The Making of a Bestseller

By Debby Giusti

Dreams do come true.

Have you ever dreamed of having your work appear on a bestseller list? I’m sure most authors would say “YES!” Four of my books have been Publishers Weekly Bestsellers, but I still dreamed of making the USA TODAY Bestseller list.

  

Then fellow Love Inspired Author Mary Alford emailed me. Mary and I were online friends and had worked together on the Craftie Ladies of Romance blog.  Mary had wanted to publish an anthology of Christian novellas. When she learned Ruth Hartzler and Samantha Price had the same desire, the three writers joined forces to make their “dream” come true. Mary’s email included an invitation for me to join with fifteen other Christian suspense authors in creating an independently published anthology. Seeker Ruth Logan Herne was in the group as well!

The SUMMER OF SUSPENSE authors!

I was honored to be included and excited to write my story, “On the Run.” We hired our own editors and then submitted our stories for formatting. We pooled resources, shared the cost of having a cover created and purchased ads to spread the word about the anthology.

In May, I hosted Mary, Ruth and Samantha on Seekerville. They provided a step-by-step guide on how their initial concept came to fruition in a blog titled, “The StoryBehind Creating The Summer of Suspense Anthology! What It Takes to Put Together A Multi-Author Anthology From Start to Finish.” Check it out, then be sure to come back so you can learn the rest of the story.

SUMMER OF SUSPENSE released on August 6. For a number of months prior to the release date, we encouraged readers to pre-order the anthology on Amazon, Barns & Noble or Apple. The price during the first week of release was 99 cents--a fantastic buy for more than 800 pages of reading enjoyment. The authors promoted THE SALE OF THE YEAR and so many wonderful folks took advantage of the great buy.

An extra bonus was working with Ruth Logan Herne on this project!

We regularly updated readers about our progress in newsletters and created memes about our individual stories that we posted on social media. We blogged and chatted and shared Facebook messages and Tweets so the word would spread…which it did. To add to the fun, we hosted a Summer of Suspense Release Party on Facebook that ran from August 6 to August 9 with lots of giveaways, including books!

In case you aren’t aware of the process, both Publishers Weekly and USA TODAY compile the number of books sold during a one week period. The top sellers that week make the list. The New York Times format includes other variables, but number of books sold is key to their selection process as well.

USA TODAY publishes their list on Wednesdays. Many of us kept checking the paper’s online site this week until the new list finally appeared. We were thrilled to see SUMMER OF SUSPENSE made the bestseller list and ranked  #28 out of all the books sold last week.

SUMMER OF SUSPENSE #28 USA TODAY
BESTSELLER LIST

 The authors worked hard writing stories and promoting the anthology, but making the USA TODAY BESTSELLER LIST was due to our wonderful readers—TO ALL OF YOU—who ordered SUMMER OF SUSPENSE. 

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! 

You are the reason we write and we appreciate 

your support!

Readers often ask how they can help their favorite authors. Buying books, especially the week they release, posting reviews and spreading the word about the stories you love can propel a book and author into the bestseller status.

 

The 99 cent sale is over, but SUMMER OF SUSPENSE is still
available on Amazon for $9.99 and on Kindle Unlimited.

Readers, how do you spread the word about your favorite stories and authors? Do you enjoy posting reviews? Do you follow any bestseller lists? How important are the NY Times, Publishers Weekly or USA Today lists when you select a book to buy? Writers, do you review the lists? How can readers help you promote your stories? I'm giving away a copy of AMISH SAFE HOUSE to one lucky person who leaves a comment. Let me know if you want to be in the drawing!

Happy writing! Happy reading!

Wishing you abundant blessings,

Debby Giusti

www.DebbyGiusti.com

COVER REVEAL!!!
HER FORGOTTEN AMISH PAST

She can’t remember who she’s running from.

Is she safe with the Amish?

Someone wants Becca Troyer dead, but who or why is a mystery to her. Seeking refuge at the home of Amish farmer Zeke Hochstetler is her only hope to stay one step ahead of the killer. With every clue she finds about her past leading to more confusion, Becca and Zeke must untangle the truth before her pursuer discovers where she’s been hiding.

Releases 1 NOV 2019

Pre-Order at Amazon HERE!