Ebook Marketing: Boxed Sets are Gaining Exposure and Sales

One of the things the digital world allows authors to do is to bundle their writings and easily deliver them to readers. Because of this, we are seeing a dramatic increase in the number of ebook boxed sets offered on-line. The types of sets vary but the author’s objectives are consistent. They want more sales and increased exposure.

At the beginning, the main objective of boxed sets was to sell more books and make a profit. The digital delivery system made it easy. The sets were uploaded to retailers and the marketing and sales began.

Recently, we are seeing authors exploring other ways to use their digital products. This time the book collections are being produced to gain exposure with readers. Offered at giveaway prices, multiple authors are banding together to offer their books in a boxed set.

 

Traditional Publishing

Book sets and short story digests are not a new phenomenon. Publishers have produced book collections for decades. Their size and the cost of production and delivery were always an issue. I remember reading the Winston Churchill books about World War II for a history project. A 6-book set that filled half of my bookshelf.

Reader’s Digest tried to handle the problem by publishing a set of short stories and later condensed versions of books to try to capture a growing reader’s market.

 

Digital Publishing

Now, we live in the ebook age where Churchill’s book set, along with hundreds of other novels can fit in the palm of your hand. Size is no longer an issue (some retailers have an artificial size maximum based on price) and the production and delivery costs are a small fraction of the old traditional cost structure.

Transition in Thinking

Many authors are starting to bundle their books and short stories and discounting them from the cover prices of the individual books. Readers can get the set delivered to their ebook device immediately. Great deal. This is all well and good if you have enough books in your inventory that you can bundle.

The following is a summary of how authors are using boxed sets to increase their sales and exposure.
 

Multi-Author Boxed Sets

We are starting to see unique version of boxed sets appear. The sets are a bundle of full-size books by different authors with a common theme or genre. The objective is exposure not profit. They are selling boxed sets at giveaway prices. This allows authors that only have a few books to take advantage of the new digital concept and gain exposure. (Established authors are taking the lead on this. Many new authors and groups will follow.)

For example, I choose a boxed set that was released in September, 2013 by nine outstanding authors with lots of titles in their portfolio. (Priced at $ 0.99 for the bundle.) I contacted several of the authors to see how their boxed set project had gone. The name of the bundle is 9 Killer Thrillers.

    

9 Killer Thrillers

 

The questions I had were general in nature.

1.  Whose idea was it and who coordinated the production?
2.    What were the objectives?
3.    What were your results?
4.    Did you run into any obstacles?

Here are their answers.

 

Melissa Foster

Award-winning Author Melissa Foster @Melissa_Foster is the author of several International bestselling novels and the founder of the World Literary Café, Fostering Success and the social and support network for women, the Women’s Nest.

Goal: “Our objectives were to expand our readership and reach out to readers in a new and different way.”

Results: “We've experienced high sales volumes which we hope will translate to new readership for each of us. Collaboration is an important aspect of the indie book marketing process.”

Problems: “Too many to count. KDP has a maximum size of 3MB for files sold for $.99 and that was a bit tricky. Different retailers accept different types of covers, so there were quite a few variations that came into play there, too.”

 

Russell Blake

Russell Blake @blakebooks is the bestselling author of twenty-two novels. Russell added this:

Goal: “Melissa Foster and I were tossing around ideas for increasing our visibility, and we came up with the idea of an irresistible value proposition for readers. It made sense - discoverability is the toughest thing in this business, so anything that can increase discoverability is a win.”

Exposure: “A sale is just a transaction. Gaining a new reader who likes your work is a relationship. We were after new relationships. That's one of the reasons we were very careful about the authors we approached - it wasn't about quantity so much as it was about quality.”

Results: “Very good. I want to say we're closing in on 10,000 bundles sold, which is 10K new readers.”

Obstacles: “File size and formatting were the two major bears, but we tackled them handily. We also had to do some heavy lifting on scheduling promotions for maximum effect, but none of it was backbreaking. I've participated in some other bundles, and this one was my favorite of the bunch. I've heard from new readers who discovered my oeuvre due to the bundle, so I'd say it was worth it.”

Claude Bouchard

Best-Selling Author Claude Bouchard @ceebee308 writes Mystery & Thrillers novels in the Vigilante Series. Claude had this to say about the 9 Killer Thriller Project:

Idea: “Sometime in September, I was contacted by bestselling author, Russell Blake, who asked if I was interested in taking part in a book bundle to be released as soon as feasibly possible. Blake's vision was a box set of already successful works by various established authors with the objective of widening the readership base for all participants. The idea had definite promise and the collection of nine authors and novels was soon established, the result being 9 Killer Thrillers. Production was coordinated by Blake with certain requirements overseen by John Betcher, Melissa Foster and me. All participants were involved in spreading the word via their websites and social media platforms upon release.”

