Mar
2
I’m so proud to be picked as Warwick University’s Alumnus of the Month for March 2013, it’s a real honour.
I had to answer various questions and my answers may give you a bit of an insight into me as a person, rather than just an author and researcher.
You can read the interview at Warwick University Alumnus of the Month
Nov
6
A big thank you to everyone who purchased a copy of the Kindle version of On This Day in Tudor History on 2nd November, the day it went live on Amazon. It hit the No. 1 spot on two best-seller lists, No. 1 on the Hot New Releases in History list and No. 2 on another best-seller list. I was completely blown away and very grateful for the support of my readers – thank you!
You can find out more about the book on the Books page or at Amazon.
Nov
2
Good news! The Kindle version of On This Day in Tudor History is now available to download on Amazon and the paperback should be available in the next couple of days.
It’s a whopping 648 pages and is only $2.99 for the Kindle. Here are the links:
On This Day in Tudor History gives a day-by-day look at events from the Tudor era, including births, deaths, baptisms, marriages, battles, arrests, executions and more.
This must-have book for Tudor history lovers is perfect for:
Aug
17
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.
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
Number of titles: 1
Price: $2.99 Kindle, $12.99 paperback
Sales: 2400
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
Number of titles: 2
Price: Both $2.99 Kindle, $12.99 and $11.99 paperback
Sales: 4500
Number of titles: 2
Price: Both $2.99 Kindle, $12.99 and $11.99 paperback
Sales: 4000
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
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
20,900 sales, not including free downloads or borrows.
My Anne Boleyn books have also been No. 1 best-sellers in their genre.
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.
I don’t have a secret, a magic recipe or a quick fix to share with you, but here is what I did:
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
31
Today is the official launch of Interviews with Indie Authors: Top Tips from Successful Self-Published Authors, so a very exciting day!
Let me share with you the story behind this book…
Tim and I were inspired by my journey into self-publishing in February 2012. I found lots of books to help me with the technicalities of self-publishing, but what inspired me and helped make my own books successful was reading the stories of authors who’d been there and done it, and done it successfully. I wanted to learn from the masters and find out what tools and techniques they used to ensure success. I knew it wasn’t down to luck, but hard work, and I wanted to get it right. As my own books hit the bestseller lists, I began to be asked how I’d done it and what advice I could share. That’s when the idea for Interviews with Indie Authors hit me. I knew that different authors had very different stories and strategies, so why not collect them all together and publish them to help newbie authors? The book was born.
It’s a wonderful book because the authors concerned have been so giving. Their stories are truly inspiring and their advice is sure to help other authors navigate their way through the minefields of self-publishing, marketing and promotion.
You can find out more about the book over at the book website – InterviewswithIndieAuthors.com or click hereto go directly to Amazon.com.
Learn how to succeed in indie publishing.
With interviews from 34 of the hottest names in self-publishing, “Interviews with Indie Authors” contains a unique view into the world of the indie writer. Each bestselling self-published author shares how they ensure their books are a hit, and what led them to indie publishing in the first place. You will also find out what they think the future of self-publishing will bring. Their first hand experience is invaluable for anyone planning to succeed with their own books.
Whatever your background, you will learn from these incredible interviews.
With diverse genres such as thrillers, young adult fiction, the paranormal, romance, comedy, fantasy, horror, science fiction, mystery and even non-fiction, whatever you are writing about, this book has it covered.
Contains interviews with indie authors such as: Michael McCloskey, Nick Russell, Connie Suttle, Michael Prescott, Terri Reid, Hugh Howey, Scott Nicholson, Kristen Ashley, Aaron Patterson, Carol Davis Luce, Claire Ridgway, Alexa Grace, Marie Force, Shadonna Richards, Colleen Hoover, Barbara Freethy, Joseph Lallo, Rebecca Forster, Caryn Moya Block, Denise Grover Swank, Mainak Dhar, Imogen Rose, CJ Lyons, Bella Andre, Maria Murnane, Theresa Ragan, Russell Blake, Linda Welch, Debra Holland, J. Thorn, James Somers, Karen Cantwell, Tracey Garvis Graves and Elena Greene.
