From Bookshelf to Best Seller!

Well, it's the end of the year in which I became an author, so it's only fair I share with you how my book fared when it reached the virtual bookshelves of the web. 


It's done rather well for itself! In the first place, when I was selling direct to the public without the help of Amazon, it covered its costs ... then went into (dare one even hope for such a thing with a first novel?) ... profit! Took two weeks to become profitable. Considering that most first novels don't even earn out their author's advances, I was rather chuffed with that.

Once it was in profit, I thought there was nothing to lose by uploading it to Amazon. Within a short while, it was on best seller lists for new releases in both the US and UK ... ahead of books published by big name publishers! The next step was to see whether or not I earned myself any reviews. A nervous wait.


Sure enough, reviews arrived. My book went on to become one of the top 20 best reviewed novels in its genre on Kindle in the UK. 


If you've read it and would like to add to the reviews, please do! http://amzn.to/rebeccaw is the UK link and http://amzn.to/palaces-and-calluses is the US link.


Meanwhile, I've been tapping away at a keyboard all year, writing my column for Writing Magazine. Yep... they decided to turn a few articles into an ongoing arrangement. Guess what? The Word Nerd Army did that wonderful thing that the Word Nerd Army does and blooming well supported me. Not only that, but they got hooked on the magazine (because it's awesome) and ... long story short ... it was selling out, so they had to make an app version of it to keep up with demand. Woohoo! 


Aside from that, I've been obsessive about learning marketing this year. Ob-sessss-ive. I've stayed up until 4am to listen to training calls from the US. Why? Because we all have to take responsibility for our own books and publicity now. Even if we're signed by major publishers, marketing is still our responsibility to a large extent. I've been through all the different methods, and sifted through endless sites and reports, so I could find the best solutions for authors. I'm going to put a course together to help other Word Nerds grab the reins and take control of their marketing and sales.


Another thing I've researched is ways that writers can earn money alongside their writing (the kinds of things that will fit around a novelist's need for time with the muse). Now, I'm pulling everything together, packaging it up, and I'm planning to help lots of aspiring authors in 2012. For more on that, see my official site (yep, I've finally gone all WordPress) join-rebecca.com

From Bookshelf to Best Seller!

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I Am Now a NOVELIST!!!

The book is filled with believable characters — some you’ll love and some you’ll love to hate — including smart women, handsome hunks, a nasty boss and a wonderful dog named Rock. Oh, and did I mention, the author drops us right into the English Cotswolds?

The quality of the work rises above that of much of today’s popular literature because of Rebecca’s writing. She has an easy style that makes you want to leap to the next page. She’s just a natural. Mary Louise Ruehr - Books Editor for the Record-Courier in Ohio.

The journey From Brain to Bookshelf is at an end. My book finally made it onto people's shelves. It is sitting on Kindles, iPads, Sony Readers, Nooks, and netbooks as I type. It has been reviewed in a very favourable way. People like my book. What a journey. Thank you for being part of it.

There will be further journeys from brain to bookshelf, but there will never be another 'first' journey. You have been such an important part of this first journey. I hope you like what I said on the acknowledgements page. Please pop across to my author site and check out Palaces & Calluses if you haven't done so yet.

I would love it if you'd spread the word on your blogs, Facebook, and Twitter, and share the part you have played in this journey. The short URL for tweets is bit.ly/palaces

Let me know if you'd like to interview me. I'd love to do a book launch blog tour around my chum's blogs.

I Am Now a NOVELIST!!!

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Book Launch: 200 Downloads in 2 Hours!!!!

Hi Wonderfuls!


Just had to pop over to tell you how the book launch is going because I know many of you aren't following my new author blog yet, so you're missing all this stuff. My author blog - where I running my book launch - is RebeccaWoodhead.com so head over there when you've read this, because something amazing happened today. I put up the first chapter of my novel and got 200 downloads in 2 HOURS!!!


I've changed the password now, but I think I might let people know it tomorrow evening, so more people can bag the free chapter. I might even throw in some of Chapter 2. What do you think?  