Goal: “Since our primary goal was readership expansion versus financial gain, all agreed that a 99 cent price point should improve our chances to maximize distribution all while likely covering production and advertising costs. Less than two days following its October 21st release, the bundle sat at #69 in the Top 100 on Amazon.com. Though it has slid back in ranking since, it's been hovering steadily around the #300 mark for over two weeks. Though I'm not at liberty to share specific sales numbers, I can confirm that all costs have been covered and multiple thousands of copies have sold thus far. I'd say we've met our objective.”

This boxed set was quite successful as the authors attested. Their main goal was to gain exposure at a low cost. It’s like the ebook giveaways that are so popular in our industry. They get readers to sample their product and hope the readers will return for more and/or tell someone else about it.

 

Nick Russell

Another of the author in the 9 Killer Thriller set was New York Times Kindle bestselling author Nick Russell @GypsyJournal. Besides being a novelist, he publishers the popular Gypsy Journal RV travel newspaper.

 

Nick added this to the discussion.

 

Results: The goal was not so much to make money from the sales, but rather to
introduce our work to new readers who were unfamiliar with our books.
I think it has succeeded in that. After the first big sales burst,
things have leveled out to an average of 200 - 300 books a day.

Obstacles: There were no real obstacles except for a minor glitch or two in the
formatting stages. It took a few tries to get it to work, although I
wasn't directly involved so I can't remember the details.

The 9 Killer Thriller boxed set included:

MJ Rose - The Halo Effect
Michael Wallace - The Devil's Deep
Russell Blake - King of Swords
CJ Lyons - Snake Skin
Melissa Foster - Traces of Kara
John L. Betcher - The 19th Element
Claude Bouchard - Vigilante
Luke Romyn - Corpus Christi
Nick Russell - Big Lake

To get a closer look at the 9 Killer Thriller details, click here.
 

Twitter Weight (TW)

I usually weigh my marketing potential by reviewing what I call the Twitter Weight. The Twitter Weight is the number of potential reads I can get by using social media to reach an audience. I round to the nearest thousand. This group of authors (9) has a Twitter Weight of 848. That means that the 9 authors have a combined following of 848,000+ on Twitter.

So, if the 9 Killer Thriller group all started marketing this boxed set on Twitter, they would have a very large potential audience. Of course, they would use other methods of promotion like Facebook, websites, blogs, etc. to push the boxed set but their Twitter reach is mind-blowing.

 

Individual Author Boxed Sets at Discounted Prices.

This type of boxed set is used by a single author to bundle several of their novels at a discounted prices from the individual cover price. Usually this type will combine a series or have a common theme for readers.

Hetta Coffey Collection Boxed Set

I will start this type of set with Award-Winning author Jinx Schwartz @jinxschwartz. She is an Award-Winning author. Jinx offered this about her boxed set.

Jinx Schwartz

Idea: “I decided to do a boxed set when I reached five in the series. I find when I offer any one of the books goes free, for some reason the boxed set sales jump. I recently offered book 5 (Just the Pits) free, so with the boxed set at 7.99, readers can get the entire series for 1.60.”

Startup: “I decided to do a boxed set when I published book five in the series. I've found when I offer any one of the books in the series for free, for some reason the boxed set sales jump. I recently offered book 5 (Just the Pits) free, so with the boxed set price at 7.99, readers can get all five books in the series for 1.60 each. Now, that is a deal.”

Objectives: “Well, both sales and exposure, of course. Since I am writing a series, I want to have loyal readers waiting for the next book. It is a slow process, but I keep plugging, and absolutely love getting mail from readers who relate to Hetta Coffey and her cohorts. Hetta is best described as somewhat irascible and snarky, but also funny and never dull, so she is liked by both men and women readers.”

Results: “So far I am pleased with my sales. Not gonna buy a new yacht anytime soon, but I am so much better off since I went Indie!”

Obstacles: “Luckily for me my lovely hubby figured out how to make up the boxed set and the cover.”

Jinx boxed set includes her novels:

Just Add Water

Just Add Salt
Just Add Trouble
Just Deserts

Jinx has a Twitter Weight of 11 or over 11,000 twitter followers.

 

 

 

Sloane Monroe Series

Another boxed set was created by Cheryl Bradshaw. It features her popular character Sloane Monroe. I included Cheryl to demonstrate the combination of a book series boxed set and a large social media presence. This set had great numbers on Amazon and is still selling well. Cheryl Bradshaw has a Twitter Weight of 46, all by herself.

