Claire Ridgway

Best-selling author and blogger

Aug
28

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25,000 Books Sold in Just Over 6 Months!

Category: Books, The Anne Boleyn Collection, The Fall of Anne Boleyn Tags: , 2 Comments

Just over six months ago, in February 2012, I started my self-publishing journey. On 17th February, The Anne Boleyn Collection went live for sale on Amazon, and I decided on some goals – 100 books per month and 1000 in my first year. I thought that these goals were realistic, based on other authors’ experiences and the fact that I’d read a news article saying that the average book sold 1,000 books during its lifetime.

You can imagine how ecstatic I was when I looked at my sales figures on 27th August 2012 and found that I had surpassed 25,000 sales (not including free downloads or borrows).

Here is the breakdown:

  • The Anne Boleyn Collection (February 2012) –  12,166
  • The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown (April 2012) – 12,747
  • Interviews with Indie Authors: Top Tips from Successful Self-Published Authors (31 July 2012 – a collaborative book)  - 157

My two Anne Boleyn books have also been number one best-sellers in their genre.

As I’ve said before, my figures just don’t compare to the likes of John Locke, Amanda Hocking, Tracey Garvis Graves, CJ Lyons and Bella Andre, but I am thrilled to bits and I have far exceeded my goal. My next goal is a total of 40,000 by 31st December 2012.

I really hope that these figures inspire and motivate other authors. The last six months have been hard work, and I am definitely suffering from a lack of sleep, but it’s all been worth it. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, self-publishing is not a get-rich-quick scheme, it takes commitment, hard work, respect for your readers and integrity. It also has to be treated like a business. Do due diligence and read up about it, and always be willing to learn from those who have gone before.

I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank those who follow The Anne Boleyn Files site and who encouraged me to publish my work. I never could have sold these books without the ongoing support and encouragement of those people, plus my readers and my family – a big thank you!

 

Aug
17

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6 Months of Self-Publishing – My Progress

Category: Books, Self-publishing, The Anne Boleyn Collection, The Fall of Anne Boleyn Tags: , , 3 Comments

Today marks six months since my very first book, The Anne Boleyn Collection, went live on Amazon.com and what an amazing six months it has been. I wanted to share my story with you to inspire you and to show you what can be done with some hard work and perseverance.

First, let me tell you a little about myself and my book projects…

I’m a non-fiction writer and my two books, published in February and April 2012, are both about Queen Anne Boleyn. I’m writing, therefore, for a very niche market. I’m also not an academic historian, I’m a researcher and blogger. I’m unique in the history world in my style of writing, I believe, because I present real history, based on the primary sources, but in a conversational style; that means I’m writing for a niche within a niche. I’m not writing for the masses, my target market is actually quite small when compared, for example, to thriller authors or romance authors.

I didn’t even bother taking my two book projects to a publisher because I knew that they would be deemed as “not commercially viable”, I just decided on self-publishing. Small niche, unknown author, not an academic historian… It was all bad news, but the good news was that I had been blogging for three years and my website had become known in the online Tudor history world. I therefore had a platform, a following who should, hopefully, be interested in my published work. It was all a complete unknown, though, and I had no clue how my first book would be received, particularly as it was a collection of blog articles (re-worked and with some new material added).

I decided to aim for sales of 100 per month and 1000 for my first year. I felt that these targets were realistic and do-able.

I’m now going to share my progress. Here are my monthly sales figures rounded to the nearest hundred and not including borrows or free downloads, just hard sales.

February

The Anne Boleyn Collection went live for sale as a Kindle edition on 17th February and as a paperback a few days later.
Number of titles: 1
Price: $2.99 Kindle, $12.99 paperback
Sales: 600

March

Number of titles: 1
Price: $2.99 Kindle, $12.99 paperback
Sales: 2400

April

My second book, The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown, went live for sale on Amazon on 27th April 2012 so was only for sale for 4 days of this month.
Number of titles: 2
Price: Both $2.99 Kindle, $12.99 and $11.99 paperback
Sales: 1400

May

Number of titles: 2
Price: Both $2.99 Kindle, $12.99 and $11.99 paperback
Sales: 4500

June

Number of titles: 2
Price: Both $2.99 Kindle, $12.99 and $11.99 paperback
Sales: 4000

July

On 27th July my third title, Interviews with Indie Authors: Top Tips from Successful Self-Published Authors, went live on Amazon, but Tim and I didn’t launch it until 31st July.
Number of titles: 3
Price: All $2.99 Kindle, one at $12.99, one at $11.99 and the other at $10.07 paperback – The Fall of Anne Boleyn was reduced to $10.07 from $11.99 by Amazon due to price matching.
Sales: 2900

Sales up to 16th August 2012

Number of titles: 3
Price: 2 at $2.99 and one reduced to $0.99 as a special Amazon Kindle promotion. Paperback – one at $12.99, one at $11.99 and the other at $10.07.
Sales: 1st August to 16th August: 5100

6 Months Grand Total

20,900 sales, not including free downloads or borrows.
My Anne Boleyn books have also been No. 1 best-sellers in their genre.

