Recently, (late last Tuesday to be exact) Amazon changed the listing on my short ghost story, Famous Last Words to FREE! I was both relieved and very excited because I’d been asking them to list it for free since I uploaded it way back in 2010.
So how did I discover this fabulous news? When I checked my sales numbers Wednesday morning, 170 copies of Famous Last Words had been downloaded. After I retrieved my jaw from the floor, I called a friend and we shared a HUGE happy dancing moment over the phone!
Then my marketing team informed me that eReaderIQ had added it to their site. A few hours later the first review (5 stars, more happy dancing) popped up at Amazon. Granted, this story has been doing well with favorable reviews on both Smashwords and Barnes and Noble, where it’s always been free, and maybe that’s why Amazon joined in the fun.
Regardless, the download numbers started to snowball and soon I was climbing into the top of my first-ever bestseller list on Amazon!
For several days now Famous Last Words has topped the Free list for ghost stories and is hovering around the #32 spot on the Top 100 Free kindle list.
Much more happy dancing for me!
Anything that increases visibility in a positive way is wonderful for authors in any publishing model. I never would have thought my first bestseller on Amazon would be a short story in the horror/ghost category, but I’m not about to argue with the readers who are enjoying it. It’s October, after all, and the perfect time for a spooky, haunting tale of revenge.
Ever since that short story turned free, it’s been surreal watching the number of those free downloads grow higher and higher. 1000 felt fabulous. 5000, even moreso. I’m telling you if I could really do backflips, there would’ve been a show on our street.
And I’ll happily haunt the bestseller list for as long as it lasts! I’m so grateful to Amazon for making this change and helping me get my name out there. Knowing readers are enjoying the product makes the writing more fun. At the time of this post Famous Last Words has been downloaded over 10,000 times for kindle.
Yup, you guessed it, this paranormal romance author is off for more happy dancing!
What kind of good news makes you want to get up and do a happy dance?
Live the adventure!
Congrads Regan!
What a great goal to reach-a best selling author. No wonder you are happy dancing.
For me the happy dancing comes when my children do well in school. Both children have learning challenges, but have worked with them so they are now making honor roll in their schools. When those reports come home, this Mom does her happy dance. (Dad too!) The kids think we’re silly, but they still smile none the less
Let’s go for both of us having more happy dances this year and next as well.
Thanks, Frances! It’s wonderful to see your kids succeed, especially when you know the hurdles they’ve overcome. More happy dances for both of us sounds like a great plan!