 

Cheryl Bradshaw

Amazon Best-Selling Author Cheryl Bradshaw @cherylbradshaw is the creator of the Sloane Monroe series and the founder of the hugely successful Indie Writers Unite group on Facebook.

The three books included in her boxed set are:

BLACK DIAMOND DEATH

SINNERMAN
I HAVE A SECRET

 

First Deadly Conspiracy - Boxed Set

The next set included in my study is the First Deadly Conspiracy which includes 3 books from Roger Stelljes’ McRyan Mystery Series. After release, this boxed set quickly jumped into the top sales categories in its genre on Amazon.

 

Roger Stelljes

Author Roger Stelljes @rogerstelljes is the bestselling author of the McRyan Mystery Series. His boxed set includes 773 pages:

FIRST CASE - (12 chapter novella) the prequel to the McRyan Mystery Series.
THE ST. PAUL CONSPIRACY
DEADLY STILLWATER

I asked Roger about boxed sets. He had this to offer.

Idea: “I saw that fans were buying subsequent books in the McRyan Mystery Series so I decided to offer a three book box set. I find it easiest and cost effective to utilize a formatter to get the three full length novels into a single downloadable volume.”

Objective: “My objectives in offering a box set included being able to offer convenience as a single download (instead of three ebooks) and also to help fans save a few bucks on all three books. Even if they download "Deadly Stillwater" as a free ebook it still makes sense to purchase the box set if they would like to read the other ebooks. I also think that books should be affordable and people should be able to read more not less.”

Results: “I would recommend that all authors put their ebooks into box sets. My ebook box set First Deadly Conspiracy just hit the NYT Ebook Bestseller List so I think that is proof positive that readers like box sets.  You'll see quite a few box sets out on Amazon and other sites that have 5-10 books in the set. Going forward, I don't think I will have any more than three books in a box set because each novel is quite long.”

Obstacles: “The only obstacles I ran into were that the formatter struggled a bit with the size of the Smashwords document however that might have been solved for other authors when Smashwords moved to allowing epub formats. Also iTunes/iBooks doesn't allow direct upload of a 3D looking cover so I had to get an additional 2D cover made for the box set specifically for use on iTunes. You may see a few 3D covers out there but those were all uploaded through Draft2Digital to iTunes.”

 

Author Boxed Set - Short Stories

Another approach to bundling your writings using boxed sets was taken by Mike Mathias. He bundles his short stories. He goes at it a little differently. Well let me have him tell you.

Crimzon and Clover

M.R Mathias

Author M.R. Mathias @DahgMahn is an award-winning self-published Fantasy Writer. He is noted for his epic fantasy novels and his prolific social network marketing activity. Mike said this:

Idea:  “Usually I write a Crimzon and Clover story while I am waiting on a novel edit. I have parts of the novel that I didn't use left rattling around in my head, and lots of ideas. I apply some of them to Crimzon and Clover and let their personalities take it where they will. I make the stories free and/or .99 to garner publicity, but that isn't why I write them. I write them because they make me.”

Results: “Crimzon and Clover have been well received and I have had at least five hundred requests to write a full length Crimzon and Clover novel. Our lucky girl and her growing dragon are main characters in the latter Dragoneer novels, and I think Clover might have a redeeming use for banished King Richard in the forthcoming fifth Dragoneer book.”

Obstacles:  “The hardest thing I run into is keeping the story simple. Anyone who has read my novels knows that I get a few threads going and then work on weaving them together for a climax. With a short tale it is a lot harder, at least for me. As for marketing... Getting good covers is a bonus.” (Mike’s Twitter Weight is 128.)

His short story set, Crimzon and Clover includes:

Orphaned Dragon - Lucky Girl

Tricky Wizard
The Grog
Wrath of Crimzon
Killer of Giants         
The First Dragoneer - A Dragoneer Saga Novella

Author Boxed Set – Large Story

Another reason authors use boxed sets is to package a story that, because of its size, was original parsed into separate novels. I asked Mike Wells to explain his objectives. 

Passion, Power & Sin

Mike Wells

Author Mike Wells @MikeWellsAuthor is a bestselling author including his titles Lust, Money & Murder and Passion, Power & Sin.

Idea: “The idea for Passion, Power & Sin came from a Wall Street scam I heard about back before the Internet, where tip letters were sent out by "stockbrokers" to two groups of potential investors--one  predicted that a particular stock would go up significantly in the next week, and the other letter was exactly the same but predicted that the same stock would go DOWN in the next week.  The scammers would only follow up with the investors who got the correct prediction, and after repeating this process one or more times, the scammers would have the investor eating out of their hands, ready to money into whatever company they were told to invest in.”