Exciting times! Don't forget to check out Writing Magazine this month. Did you see Goldie Hawn's sister, Patti, in my last column, by the way? She's a total sweetheart, and she's written a fab book. I'm talking Facebook in my column this month, and one of the Word Nerd Knights is featured. Yep. I'm drawing attention to as many of them in as I can - of course. You knew I would! Got to spread the limelight. The Word Nerd Knights are kicking butt at the moment. Brian just got a publishing deal! Nikesh was nominated for a Costa, and Dan is now an Amazon bestseller. What in the...? Either there is some kind of pixie dust associated with being one of the knights or I ROCK at picking winners!


Subscribers should get their copies of Writing Magazine tomorrow. Everyone else can buy them from WHSmith, TESCO, etc from the 6th - which is when I plan to launch my book. 

Book Launch: 200 Downloads in 2 Hours!!!!

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Launch Week For My Book - 31st March-6th April!

I think that some people haven't cottoned on to what's happening yet, so here it is. My book IS COMING OUT in the next two weeks.

This blog is called From Brain to Bookshelf. Once the book hits bookshelves, it makes sense to have an official Author Blog. I've already launched that. I didn't put a follower gadget on it, but I've just put one up, so pop across and hit 'follow'. I'm posting details of my novels, my Writing Magazine articles, and my Groupon blogs on that site. When I'm looking for quotes for articles, that's where I'll put them. Keep an eye on it, because there will be MANY opportunities to get published.

I'll still post here, but it's not going to be my official author blog. Things that relate to the journey I've had, and things that are a bit quirky will go up here. News, announcements, etc will go on the new blog. The url is ... www.rebeccawoodhead.com  Please go there and leave a comment. Thank you. 

The launch week for my book is from 31st March to the 6th April. I will launch my book at some point in that week! :) You can support my book by grabbing the badge in the sidebar on my new blog.

THANK YOU!

Launch Week For My Book - 31st March-6th April!

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HELP! Planning to Elope NEXT WEEK: Should I?

This is the most important decision I've made in years. I NEED your advice.

Please hop across to my (new) author blog: www.rebeccawoodhead.com and tell me what you think.

Thank you!!

HELP! Planning to Elope NEXT WEEK: Should I?

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My Author Blog is Live!

I've been busy. Since I plan to launch my book in the next few weeks (Yes. Seriously. Probably around the 21st March)  I made an author site. I've also put together a little ebook give-away too. Check out the sidebar when you get there. Hope you like it! Please leave comments.


rebeccawoodhead.com 


LOVE YOU!!!!


Rebecca.


P.S. Both my Groupon blog and Writing Magazine column are doing REALLY well.

My Author Blog is Live!

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I Am a Columnist for Writing Magazine!

Dear wonderful blog friends,


This is such a special moment that I haven't known how or when to write it. Those of you who were with me through the hypothermia and malnutrition; the nearly-but-not-quite column disappointment; Dad's aneurysm and coma; and all the other trials and tribs will know how significant this moment is. I'm a columnist. An actual one. I get to write things in a magazine every single month this year. It is bliss.


The article I wrote for Writing Magazine went down SO well that it pretty much floored me. I hoped I'd done a passable job, but the feedback was astounding. In this month's magazine (in which I'm not featured - my column starts next issue) there was even a letter to the Editor about me! This is just beyond my dreams, somewhere in the clouds of writerly hope. I still can't quite believe it. Seeing my dear friend Brian Knight in the magazine with me was such a thrill too. Dear Brian was the first person I really connected with in the blogging community. He took me under his wing and showed me the ropes, even though he was a newbie himself. What a trooper! There we both were in a national magazine. Wow!


The best thing, though, wasn't going into WHSmith, buying the magazine, and telling the person behind the counter that I was in it - although that was pretty awesome: she was so obviously a word nerd - the best bit has been reading the tweets from people saying they've joined Twitter because of me, or reading their DMs about what has happened to them in their first weeks and how it has opened things up for them as writers. That's just fab. My next article will be about building marketing funnels: the nuts and bolts of the business side of writing. I have a couple of stupendous contributors for that article. You wait! Well, the deadline is Monday, and I still have some editing to do, so I'd better scoot. Just wanted to share this with you all and also say 'Happy Valentine's Weekend' because ... y'know ... I love you guys. *Blushes*

Oodles and oodles of love,


Rebecca 
xxx

I Am a Columnist for Writing Magazine!

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