50% of the royalties from “Interviews with Indie Authors” will be given to charity. The money will be split between two charities – ROPE (Relief for Oppressed People Everywhere) and Goal for the Gambia.
Jul
9
Back in April, I was interviewed for a documentary by Charli Burden and Kathryn Dowling, two MA Broadcast Journalism students. They also interviewed authors Alison Weir and Philippa Gregory, and some Anne Boleyn ‘fans’.
Here are clips from my interview when I was asked about how The Anne Boleyn Files started and also whether I saw The Anne Boleyn Files site as a ‘fan club’.
and
May
15
Thanks to Catherine Ryan Howard for hosting me on her Self-Printed Guest Blog over at Writing.ie. I came to know Catherine through her blog Catherine, Caffeinated, which is a great resource for those looking to self-publish their work. Catherine has also written an excellent book, Self Printed: The Sane Person’s Guide to Self-Publishing, which I found incredibly useful on my self-publishing journey.
In my guest post over at Writing.ie, I highlight the importance of building a platform before you publish your book or, if you’ve already published your book, getting one going as soon as you possibly can. I built my platform accidentally, by writing about my passion (Tudor history) on a blog and then setting up Facebook and Twitter pages, but boy am I glad that I had that in place before I published my books. A platform is vital whether you publish traditionally or self-publish, and that’s why publishers and agents ask you about how YOU can market your book.
Not convinced?
Well, do you think it’s easier to create buzz about your book and get the word out if you have a blog with 24,000 unique visitors per month and a subscriber list of 5,500, or by starting from scratch? Hmm… I’m not saying that to dishearten anybody or to show off, I’m simply stating a fact and showing that a book’s success is not usually down to Lady Luck but to hard work. Blogging just three or four times a week can make a huge difference in marketing your book, try it and see.
You can read my guest post over at Writing.ie by clicking here.
Apr
18
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:-
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.
Feb
17
I’m just going to interrupt my series on self-publishing with the news that my first book, “The Anne Boleyn Collection”, has just been released as a Kindle version on Amazon.com and Amazon UK.
While Tim and I were waiting for the paperback to go live, after double-checking the second proof copy, we decided to upload the Kindle version. We expected it to take a few days to go live, but it happened within hours – a big surprise! I’d sent some e-book versions out to some of my followers, members of The Anne Boleyn Fellowship, in advance for them to “beta test”, and they’ve already started adding their review to the Amazon page. This is a great help.
While I’m waiting for the paperback to go live, I’m working on getting the buzz going about my book. I’m fortunate in that I have been running my blog, The Anne Boleyn Files, for three years and so have an established following through that site and also on Facebook and Twitter. I’ve also updated my Goodreads profile to an author profile and have been filling in extra information about the book on Shelfari – phew! Lots to do! I will be sharing everything I do in future posts.
If you want to check out my book, then please go to:-
Here’s a video Tim made for the Anne Boleyn Files birthday and The Anne Boleyn Collection launch:-
Feb
7
One of the regular visitors to The Anne Boleyn Files contacted me just before Christmas (2011) to share an idea she had about site and my writing. “Why don’t you collate some of the most popular Anne Boleyn Files articles and publish them?”, Linda said, “That way we’d have easy access to them and we’d be able to share them with friends and family. It would be a wonderful way to celebrate the three year anniversary of the site.”
Now, I was already working on a book on the Boleyn family but Linda got me thinking. I had three years’ worth of articles on the site, over 800 posts – yes, I’ve been a busy girl! – and the site was very popular and interactive, with people commenting on posts and discussing things. It would be easy to find out which were the most popular and then collate them in a book format, or so I thought!
Lightbulb moment. What a great way to celebrate our three year anniversary, use my hard work and share my research. The Anne Boleyn Collection was born, in my head anyway.
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