My Thoughts

Well, I know that I don’t compare to the likes of Bella Andre and CJ Lyons who are selling over a hundred thousand books per month, but am I happy with 20,900? Of course I am. My target was 1000 in my first year and I’ve sold nearly 21,000 in six months, so I am ecstatic! Over the moon! Bouncing off the wall and ceiling!

But it’s not just about sales, I’m also loving hearing from readers on a daily basis. It makes my day to receive an email from someone thanking me for my work. It’s an amazing feeling to know that your book is out there and being enjoyed.

What’s My Secret?

I don’t have a secret, a magic recipe or a quick fix to share with you, but here is what I did:

  • I blogged regularly – Over the past three years, I have blogged at least three times a week on my Tudor history blog, www.theanneboleynfiles.com. The accidental outcome of this was that I built a platform, a following who enjoyed my writing.
  • I built a list – I offered freebies to people who subscribed to my website and so had a list of emails to send news of my books to.
  • I used social media to share my blog posts, to communicate with people and to spread news – Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Goodreads etc.
  • I wrote quality books – I wrote the books I knew that my followers would want to read and I got them professionally copy-edited and hired a graphic artist for the covers.
  • I made my books available on Amazon – Amazon is the giant in the book retail world so I listed my books on Amazon. I actually published them via CreateSpace and Amazon KDP.
  • I marketed my books – I blogged about them, shared release information via social media, added them to book sites such as Goodreads, LibraryThing etc., I made use of KDP select to run free promotions, I did competitions and giveaways, I did virtual book tours on Tudor history blogs… You name it!
  • I communicated with my readers and potential readers – I answered emails from readers, I replied to comments on my blog, I replied to tweets and posts etc. I engaged with my readers.
  • I built relationships with other bloggers and authors in the Tudor history world – By the time I released my first book, I had lots of friends and contacts who were more than happy to spread the news about my book.
  • I kept writing and publishing!
  • I kept my integrity – I didn’t spam people and I didn’t leave fake reviews on my books. I believe that we reap what we sow.
  • I treated my writing and publishing as a business – I re-invested some of the royalties I earned in my business by spending money on advertising on book sites.
  • I learned from other authors and read books on self-publishing, writing and marketing.
  • I gave – I gave free information, I did free promos, I did giveaways and I was giving of my time and information. I love answering people’s questions and giving people advice.
  • Pricing – I chose to price my books low to give readers a great deal and also to encourage people to take a chance on me. My books took a few years of research, a lot of hard work and I also spent money on the cover designs and editing, but an author cannot expect readers to shoulder this cost.

In short, I worked hard.

There is no short-cut to success and self-publishing is certainly not a “get rich quick” scheme, but you can succeed if you are willing to work hard, learn from your mistakes, learn from others and help others. It’s a steep learning curve and I learn something new every day. I don’t know what’s round the corner for me, but the last six months have been amazing and I am continuing to work hard on my writing. If I can make a success of this, then you can, and I hope that my experience and the figures I have shared here will motivate and inspire you.

You can find out more about me and my books on my Amazon Author page – Claire Ridgway Author – and please do check out my other blog posts here.

Jul
9

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In the Top 100 Indie Authors Again!

Category: Books, The Anne Boleyn Collection, The Fall of Anne Boleyn Leave a Comment

For the second month running, I’m in the list of IReaderReview.com’s Top 100 Indie Authors! It is an honour to have my name listed with some of my favourite authors and also to be one of only two non-fiction authors on the list.

The list is based on the previous months’ book sales, so a big thank you to those who have bought copies of  The Anne Boleyn Collection and The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown and who have spread the word – thank you!

I have been blown away by the support I have received and please know that I am eternally grateful. I feel truly blessed to be able to research the Boleyns and Tudor history on a full-time basis.

You can see the Top 100 list at Top 100 Indie Authors for July 2012. I’m at 77!