Objective: “That's only part of the plot, though.  I also wanted to tell a story about a young woman who is ruined by very shrewd con artist and who gets even by conning the con artist, and that's what the story is about.  I wrote this book the way I write all my books, starting with a three-act rough outline and then writing for a while, then going back to the outline and adjusting, and so forth.

Heather, the hero, goes through hell and her journey to track down and punish the scammer takes her all over the world.  Passion, Power & Sin is 200,000 words, so I broke it down into five smaller books.”

Results: “Sales of the book have been slower than I expected, but that's always the case.  The reviews have been spectacular--virtually everyone who reads it loves it, have only had a couple of readers who couldn't get into it for whatever reason.”

Obstacle: “My only obstacle is the same one I have with all my books and as an author in general--visibility.  The nonstop tsunami of badly-written first novels continues to grow due to the ease with which Amazon has made it possible to self-publish, and that's a real concern for serious authors.”  (Mike’s Twitter Weight is 61.)

Mike Wells boxed set, Passion, Power & Sin includes 5 books.

Book 1 - Book 2 - Book 3  - Book 4  - Book 5

 

Multi-Author Sampler

 

KIW Sampler – Selected chapters for $ 0.99

This type of collection doesn’t meet the basic criteria of a boxed set but it is a collection of books held in digital form to help give a reader a sample of the works of the authors. The sampler was published by the Kentucky Independent Writers.

I contacted one of the authors, who is one of the HBS Author’s Spotlight crew.

Katherine Logan 

Award winning, best-selling author Katherine Logan @KathyLLogan is the author of the Celtic Brooch Time-Travel Series.

Idea: “I saw an ad on Facebook from a group of authors who put a sampler together. I mentioned the ad at a Kentucky Independent Writers meeting and told the group that I thought it might be something we could do quarterly. Several people volunteered to submit a chapter. The objectives were to give exposure to individual authors and the group as a whole. We’ve had over 4000 downloads since we put the sampler up a year ago. Everyone has been so busy writing that no one has had time to spearhead another edition.”

Obstacle: “The biggest problem was putting it together, taking chapters from nine books and giving them a similar look and feel. I stripped out all the unique features so that chapters had the same font and spacing, and then we sent it off to a formatter. Another member of the group did the cover and another member did the uploads. It was a joint venture and a fun experience.”

“I never thought of this as a box set because it is only the first chapter of each of the 9 books. Not the complete book. You might want to make that distinction.”

Authors involved in the sampler were:

Diane Strong - Amy Durham - Jesse Coffey - Hallee Bridgeman - Hayden Braeburn

Teresa Reasor - Kallypso Masters - J.M. Madden - Katherine Logan
Debi Warford (Illustrator)

Kathy has a point about this not being a true boxed set but it is created exactly the same as the other sets mentioned above. The thing that catches my eye is the Twitter Weight. This group’s Twitter Weight is 222. That is a lot of social media presence.

A reader may check the sampler out because they follow one author and they discover another author who has a similar style. It is the exposure that authors are after.

I don’t know if the sampler approach will be rewarding but the potential of the Twitter Weight of this group is sure there.

 

Author Boxed Set – A Free Novel plus a Sampler and Takeouts

Another concept, because this is a digital product, is the author is not only providing a novel but samples of other books and takeouts. Traditional publishing has used this combination but were always limited in the size of the book and the costs. The ebook loses that boundary.

Diane Capri has done that with her boxed set. She explains her bundle below.

 

 

Licensed to Thrill

Diane Capri

Spotlight on #1 Amazon Bestselling Author Diane Capri @DianeCapri is the author of The Hunt for Reacher series.

Idea: “Convenience is probably the number one reason readers choose sets instead of buying books individually. Readers who enjoy reading an entire series like having all the books together in one file on their eReaders, which makes the individual books easier to find and also easier to read in order of publication.”

Objective: “Every decision I make about marketing my work is always about serving readers, so I arranged to publish the sets in groups that would appeal to them. I included bonus content and priced the sets below the cost of purchasing the books individually. More titles increase author visibility on the various retail sites; sets make it easier for readers to find my work in all formats.”

Results: “Set buyers are a smaller audience segment so sets are not as popular as individual books and don't sell as many copies. But for readers looking for the full series at a great price, sets are an ideal solution for both of us.”

Her boxed set Contains: Two #1 Bestselling Titles, plus samples, interviews, and more:
Full Novel:  Fatal Distraction
Short Story: Fatal Enemy 

AND a FREE Diane Capri Sampler containing EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT

plus extended samples of 7 Diane Capri novels all at a discounted price.

