titles are coming pretty quick.

  • What are you working on now? SECRETS & LIES, THE PROPOSITION, DIVERGENT, THE ARRANGEMENT, plus some other stuff that has no title yet.
  • What did you just finish? A LITTLE CHRISTMAS ROMANCE (This year’s Holiday Novella)
  • What are you working on next? THE ARRANGEMENT 11
  • What’s the weirdest sentence you’ve written this week? Uh, that thing about the camel’s butt takes the cake.
  • Where can fans offer their ideas for your books? The facebook page. Right now I’m taking names for the heroine in A LITTLE CHRISTMAS ROMANCE. ;)
  • Which book comes out next? Either ARRANGEMENT 11 or THE PROPOSITION. I haven’t decided yet. Then at the end of the month A LITTLE CHRISTMAS ROMANCE will be released. ;)

Okay peeps! That’s all for now! Feel free to stop by the facebook page and say hi. :)

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STRIPPED Hits The USA Today Bestsellers List

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep! STRIPPED made the USA Today bestsellers list at #17!

I won’t post a bazillion happy faces, but it’s still super awesome to release a book and have it hit a list. Thank you so much to all the readers who ran out and bought a copy of Jon Ferro’s story!!!

STRIPPED has the best review rating out of anything I’ve written so far – it’s 4.7 stars from over 300 reviews! I did some different things with this book and wondered what you guys would think. I’m so glad I didn’t suck it up! Wahoo! High fives all around! :)

If you haven’t picked it up yet, here are the links.

Kindle: http://www.amzn.to/168d7oO

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780985547387

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stripped-hm-ward/1116812694?ean=2940148780458

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/stripped/id697351736?ls=1

Thank you so much! I have the most amazing readers ever! Boo yah!

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Major Indie Milestones: 2 Million Books Sold, 7 New York Times Bestsellers, Plus More Cool Stuff

This year has been an amazing experience. Some of you know that I’m an indie author, which means that I’m completely self-published. Lots of people think that a writer can’t get anywhere going it alone, and I’d like to say otherwise.

Being an Indie Author rocks! Here are some of the amazing things that have happened so far this year, and the year isn’t over yet!

Currently, I’m the #1 bestselling new adult author in the world. Thank you to Bella Andre for pointing that out. I don’t stop and look at the numbers often, and since they exploded this year I’ve climbed more lists than I can count. The majority of my titles are new adult, and they took off like a rocket early this year after sleeping for months.

I’ve sold 2 million books. On my own. Without a publisher. How many? Can you even fathom that number, most of which were sold since this January? I can’t. What does that even look like? 2 freakin million books. Sold. As in people paid for them. (No, that doesn’t include free. I suck at free. While others have gotten free to work, I didn’t). It’s amazing!

My books have been in the New York Times 7 times since January, as well as USA Today, The Wall Street Journal. One of my titles also hit #1 on Digital Book World and I was the 1st strictly Indie author to do so.

I hit the #1 bestselling author on Amazon several times and have been in the top 100 since January this year. The authors surrounding me are mega blockbuster bestselling authors like Nora Roberts, Lee Child, and Dan Brown.

I’ve had multiple books hit the lists on the same week! I had 2 New York Times bestsellers at once, multiple times! Having 7 so far this year is overwhelming, but when you add that some of those books were in there twice in one week and wow. Just wow.

One of my titles was in the Amazon top 100 books for over 100 days. That was amazing!

I was in FORBES, The Washington Post, and a bunch of other cool places.

We’re well into record breaking territory for an indie author. Self publishing is a roller coaster ride and it’s been frantic since the start of this year.

Hell, publishing is a wild ride in general. It’s hard enough to write a book, but when you add in the factors it takes to get it in front of people, and all this stuff that happened is mind-blowing.

I’ve turned down multiple six-figure offers from traditional publishers this year and I am a so glad that I did. For those thinking about self publishing, take a good hard look. I’m having a fun time and currently at the top of the charts, and while my experience may not be the norm, there are many Indies earning an excellent living–some, for the first time in their lives–and they’re doing what they love.

I just wanted to share this since the connotation that self-publishing isn’t a good plan. People told me I was crazy when I turned down those offers. Trust your gut.