Jun
18

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I Made the Top 100 Indie Authors List!

Category: Books, Self-publishing, The Anne Boleyn Collection, The Fall of Anne Boleyn Tags: , 2 Comments

As this is my website, I’m allowed to boast a little every now and then, aren’t I? Well, my good news is that I made it on to the June Top 100 Indie Authors List for sales in May over at ireaderreview.com. I’m at no. 86 and it really is an honour to be listed with some of my favourite authors, writers like Melissa Foster, Tracey Garvis-Graves and C J Lyons – see http://ireaderreview.com/2012/06/18/top-100-indie-authors-for-june-67-authors-to-watch/ for the full list.

As you know, I have self-published two books – The Anne Boleyn Collection in February 2012 and The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown – and since February I have sold over 12,000 books. I was aiming for 1000 in my first year, so I am amazed and delighted. Thank you to all my readers and those who have spread the word about my books. It’s been a wonderful journey and I am grateful for all the support I’ve received.

May
1

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Interview with Claire Ridgway

Category: Books, The Anne Boleyn Collection, The Fall of Anne Boleyn Tags: Leave a Comment

Thank you so much to author Sandra Byrd for interviewing me on her “To Be Read” blog. It was such an honour to be interviewed on such a wonderful blog and in the company of authors I admire.

You can check out my interview at http://sandrabyrd.com/toberead/the-anne-boleyn-collection/

Sandra is the author of one of my favourite Anne Boleyn novels – To Die For – and the upcoming The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr which is due out on 5th June 2012.

May
1

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Release of The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown

Category: Books, The Fall of Anne Boleyn Tags: Leave a Comment

I’m so excited! My second book, The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown, is now available to purchase as a Kindle or paperback.

Here are the Amazon US and UK links:-

The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown – The Kindle version from Amazon.com
The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown – The paperback version from Amazon.com
The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown – The Kindle version from Amazon.co.uk

I’m more than happy to ‘virtually’ sign and add a message to your Kindle copy. You can request this through http://www.kindlegraph.com/

Reviews and Likes

Once you’ve read The Fall of Anne Boleyn it would be wonderful if you could spare a moment and leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews are so important to new authors and it only has to be brief – every little helps! I read every single review and really appreciate the effort.

You can also help by clicking “like” on the book’s Amazon page. Thank you so much!

Thank you for all the support you gave me with my first book, The Anne Boleyn Collection, and I hope you like The Fall of Anne Boleyn as much.

The Fall of Anne Boleyn Blurb

During the spring of 1536 in Tudor England, events conspire to bring down Anne Boleyn, the Queen of England. The coup against the Queen results in the brutal executions of six innocent people – Anne Boleyn herself, her brother, and four courtiers – and the rise of a new Queen.

Read More

Apr
18

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Launch of The Fall of Anne Boleyn Book Website and 4000 Sales!

Category: Books, The Fall of Anne Boleyn Tags: , , Leave a Comment

Today is an exciting day! Not only have we reached the 4000 sales mark for The Anne Boleyn Collection book (published on 16th February 2012), but I have also launched The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown website in anticipation of the book being published at the end of April.

At The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown website you will find:-

  • An interactive timeline – I will be adding events as they happen, as we countdown to the 19th May 1536. Today’s event “Chapuys Bows to Queen Anne Boleyn” is there.
  • Information on The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown book
  • Bibliography – A full bibliography of the sources I used in writing The Fall of Anne Boleyn. It’s split into primary and secondary sources.
  • Cast list – List of the main characters involved in the events of 1536.
  • Printable timeline
  • History Research Report – Sign up to receive this report and also to be informed of the book’s release.
  • Author bio – That’s me!

The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown Blurb

During the spring of 1536 in Tudor England, events conspire to bring down Anne Boleyn, the Queen of England. The coup against the Queen results in the brutal executions of six innocent people – Anne Boleyn herself, her brother and four courtiers – and the rise of a new Queen.

Drawing on sixteenth century letters, eye witness accounts and chronicles, Claire Ridgway leads the reader through the sequence of chilling events one day at a time, telling the true story of Anne Boleyn’s fall.

The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown is presented in a diary format allowing readers to dip in, look up a particular date or read from start to finish. Special features include mini biographies of those involved, a timeline of events and full referencing.

Claire Ridgway, creator of The Anne Boleyn Files and author of The Anne Boleyn Collection, continues her mission to share the real truth about Anne Boleyn.