Takeaways

The award-winning authors included here have several different objectives in creating their boxed sets. Some have sales and royalties as their main goal. Others are trying to gain exposure. Of course, all authors are looking for both of these.

Boxed sets give new authors the opportunity to get more exposure than they could on their own. That is why I included the Twitter Weight concept. In the case of the 9 Killer Thrillers, we had nine authors cross-tweeting and linking to over 800,000 followers at one time. That is exposure. The good thing is they don’t have to stop marketing. The boxed set will be on-line forever.

Like Astronaut Eugene Cernan said on the moon, “It ain’t easy, McGee.” Actually he stole that quote from a Fibber McGee and Molly radio program.

There are formatters that can help with the creation of your boxed set. The cover issues, retailer’s requirements, and font problems can all be dealt with. But the end result will be more exposure and increased sales.

There is a big marketing opportunity here. Readers are looking for bargains and authors need exposure and they want to move books. I could see support groups and other organizations banding together and producing boxed sets.

My advice is: Authors should bundle up this winter.

Another post that may be of interest is: Getting Book Reviews: The Methods Award-Winning Authors Use – A Study
 

Follow me:

Follow Me on Twitter: @jimhbs

Or EMAIL me at: mailto:jim@jamesmoushon.com

View my website: James Moushon – Mystery Writer

Or visit my blog: The eBook Author Corner

Take a look at my Author’s blog: HBS Author’s Spotlight

Or my Mystery blog: HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle

Check out the Jonathon Stone Mystery Novels:

Black Mountain Secrets
Coming Soon: another Jonathon Stone Mystery: Game Of Fire

Book Author: An Interview with Melody Anne

Today our blog puts the Spotlight on NYT and USA Today Best Selling Author Melody Anne. She is the author of many Romance and Young Adult novels.

Author Genre: Romance, Young Adult

Website: Melody Anne
Twitter: @authmelodyanne
E-Mail: authormelodyanne@gmail.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest


Author Description:
Melody Anne is the author of the popular series, Billionaire Bachelors, and Baby for the Billionaire. She also has a Young Adult Series out; Midnight Fire and Midnight Moon - Rise of the Dark Angel. She's been writing for years and published in 2011. She hold a bachelors degree in business, so she loves to write about strong, powerful, businessmen.

When Melody isn't writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and pets. She lives in a small town that she loves, and is involved in many community projects.

See Melody's Website at: www.melodyanne.com. She makes it a point to respond to all her fans. You can also join her on facebook at: www.facebook.com/authormelodyanne, or at twitter: @authmelodyanne.

She looks forward to hearing from you and hopes you enjoy her stories.


SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author

First things first. What do you have on the drawing board? What Billionaire Bachelors are we going to read about next? Can you tell us the timeline for its release and give us a little tease?

The Andersons are still at my heart, though, and the next book coming out in that series is Hidden Treasure. I have a tentative release of that at the end of this year, but I’ve been working on “The Lost Tycoon” which is my “Baby for the Billionaire” series. Those who have read it know that the 4th book in the series connects with the Anderson’s though. That will release in November. I couldn’t get the idea from my head and had to move my schedule around.

See outline of Seduced below. Order NOW at Amazon.

How important have your social media relationships been? Do you see a carry over to your writing success?

I think Social media has made my career. I have fans that have been with me from the very first book, and they are so special to me. I love, love, love talking to my fans. They are so important to me. I’ve been active on facebook for a couple of years, but I’m really getting into the twitter revolution now. It’s so much fun!! I just had someone post, “Have you bought Surrender?” And someone posted, “No, is it smut?” I happily replied that yes it is.

Do you do book signings, interviews, speaking and personal appearances? If so, when and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online?

I did my first public signing at RWA in Atlanta and I was so nervous my hands were shaking. I was terrified I’d sit there the entire 2 hours and not have one person. I ended up having a line and some of my facebook fans were there. I was elated! One person even brought me Georgia cookies. They were great! My next book signing is in Vegas on August 9th, I think it is. Then, we are arranging a book signing event for different places, but I’m not sure of the dates yet. Also, I’m going to London in April, and I’m going to arrange a meet and greet with some special fans of mine there who have gone above and beyond for me. I really look forward to chatting with these incredible women who do so much!

You have great covers. They carry a theme and your brand with them. How does your book cover creation process work? Do you hand over the basic theme or do you have more of a hands-on approach? Do you get your readers involved in its development?

I have a spectacular cover artist. She will ask me a general idea of what I want and then send me samples. Sometimes, I love the very first cover, sometimes, it takes us ten times, but I am very hands on with it. Sometimes I love a cover, and then see it online, and hate it and then she will make me a new one. The cover is everything, because if it doesn’t catch the consumer’s eye, they will pass right by it. For example, we just did a new cover for “The Tycoon’s Revenge. Within a day, it has risen significantly in the rankings on all sites. Your cover matters.