It turns out that self publishing is awesome.

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Is THE ARRANGEMENT a Series?

I’ve been getting emails from awesome fans who are curious about THE ARRANGEMENT series. It has a huge fan base – hundreds of thousands of people – and lots of new readers. Many of you already noticed, but some haven’t so I wanted to make it clear.

Yes, THE ARRANGEMENT is a series. 

There’s some confusion over what that means. My serials are not one book slashed into pieces. I know some writers do that, but I don’t. I’ve actually been asked to speak about the construction of my serials at several writer’s conferences next year, because the way they’re written is unique. Quite frankly, if I took CURSED there and slashed it into pieces, it would suck. But, that’s another topic, so I won’t go into that right now.

Pictures help make it more obvious that THE ARRANGEMENT is not one book broken into volumes. For one, it’s too big. eBooks are amazing, but the tactile sense of reading is lost. If a book holds my attention and I love the story, the time taken to read it flies by and I have no idea how many pages I read. That doesn’t happen with paper. It’s easy to see how much I read and where the end is, so I took a few pics for the ereader fans.

The stack of books on the left is the Arrangement series 1-9. Cursed is on the right, and is one of my full length novels. It’s the 2nd book in the Demon Kisses series and is about the same size as Damaged and Stripped (both are novels). Some of my novels are a bit longer, some are shorter, but it’s average novel length for me (and most romances.)

So, if THE ARRANGEMENT series were presented in novel format, they’d be onto their 4th novel at this point in time. Every 2-2.5 volumes is about novel length. The Arrangement is a series the same way DEMON KISSED is a series. Multiple books tell the story, but these come out way faster.

Why was this story written as a serial? Because there are readers who like this format, a lot. It has perks that novels don’t have.

Here are the main serial novella perks:

  • They come out faster and the reader only has to wait 4 weeks instead of 4 months. Waiting 4 months for the next title from my favorite author sucks. Most of my fav authors put out 1 novel a year. I hate that. I want more. Now. Series like THE ARRANGEMENT offer that desire for new titles.
  • Serials are less risky for the reader. If I like it, I keep reading and one book didn’t eat up a ton of time.
  • They give the reader the option to read something new between novel releases.
  • Serials are less daunting. If someone hands you a huge ass book, it can be intimidating. Novella length books don’t typically present that apprehension.
  • They’re fast and fun. This kind of book is supposed to be fun, and not take a lot of effort, which is why lots of people love them.

THE ARRANGEMENT series was originally written for fans to have something to read between novels. Then it became a fan-driven series where the fans’ comments are actually affecting the story line. It’s become an organic story, and is way cooler than anything I dreamed up when I started.

A note about it from a fan:

“Ugh!!! Okay, I’m going to get serious a little bit here and defend our girl Holly, ’cause let’s face it, she’s the best! I’m getting ready to post my amazon.com review for The Arrangement 2 and I’m reading other people’s reviews…I respect other people’s points of view and sometimes I will dislike stuff that other people like and that’s okay. That’s why there are so many diverse authors out there publishing.

The one argument I have trouble with is when people call The Arrangement series a scam. I did the math. It costs approximately the same price PER PAGE for an Arrangement serial (in e-format) as is does for a 50 shades novel (in e-format). Considering that you can fit about 4 Arrangement serials into one 50 Shades novel (page count and total $) and that 50 Shades was a trilogy, we can EASILY make it to 12 books and reach the same total price and page volume as 50 Shades… no one called it a scam!

If you think of books like the Crossfire series, which will probably go onto 5 books (and is more expensive per page), we could make it to 21 Arrangement serials and not go over the Crossfire budget!!!

I may be completely off the track by using this argument & it may not be right to compare series and novels in this way, but it just gets me upset when people write hate reviews and don’t take the time to get their facts straight or even bother rating their review based on the material they’ve read (’cause most of them even say they liked the book!).

