When I wrote HOME about a year ago, I never imagined the response. I've gotten emails and messages from all over the world. It's been incredibly gratifying, especially because it marked my return to self-publishing.
Some of you may already know I signed two book deals (five books) with a great group of people at an independent traditional publisher. They did what they could to get my books into the hands of readers and onto the shelves of book stores.
I felt, in the long run, though I'd be better off taking the reins myself. It was a risk. I had no upfront costs with a traditional publisher and they shared the marketing load. When I self-publish, I am the author, the publisher, the marketer, and everything in between.
Add to that, I had no idea if anyone would read my newest book, which was my first full length offering in the Post Apocalyptic genre.
Frightening.
Incredibly, over the course of three weeks, the book began selling. It's rank began climbing. It reached number one in the Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian genres and held steady in the spot for more than a month. HOME, without promotion or discount, reached #100 on all of Amazon.
Crazy.
Enough people read the book in January that the book was A Kindle Unlimited All-Star selection. The websites Bookbub and Boing Boing wrote about the novel and told readers to go buy it.
Incredible.
It's really jump-started my writing career and given birth to all kinds of opportunities.
First, HOME and its two sequels are included in Amazon's #PoweredByIndie promotion this month, which features popular works by independent authors.
Second, HOME is part of the launch for the brand new Amazon Prime Reading library. Those who belong to Amazon Prime can now read a rotating selection of popular ebooks for free. It's a wonderful new program for Prime members, which enhances the already valuable (and cheap) membership. To think that a whole new batch of readers will have the opportunity to find HOME and dive into its story is fantastic. HOME will be part of the program for about ninety days.
If you haven't read it, I hope you give it a shot. If you have, I hope you'll recommend it to a friend.
Thanks, as always, for your support.
Tom,
ReplyDeleteI am listening to Canyon right now and I cannot get enough my friend. I run a retail business and after a busy day I love to sit out back with a cup of coffee and my pipe and listen to what Mad Max (Battle of course) is going to do next. Very pleased. On those days or nights when you are wondering if what you did or are doing in this life amounts to much I urge you to remember the intangibles. Your stories bring a moment of restfulness and joy to a hard working man at the end of every day. Cheers my friend.
~In Liberty
John David
John David,
DeleteThanks so much for your incredibly kind words. Writing is a lonely endeavor. You never now from one word to the next whether anyone else will ever read what you've written, let alone enjoy it. That you took time to tell me how much you enjoy The Traveler series, is an incredible gift.
Do you mind if I share your kind words on my FB page or with readers who've subscribed to my email list?
Thanks again,
Tom
Of course I do not mind Tom! I too run a business that relies heavily on good marketing and, more than that, word of mouth. I would be honored if my words help you sell more books my friend.
DeleteThank you! :-)
ReplyDeleteI just finished the series. Just a downright great story! I can’t begin to tell you how deeply affected I am by the strong characters you’ve created. I think we could’ve all used a man like Battle in our lives a time or two. I know I could have.
ReplyDeleteThe details you added to the setting are remarkable. Impressive research. All of the places you mentioned are real including the nuisances surrounding the area. I grew up, married, and had kids in West Texas. So many memories of living in Abilene and Baird flooded my mind. I smiled when he ate a ham sandwich at the local sandwich shop in Baird, TX. I’ve eaten there many times. Interestingly enough, I caught myself thinking I was glad the owners survived the scourge. I laughed and said to myself, “Wait, fiction here. Everyone you know and love are okay.”
It wouldn’t hurt my feelings if you continued the series. I’ll miss Battle.
Thank you for being bold enough to self-publish,
Stacy
Stacy,
DeleteThanks for your comment. I'm so happy your read the series. It's wonderful to hear from someone who enjoyed the books and, in some way, related to the characters. West Texas is a wonderful place. I always love visiting there. There is one more book in the series, LEGACY. It fills in Lou's backstory and will be available March 15. It's already written and is in the editing/proofing phase. I hope you'll enjoy it. I'm moving on to another series now but can't ever rule out Marcus making a come back. Thanks also for the nice mention about self-publishing. I've been lucky enough to have books published traditionally too. There are positives and negatives to both that and the indie route into reader's hands. But I do like the control of getting books out as fast as I can write them. :-)
Best wishes to you on a wonderful 2018 and thanks again. If you have any follow up questions, feel free to email me at tom@pitonpress.com.
This was and is a wonderful set of masterpieces, I have read them all and could hardly wait until the next one. I have ordered Legacy, and I am chomping at the bits to get to it. Thanks for giving us a diversion from the day to day life !! I hope Battle comes back the last one left the door wide open for another in this series !!!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for taking the time to read the series. It's so gratifying to know you enjoyed them as much as you did. I'm hopeful Legacy met your expectations. Thanks again for your kind note. Best, Tom
DeleteLost allot of sleep reading this series. You are an incredible writer! If you ever need a proof reader I'd love the chance to get a glimpse of your books as you crank them out. Can't wait for you to get back to Battle's next adventure. In the mean time I'll be stocking my survival supplies and ordering heirloom seeds...
ReplyDeleteTom, you're one of my favorite authors. Reading "Lit" I felt I needed to comment about there being no Redwood trees in the Angeles National Forest. Big in sense cedars exist there, but too far South of the Sierras for them to exist. Otherwise, although I have mixed feelings about the Alt Apocalypse series, I'd rather see fresh/new characters. One book of short stories would have been better for me. Thanks and keep on writing, thanks for the hours of entertainment
ReplyDelete