You have several great book trailers. (See links below.) I found myself singing along with one of them. Do you know how much impact they have had on your book’s success? Tell us about the process that you used to create your trailers? They look very professional.
Do you use the trailers in your character development? Are the pictures and background the way you see your characters and scenes?

I wish I could take even a little bit of credit for the book trailers, but my cover artist makes them, and yes, it is from what we see the book as. I love the sultry music she finds and the images. She times it perfectly too. Such as in Submit, there is a growl right as Rafe’s picture appears. I think this is Nikki’s favorite job to do. I have seen several book trailers, and they are usually just images of the books. Those are great, don’t get me wrong, but I want this to be like a dream. When you close your eyes and think of Surrender, those images should pop up. These trailers are what I picture my books to be in a much shortened version.

What kinds of writer support groups do you belong too? Do they help with the writing, marketing and the publishing process?

I’m a member of RWA, but haven’t gone to my local chapter. I’ve also met some incredible authors online such as Ruth Cardello, Kathleen Brooks, Jennifer Probst, Lynn Raye Harris, Sandra Marton, Bella Andre. Seriously, the list goes on. About 30 powerful, wonderful women and we will email back and forth and answer questions and be there for each other. I finally got to meet these women in person at RWA and it was like we’d been friends for life. These women are such icons, so amazingly talented, and I was intimidated. What I came to realize is that we are all in the same boat. We all get nervous and we are all genuinely happy for each other’s success. It’s such a wonderful world to be in. I can’t imagine doing anything else!!

Between your book writing, blogging, marketing, family and all the other things that can get in your way, how do you manage your time? Do you have a set schedule or do your sort of play it by ear?

Time? What time? Just kidding. I don’t know how I do this. I actually had to cut my hours back a bit cause my husband was feeling neglected. I would literally wake up about 2pm and then work until about 7am, taking only small breaks, doing these 7 days a week. I just love it so much that it doesn’t feel like work. I’ve come to a compromise now. I work from about 10am until 5pm, and then spend 4 hours with the family, and then work from about 9pm to 2am. I do my social media throughout the day and write in between. I’ve had to cut back a bit on the social media so I can get the writing done. With conferences and meets, my writing was behind and that’s the reason I do this. It starts to stress me if I don’t get to sit down at my computer and create these stories. I take Sunday’s off. Well, kind of, since I’m doing this interview on a Sunday. But, I take it off from writing. I can’t take a single day off from email or social media. I’d be too swamped the next day. I have turned over my contests to an assistant and I’m having another assistant run my street team. I will still pop in there, but they will run it.

What has been your experience in giving your books away free? Have you been involved in any other type of giveaways and how did that work out? What was your main goal in doing this? Did you run into any obstacles?

Giving the first book away in each series was the smartest marketing move I ever did. For one thing, I think reading is a right, and there are libraries where people can get free books, and there should be free ebooks. Secondly, it gives readers a chance to sample my work before having to buy the other books. If they like it, then they will buy the other books in the series. If they hate it, then all they wasted was their time, which is valuable, of course. I’ve gained tons of readers from the free books. I also give away a lot of paperback copies. I do at least a couple contests a month on facebook, and now twitter. I also donate them to other people’s contests and blogs to be given away. I love seeing my books in the hands of people, and only ask that they post a pic. It’s great. My street team is getting them out into libraries and around the US and all over the world. I just have such an incredible group of fans who have truly become so special. I wouldn’t be where I’m at without them.

Have you ever done a book tour? If so, did it contribute to the success of your book sales?

I haven’t yet. It’s something that we have been working on for a while, but my schedule has been so busy, we haven’t gotten it locked down. I’m hoping to do a small one this fall, and maybe a bigger one next spring with a couple other authors. Let’s put the pressure on Kathleen Brooks and Ruth Cardello.

I saw that you published one of your books in another language? How is your audience abroad? Does that create a unique selling and marketing situation?

I am more excited about that than anything else right now! It’s so great to reach a new market. I had this amazing woman, Monica, approach me, wanting to translate the books. I was scared to do it. I can’t read the material to verify if it is right. I waited for a while, and then decided to just go for it. I’ve had such a positive reaction to it. My agent was excited to. The sales have started to pick up and I got my first review, which I went to google translate, and I was thrilled. They loved the book. The 2nd Anderson book is almost finished and the cover for it is smoking hot! I love it. It will go on sale next week.