Needless to say, my review will be a lovely one full of praise and flowers! ;-)” -MelanieAnne

People ask if these will be bundled at some point. Right now there are no plans to bundle, but there are plans for the series to go on sale like the rest of my titles. The entire Trystan Scott series was on sale recently. All the titles go on sale at some point, so keep your eyes glued to the facebook page to make sure you don’t miss it. Massive sale alerts also go out via email, so make sure you’re on that list. (Text AWESOMEBOOKS – 1 word – to 22828 or click here to get on the list).

And, I know you’re all going to ask, so here it is: THE ARRANGEMENT Vol. 10 will be out in the next couple of weeks. No, it’s not the final book in the series. I’ll make a huge post when the final volume comes out. This volume came out a little slower than usual because of Trystan Scott 5 and Stripped. Releasing 3 titles is one month is crazy, but I don’t want to make you guys wait any longer. So BAM! 10 is coming too!

Oh, and people are asking if they HAVE to read each series to know what’s going on in the novels. NO, you don’t. Each series is stand alone. That means you can read DAMAGED and skip STRIPPED and you won’t be lost if you pick up THE PROPOSITION (Bryan Ferro’s story) later this fall. It’s totally okay to know one brother better than the rest. ;) If you hate cliffhangers, stay away from serials in progress like THE ARRANGEMENT.

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Novel Peeps and Serial Peeps, Check This Out!

Hey Guys! Since THE ARRANGEMENT series has a truckload of new fans, I wanted to post a reminder that I write books for people who  novels, and for people who  serials. Both groups have gravitated toward the ARRANGEMENT series, which is incredible.

Novel peeps, your books are coming but they obviously take longer. STRIPPED, DAMAGED, DAMAGED 2, SCANDALOUS, and SCANDALOUS 2 were all written for the novel lovers.

TRYSTAN SCOTT, SECRETS, and ARRANGEMENT were written for the serial peeps. Just pointing out that there are two groups of fans that want different things.

And since the novel lovers have been asking for more Ferro family novels, there will be more. In the mean time, try not to eat the serial people for loving short books.

I posted this in facebook yesterday and here are some of the replies:

“Love.. love… love …. totally loved them..they are my favs .. And pls keep them
coming” -Sharifa Jan-Silva 

“I’m a fan of both! Everything you write rocks!” -Kelly Gunter Atlas 

“Love them all  absolute fav characters are Sean & Trystan.” -Samantha P.

“As I have read all your ferro brother books that are out I have to say don’t listen to the people saying to end the arrangement. I love it and I’m more of a novel reader but I like the serials simply because they come out faster and they are awesome. You’re an amazing writer. Till your next novel/serial comes out ill be waiting patiently and can’t wait.” -Kristalynn Jarvi 

“I’m a novel lover, I hate when the serials stop suddenly, with that said, I love all your books. Once I stop, I can’t put them down.” -Sarah Mcmillan Dozor

Sean and Trystan, you say? Hmmmm. Should I mention that both men are in STRIPPED? ;)

No, you don’t have to read the serials to know what’s going on. Each series is stand alone, which means they can be read independently of one another. So novel peeps can stick to their novels, or not. Totally up to you. And serial peeps, don’t freak out. I’ll keep writing your serials with kickass cliffhangers. :)

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Cover Suckage, Bad Branding, & Other Indie Marketing Oopsies I’ve Made on My Way to Selling 1.5 (now 5+) Million Books (A Post for Self Published Authors)

Was that blog title long enough? :) So, some of you know that I make my own covers. I even shoot some of the YA one’s myself. Anyway, I posted the info below for people who ask what were some of the major factors in my recent accomplishments, which include 6 New York Times bestsellers since January, TWO #1 Amazon bestsellers, and over 1.5 million books sold.

I’m 100% Indie and never went the traditional publication route (my control freak article in FORBES sheds a little light on why I self-published), and the stuff below played a huge factor in my success.

Thought I’d share for all my author friends out there.

***

Okay, my all time fav covers are YA PNR. Angel wings, demon eyes, and fluffy skirts on kick ass young women. *swoon* So, when I go to make an NA cover, my brain is like, “But it needs a dragon…” Technically, dragons make it fantasy, but dude – dragons are awesome! What romance cover wouldn’t look awesome with a dragon in the background with its wings sprawled?

