Book Birthday - The Indie Way!

This week Diversion Books author Francine LaSala is celebrating the one year anniversary of the publication of The Girl, The Gold Tooth, and Everything. She's stopped by the Diversion Books Blog to share what's changed in the last year and how she's seen her book grow.

Here's one of the greatest gifts of indie publishing, whether you publish with a smaller press, like me with Diversion Books, or on your own: Out of the box marketing! You can't always get away with it in a larger house. Large print-driven presses have a standard system for marketing, with the main goal being to move as many units out of the warehouse as possible, in as short a time as possible. For that reason, if a book does not take off in the first several months, it's dead in the water.

Not so with small presses and other independent publishing, of which so much is digitally based. In this environment, a book is not expected to take off right out of the gate. It is given time to grow. Consider a newborn. While a new colt or kid can stand up and walk within minutes of birth, and start fending for itself soon after, a newborn human develops in phases. A newborn baby grows and becomes stronger every day, with a grand celebration at the one-year milestone. Think of your book in those terms and it only makes sense to celebrate The Book Birthday!

Last year, around this time, The Girl, the Gold Tooth & Everything was born. It entered the world with a somewhat soft launch, a few interviews here and there conducted to announce that it was out there and available. Reviews started coming in slowly, and, slowly, the book began to grow.

During the infancy of the book, I also began to grow-- as a marketer. I branched out and made new friends. I joined wonderful, supportive Facebook writers' groups. I built a strong Twitter following (then lost most of it to a virus, then started to rebuild it). I learned how to retweet for others. To share good news wherever I could for author friends. I even launched a live event with author pals Samantha Stroh Bailey and Meredith Schorr called BookBuzz--a fun, meet-and-mingle "social" between authors and readers at a bar in NYC, which was sponsored in part by Diversion Books. I participated in online group promotions, and started to see my sales numbers grow.

As the first year in the life of Girl came to a close, I chatted with Mary Cummings and Angela Craft, Editorial Director and Marketing Manager at Diversion Books respectively, about doing something grand for Girl's 1st Birthday. I had seen other indie authors do this kind of thing, and I was sure with Diversion behind me, we could create an unforgettable Birthday Bash.

Did we ever!

I started a Facebook Event and Angela and I reached out to bloggers to advertise our 99 cent sale. That, followed by a week of interviews and reviews fueled the fire. Guests posts energized the effort, and also provided the virtual publishing universe with something it always needs: Content. Engaging content, helpful advice, which can be shared and re-shared long after the party ends:

Sad. Scary. Tragic. (But Funny!) - How there can be humor in even the most tragic plots

Having a Threeway...Indie Style - 3 authors chat up creative marketing tips

Teamwork and the Indie Author - We're all in this together - how to help each other!

Love Me? Review Me! (And Even if Don't!) - Why all reviews matter

Writing in a Tsunami - Why there are no excuses why you can't write!

I tell you all this because whether you're an indie author, small press, or even a large publisher reading this, I think there's value in not giving up on your book. You need to keep being creative in how you spin it. You need to keep trying to sell it, without "selling" it. But as long as you're behind it, you can help it thrive.

Did it work? The morning of November 1, The Girl, the Gold Tooth & Everything ranked about 97,000 in overall Amazon.com Kindle sales; at its peak this week, it hit the #100 mark.

Put as much creativity and love into the marketing of your book as you do in the writing of it. You may be surprised at the magic you can do!

FRANCINE LASALA has written nonfiction on every topic imaginable, from circus freaks to sex, and edited bestselling authors of all genres. She is now actively taking on clients for manuscript evaluations, editing services, copywriting (covers, blurbs, taglines, queries, and more), website and blog creation, and developing kickass social media campaigns. The author of novels Rita Hayworth’s Shoes and The Girl, The Gold Tooth & Everything, and the creator of The “Joy Jar” Project, she lives with her husband and two daughters in New York. Follow Francine on Facebook and Twitter.

There's still time to enter the Goodreads Giveaway for The Girl, The Gold Tooth, and Everything, as well as purchase it from your favorite eBook retailer for just 99 cents! Hurry before this deal goes away for another year.

New eBook Releases 11/5: The Road Out of Hell - True Crime

Explore the dark side of human nature with this week's backlist re-release from New York Times bestselling author Anthony Flacco (Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six).

The Road Out of Hell: Sanford Clark and the True Story of the Wineville Murders reveals not only
the horrors of Gordon Stewart Northcott's killing spree in northern California from 1926-1928, but the ways that his only surviving victim - his nephew Sanford Clark - rose above his traumatic past.

Held captive by his uncle and forced to participate in the murders, Sanford Clark carried tremendous guilt with him for the rest of his life. But he was able to rise above the trauma and help gain a shred of justice for Northcott's victims, testifying at his uncles trial which led to the man's conviction and execution. He went on to lead a productive life, serving in WWII and being a devoted husband and father. Flacco's dramatization constructs a riveting psychological drama about Sanford Clark, and ultimately a redemptive story about one man's remarkable ability to survive a nightmare and emerge intact.

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This week the birthday bash blog tour for Francine LaSala's The Girl, the Gold Tooth, and Everything continues! Make sure to follow Francine on Twitter and Facebook, as well as Diversion Books, for the latest reviews, interviews, and guest posts. You can purchase it for your favorite eReader for just 99 cents, or enter the Goodreads giveaway for a paperback copy.

If you're looking for more free and reduced eBook deals, don't forget to sign up for the Diversion Books monthly newsletter! The next issue is this Thursday and will be filled with exciting deals and new releases for every reader.

Welcome to the new Diversion Books blog!

Welcome to the new and improved Diversion Books blog. Managed by Marketing and Publicity Manager +Angela Craft, this will also be the place to hear from Diversion Authors for a personal look at their books and writing process, as well as the occasional post from another member of the Diversion Books team about all aspects of book production, from acquisitions to production.

Of course there will also be weekly updates about our latest books, and news about current and upcoming giveaways and promotions. Have you seen our Goodreads giveaway for the paperback release of the first book in M.K. Wren's The Phoenix Legacy?

Diversion Books authors are a prolific and social bunch, and you can often find them on blog tours visiting some of your favorite book bloggers. This week YA paranormal romance fans can follow Elisa Freilich's debut novel, Silent Echo, as her blog tour kicked off with an interview at Left to Write. Silent Echo fans who are feeling lucky should also be sure to check out the ongoing Goodreads giveaway for a paperback copy.

Leave a comment below welcoming us back to the world of blogging, and I'll see you next week with the eBook debut of a classic sports title!