Also while I was at RWA, a French Publisher approached me and is looking over my books, so they may be getting translated into French soon. I was also made an offer from Thailand, which was exciting. I turned all that over to my agent because there are some things I don’t want to do on my own. I know nothing about foreign rights, and I don’t want to make a mistake. I want to have my books in at least 10 languages, maybe even more. I really want to get them in German. That is a market that looks fantastic. Plus, that gives me a great excuse to visit those countries. My 18 year old daughter is all for that.



Author's Book List
Seduced
At the end of Submit, Arianna Harlow had enough pride in herself to walk away from Rafe Palazzo, who had started their relationship using blackmail. Though she’d fallen in love with him, she was strong enough to say goodbye. We saw the softer side of Rafe, especially toward the end, but it was too late…

Or was it?

Seduced begins almost two years after Ari starts her new life. She is teaching at a community college, and when she asks the class whether they have any questions for her, Rafe is there and has only one: Will you go on a date with me?

What is Ari’s answer? You’ll find out in the third installment of Melody Anne’s New York Times best-selling series, Surrender.

Along with Ari’s story, we will see what happens when Shane and Lia become trapped together on an island when a tropical storm hits, and how the sparks will fly again.

And we can’t forget about Rachel Palazzo, who isn’t looking for love, but finds it in a shocking way.

This story continues the lives of Ari, Lia and Rachel. These three women are resilient, determined, and worth loving. The question is, whether the men in their lives strong enough to keep them.


Order the Book From: Amazon
Unexpected Treasure - The Lost Andersons - Billionaire Bachelors Continued - Book One
The Andersons are back in this exciting new line of the bestselling series everyone is talking about. In this new series, you will meet Richard Storm and his five children, Crew, Ashton, Tanner, Lance and Brielle. Find out the circumstances that ripped Richard away from his brothers, Joseph and George Anderson, and then see how the family finally comes together because the bonds of family are too strong to keep the Andersons apart forever.

Richard Storm is saddened that his children are throwing away their lives, so he gives them an ultimatum. They have two years to take a failing business and make it a success or they lose their trust funds, and are on their own. His stubborn children think he’s gone insane, but they don’t know the powerful secret that can knock them to their knees and tear their family apart forever. Will they come together as they should, or will their family lose each other in the tragic circumstances?

Crew Storm opens an exclusive resort in the Catalina Islands off the coast of California, and pride fills him as he accomplishes the impossible. Everything is going on track until a blonde steps into his life and begs him to teach her how to be the perfect seductress.

Haley Sutherland is done with her fears, done being a wallflower and done being unseen. She comes up with a brilliant idea to find the perfect person to teach her how to seduce the man she truly wants. Who she chooses to be her teacher is Crew Storm, and though he refuses at first, soon his intrigue of her overrides his better judgment and they embark on a wild adventure.

This story will take you on a journey through the heart as Crew teaches Haley more than she ever thought she needed to learn, and finds himself gaining something he didn’t even know he was missing.

Reunite with the Andersons as they discover new relatives and meet this new branch of the Anderson line. Will love truly conquer all, or will pride make them lose everything they never knew they had.

If you want to see where it all began, pick up your copy of; “The Billionaire Wins the Game” for free, available now.


Order the Book From: Amazon
Submit - Book Two in the Surrender Series (Volume 2)
Arianna Harlow has a choice. Does she choose love or self-respect? Will she give up her freedom and become nothing but a shadow of herself? This is the exciting sequel to the NYT and USA Today best-selling book Surrender. In Submit, Ari faces an impossible ultimatum. She needs to decide whether to accept Raffaelo Palazzo’s indecent proposal and stay at his side as his bought mistress, under his complete control in his world and in his bedroom. Rafe holds the keys to her mother’s happiness, and Ari must choose love for her mother or respect for herself and for the morals her mother instilled in her. You’ll find out that decision in this book and discover the unexpected repercussions of what Ari does choose. In Surrender, we were also introduced to the dynamic story of Shane Grayson and Lia Palazzo. See where their story leads as the Surrender Series continues. Watch as two strong, confident women make choices that will affect their lives forever. Who will submit? Will it be the women or the men?