So as you can see, my creative self is conflicted when I make new covers. I’ve posted some of these before, but I wanted to do it again, and include a final cover that had a branding issue. This kind of stuff is visual and I don’t know about you guys, but it helps me to actually see the difference, which usually results in a face palm.

SECRETS was the second book I wrote in the romance genre.

ORIGINAL COVER:

NEW COVER:

This one was the biggest oops: I wanted the cover to reflect the artistic stuff in the book. Problem: No one could identify the genre of this book based on the original cover art. Someone mentioned they thought it was going to be a thriller when it first came out. I was like, you’re cray cray, dude. And I was totally wrong.

What I learned: COVERS ARE STOP SIGNS. They should quickly reveal as much info about your book to the reader as possible and this did not. As soon as I changed the covers to the current version, sales shot up. By Christmas 2012 (book 1 in this series appeared last summer) the series was selling better than I’d ever hoped.

You’ll also notice that I had a pen name, which I stopped using late last year. Even though the pen name wasn’t a secret, people didn’t buy the books. It could have been the covers, or it could have been a lack of fans for Ella. By last summer, I had a small, loyal fan base for HM Ward. Ella had around 5. I could have branded both names, but time is an issue so I didn’t go that route. I used the name that already had the following – mine. :)

Here’s another example of stupid cover mistakes–SCANDALOUS. This book was my debut romance novel, and it was a sleeper. It did nothing for 9 months and then shot up and landed on the NYT bestseller list. In Jan of this year, I changed the cover and pulled it back under my name just before running an ad. People saw it, could tell what it was, and tried it. Plus, the ppl who read it when it first came out really liked it, so they pimped me out – all 5 of them! Seriously, those people are awesome and I can’t thank them enough. Don’t be stupid like I was. I had a serious cover crush on the old version and did NOT want to change it. The painting on the cover is IN the book. Short version: I was really stupid. Don’t wait 9 months to change covers or descriptions on books that aren’t preforming.

OLD COVER:

NEW COVER:

Okay, and here’s the last cover screw up I’ll show you for today–STRIPPED. :) This is my next novel (no dragons :( ) and it needed to be tied to the DAMAGED series. I did something stupid, in terms of branding. I have a series within a series. People weren’t getting it, so I’m trying to go back and brand the covers better.

This book was giving me all sorts of grief. The tone was a little off and the type-font was bugging me. Yes, I made it, but sometime I don’t see the issues until later. I think the mismatched branding was bugging me. I changed the cover last night and by this morning, the preorder ranking shot up quite a bit.

OLD COVER:

NEW COVER:

The new cover has that somber thing that DAMAGED has, plus matching fonts which should help connect the series. Now, instead, of comments like ‘LOOK! ITS SUPERMAN!’ the fans are saying ‘Awh, what’s the matter with Peter’s brother?’ which is way closer to the reaction I want.

Making my name legible was also a face palm. Ah dher.

And then when this book was on preorder, everyone and their dog started using the cover image. So I had to change it again. This is the current cover:

Anyway, I have more examples of me being stupid, but the point of this post is to actually see the issues and not be afraid to change them and try something new. If you have a solid story and it isn’t selling, go back to the trifecta of awesomeness: COVER, TITLE, BLURB. Those things combined make a little stool, and all three legs need to be functioning to get ppl to look at your sample. If one is off, it knocks over your whole thingamadobie. Mine have been off and that’s okay. We’re not locked into keeping a crappy cover (meaning it doesn’t sell) b/c we’re indie. Change it as many times as it takes.

Examine what works and what doesn’t. Change things one at a time to see what the issue is. I totally thought it was my books last year. I was slamming my head into the wall b/c I wrote SEVEN new romance titles, all of which were sucking up the charts and doing nothing. It’s amazing how tweaking a few things can change EVERYTHING. Since Jan of this year, I’ve had 6 titles on the New York Times bestseller list. It’s like, SHUT UP! I know! And if I kept my artsy covers it would have never happened.

I’m supposed to be in the writing cave… gots to go. Hope this helps someone see the things that took me nearly a year to figure out. :)

*Update: My numbers jumped from 1.3 million to 1.5 million. Forgot to add this months sales. :) Told you that I’m a dork.

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