The New Indie Author: Working Together for Success

Online, April 8, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Last month thirty-five authors set out to storm the eBook publishing world with the launch of a five-day eBook promotion event called the Lucky Days Free Par-Tay. The authors, who are all part of Amazon's KDP Select Program, simultaneously offered their titles up for free in the Amazon Kindle store. In a digital marketplace where authors can be kept apart as they compete for readers, these Free Par-Tay authors turned the tables on that traditional model with their stunning collaborative success.

By the end of the fifth day, the event had placed 16 of their 60 titles in Amazon's Top 20 Kindle Free list. Out of these 16 titles, 6 of them claimed the top six free spots with their titles. Overall, 35 titles out of the 60 sat in the Top 100 Free. With an average ranking of 53.

This success carried over into the paid lists after the event. Multiple authors claimed the #1 spot on Kindle's Movers & Shaker's Kindle lists. Author Stephanie Bond dominated by claiming all 3 top spots on that list for nearly a day with three of her titles, Three Wishes, I Think I Love You, and Kill the Competition.

Like all of the participating authors, Stephanie was effusive in her praise of the event. "Working with Carolyn McCray, the Indie Book Collective's network, and the Free Par-Tay promotion has been, in a word, career-changing. Carolyn McCray is at the forefront of eBook publishing; her experience as an author and as a promoter make her uniquely qualified to offer a comprehensive roadmap for writers to follow. I'm absolutely on board."

Ann Charles, a perennial star, also didn't disappoint. After Ann left the free promotion, her Nearly Departed In Deadwood sat squarely at #20 in Amazon's Top 100 Paid Kindle list for days. Charles says "IBC rocked my world! Through their events I have learned the value of co-promotion, experienced the power of the strategic use of "Free" marketing, and gained vital knowledge about optimization, cover art, and branding. IBC has the tools you need for a successful writing career."

As of this writing, over a week after the event, the Free Par-Tay still has two titles, Three Days in Seattle by Debra Burroughs, and Ann's Nearly Departed in Deadwood in the Top 100 Paid Bestselling Lists. That is some staying power.

Typically, most free books fall in their ranks once they move from the free lists to the paid lists. However, the IBC piggy-backed this free event with another promotion called the Indie Book Blowout, in which titles were promoted at the 99-cent price point. The extended visibility and marketing support helped keep these indie books in front of prospective readers.

Through this fusion of a free and paid event, the Indie Book Collective was able to surge 5 titles into the Top 100 Paid Kindle lists.

Given the tremendous teamwork that went into orchestrating such a massive event, other less "measureable," yet entirely, welcome aspects of the event emerged: camaraderie, support and commitment to the titles and efforts of other authors. As author J. Thorn noted, "The writers involved in the Free Par-Tay locked arms in a virtual onslaught of positive energy and enthusiasm for each other that I believe is unprecedented."

Virna DePaul, another of Free Par-Tay superstars, summed it up by saying. "In the murky and erratic waters of self-publishing, I'm so grateful for the opportunity to lock arms with other dedicated writers; we support one another, cheer each other on, and learn the "secrets" that put a great book in front of thousands of readers."

In the end, the Free Par-Tay gave away over 1,200,000 (that's right, over a million) eBooks and sold nearly 100,000 books the week after the event. Many of the titles are still in the Top 1,000 rankings.

By any measure the Lucky Days Free Par-Tay was a rousing success and testament to what indies can do when they work together.