Book Trailer: Submit

Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
Surrender
Raffaello (Rafe) Palazzo takes what he wants with no regrets. Arianna (Ari) Lynn Harlow has led a charmed life until tragedy strikes her family. He’s looking for a no-emotions attached mistress, she’s looking for redemption. They are not a pair that should ever work, but undeniable attraction and devastating tragedies bring them together in the city by the bay where he fights to keep their relationship nothing more than an enjoyable way to meet his needs, and she battles to not lose herself in him. Spending time with Ari starts cracking the hard shell that Rafe has built around his heart, but he denies the affect she has on him until it’s too late to stop the inevitable conclusion that their relationship is headed for. Rafe once believed in happily ever after, coming from a large Italian family. He’s got the Midas touch, since every endeavor he tries turns to gold. That all ends when his wife walks out the door and leaves him blindsided. His devastation quickly turns to steel when he decides no woman will fool him again. From that point on he treats relationships as nothing more than business transactions where both party’s come out mutually benefited. Just when Ari has sunk to the lowest she’s ever been she finds an ad in the paper announcing a job that’s too good to be true. It turns out she’s right. She makes it through the intense rounds of interviews only to find out the job is for a mistress to the powerful Rafe Palazzo, owner of Palazzo Enterprises. Rafe gives her a day to think about whether she wants the position or not, and she’s sent on her way, only to find out her mother’s near-terminal position has taken a turn for the worse. Her mom’s only in the hospital because Ari messed up, and her mother’s the one who paid the price. Is Rafe her savior, or will he take her with him straight to the depths of hell?


Book Trailer: Surrender

Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
Midnight Storm - Rise of the Dark Angel - Book Three (Volume 3)
Phoenix and Sadie are suddenly living in an America that is no longer a nation. Rebel troops and corrupt government have goals of building a New World. They must exterminate the old America and those who lived in it before they can rebuild. Cities are nothing but ghost towns as Americans have either been taken prisoner, gruesomely killed or are in hiding. Surviving Americans are banning together and fighting to take back their country – but rebel troops are not the only enemy. Vyco has commanded his demons to no longer lurk in the darkness but to fight against Phoenix and take her captive, killing anyone who interferes. With the assistance of her Dark Angel, Jayden, and his sister, Chastity, Phoenix and her tight-knit group of friends combat the Darkness. Who will save the world from complete annihilation? Brian – Sadie – Jayden – Phoenix – John – Chastity Or will their brave attempt fail?


Book Trailer: Midnight Storm

Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
The Tycoon's Secret - Baby for the Billionaire (Volume 4)
Damien Whitfield lost his father when he was an infant, and then lost his mother when he was a young teenager. The only thing his mother left him was a thirst for vengeance. On her deathbed she made him promise to seek revenge for those she held responsible for her death. Damien grows up fast and conquers the business world, going from a homeless boy to a billionaire bachelor. He has no time for love in his quest for righting wrongs of the past. What he doesn’t know is that love isn’t something he can hide from. Sierra grew up with a monster of a father after losing her mother at the tender age of six. Her dad punishes her for sins he assumes his deceased wife made against him. Finally, her father does a business deal with Damien Whitfield, selling Sierra to the highest bidder. Damien and Sierra may both be running from old demon’s and forging ahead to what they think are their perfect futures, but fate has a way of changing everything. Take the journey with Damien and Sierra as they fight a passion that won’t be denied.


Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
The Billionaire's Final Stand - Billionaire Bachelors (Volume 8)
When the head of the Anderson family, Joseph, gets into a life-changing automobile accident, his family struggles to find a way to survive if he doesn’t come out of the coma the accident has placed him in. This is the final book in the Billionaire Bachelors Series by bestselling author, Melody Anne. Take the journey as the final Anderson, Austin, is sent into a whirlwind of emotions as he chases the woman, Kinsey, he’s falling in love with. To make things even harder on him, he’s dealing with the stress of possibly losing his uncle. Listen to the heartfelt reminiscing of Katherine as she tells the story of her romance with Joseph as she sits by his bedside, never losing faith that he’ll come back to her. Laugh along with the large family as they turn the tables and start plotting against George as he tries to hide his growing feelings for Esther. This final chapter in the Anderson family will leave you laughing, crying, and on a roller coaster of emotion as you once again step back into the world of the Anderson’s. Family always comes first to the Multi-Billionaire’s of Seattle.


Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
Runaway Heiress - Billionaire Bachelors (Volume 6)
Joseph and George Anderson are once again back to match-making in the sixth book in The Billionaire Bachelors Series. Bree has had enough of over-protective brothers and a meddling father, so she decides to run to a small town, where she can prove she can make it on her own. The only thing wrong with that situation is there’s a stalker after her, determined to make her his – or else end her life. George hires Chad, Mark’s best friend and ex-Navy Seal to guard Bree. She is furious about her father sending her a babysitter. Sparks and bullets fly between Bree and Chad. Open the pages to find humor, love, mystery and so much more. Enjoy the newest book in the bestselling romance series “Billionaire Bachelors”


Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
Author Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the following blogs:
HBS Author's Spotlight
HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle

Check out the index of other Spotlight authors. Spotlight Index.