Guest Author Post: H.M. Ward on Self Publishing and10,000 Books Sold... *Book Giveaway*

Thank you for inviting me to be a guest on your awesome blog! You’ve done a marvelous job – it’s gorgeous with tons of information! As a thank you, I have a special give-a-way item for you readers. If they comment on this posting, they can enter to win a free signed copy of my debut novel DEMON KISSED.

Some of you know that I’m an Indie author, and published DEMON KISSED and CURSED (the sequel) myself. For those of you who don’t know what happened, here it is. Hold onto your hats! About a year ago I started writing DEMON KISSED. I had no intention of publishing it, I just wrote it for me. The overarching theme of this series is fate. With my theological training, the idea of predestination was always intriguing. And that’s pretty much what’s happening in the book. The main character, Ivy Taylor, is on a crash course to receive a life that she doesn’t want.

Last fall I completed the book and sent it to literary agents to see what would happen. Almost immediately I had multiple offers of representation. I chose an agent and we pressed forward, submitting DEMON KISSED to all the big boys in publishing. After a few months, I realized that traditional publishing wasn’t for me. I’m kind of a control freak and handing over complete control to someone else didn’t sound appealing. So, I decided to self-publish.

Now I realize people may say that, and it could be a cover for the publishing world thinking the book sucks – but in this case, I didn’t see what traditional publishing had to offer me. By the time I decided to go on my own, DEMON KISSED already had 30,000 facebook fans (www.facebook.com/demonkissed). And I’m a professional photographer for the affluent, so I could and did shoot my own covers. Those are the main two things that self-published authors fear – having an ugly/ ineffective cover which taints sales, and no one buying their book. It’s not unusual for self-published authors to sell around 100 books and that’s it. With the DEMON KISSED fan base, I didn’t have that issue. To date, DEMON KISSED has sold over 10,000 copies. And the fans are dying to get their hands on CURSED on August 31, 2011.

I’ve had a lot of fun self-publishing. The literary market is in a state of flux, and this allows me to try new things that aren’t really conducive to publishing traditionally. It also gave me freedom from a system that’s in the “adapt or die” phase of life. With ebooks on the rise and brick and mortar stores like Borders closing, self-pubbing is a good place for me to be.

Thanks to all the fans who hung with me! Your support is amazing and I couldn’t have done it without you!

DEMON KISSED book description:

The Valefar boy tricked Ivy Taylor into kissing him, but he took much more than a kiss – he stole her soul and left her within inches of death.

By surviving, Ivy is drawn into the conflict between the Martis and the Valefar. The war between these two immortal forces has raged for millennia without distraction. Until now. Ivy is an anomaly—she is the only person who has ever walked away from a demon kiss alive. Her survival gives her unique and deadly abilities. Too powerful to ignore, Ivy is a threat to both armies. These two ancient enemies will stop at nothing to kill the seventeen-year-old.

Surviving is nothing new for headstrong Ivy, but her survival has never depended on another person before. This time it does. And if she misplaces her trust, she's dead. To her horror, she starts falling in love at the worst possible time—with the enemy. He appears to be protecting her. But she can't be certain if he is trying to help her, or help himself to her power. For Ivy, trusting the right person is the difference between love and survival, or a deadly demon kiss.

Locations selling the DEMON KISSED series. (www.demonkissed.com/order.htm) Find us on facebook. (www.facebook.com/demonkissed) and twitter (www.twitter.com/hmward)

CONTEST TIME!

You can win a free signed copy of DEMON KISSED by leaving a comment here for H.M before September 1, 2011 (Open to US residents only). To read a free sneak peek of the first chapter of DEMON KISSED, click here. (www.demonkissed.com/downloads.htm)

The sequel to Demon Kissed, Cursed will be released on August 31st:

Ivy's on her way to kick ass and save Collin from the horrors of the Underworld. Along the way she discovers that the truth won't set her free. Deep seeded deception leads Ivy closer to her destiny. But, being queen of the demons is not the destiny she wants. Ivy will have to overcome lust, power, and love if she wants to survive.