by | February 22, 2017 · 11:30 pm
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I GOT A BOOKBUB!!!!

Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I actually screamed when I got the email – Josh thought someone horrible happened. Instead, something almost miraculous did.

For those of you that may not know, BookBub is the holy grail of e-book advertising, for both self-published authors and traditional publishers. It’s head and shoulders above any other online marketing tool, and I have tried them all, as you may already know if you’ve seen my Super Duper List. The only one that I haven’t tried was BookBub, not because I couldn’t afford them, but because they didn’t want me or either one of my books. Believe me, I’d tried. I have been applying on nearly monthly basis for about eighteen months, and have been getting stock-standard rejections. I have tried different categories. I have tried getting BookBub followers (I have 27 of them now). I did everything I could to increase the number of reviews (Shizzle, Inc has 82 reviews). I even tried replying, begging for feedback. Still, “not at this time” was all they said.

Until now! Look at it! Look!!

bookbub-offer

I have confirmed and paid – Shizzle, Inc will be one of BookBub’s Featured Deals on 6 March! As you can see from above, there’s a catch, though – it was NOT selected for the US market, which is only, you know, my target market, but hey! I got my foot in the door, and every time I’d managed to do that before, I eventually got the rest through. The subscriber list will be Humor and it’s 200,000 strong. The estimated number of downloads is 2,500, which is not too flash, but let’s see what actually happens. The cost is $36 USD and I hope for at least a few buy-throughs to Indiot. But mainly, I hope that sometime in the future I get the whole world covered in free copies of Isa Maxwell’s Escapades.

It’s a sign. I mean, I don’t believe in these things, of course, but what else can it be? I have a crisis of confidence, take a three-month hiatus, return, and finally land the coveted prize. Oh, wait. It’s persistence. That’s right, that dogged persistence does eventually pay off. Maybe not the first or seventh time, but you never know, it could be the next one.

Just keep going. I will too.

60 Comments

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60 responses to “I GOT A BOOKBUB!!!!”

  3. John Sener
    February 23, 2017 at 12:06 am

    …and congrats for your persistence paying off!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Annette Rochelle Aben
    February 23, 2017 at 12:09 am

    You rock girl! Congrats. celebrating your every success ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. Margaret McGoverne
    February 23, 2017 at 12:18 am

    Well done Ana, that’s great news! I’ve been reading up on Bookbub and will definitely emulate your determination! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. lesleylodge
    February 23, 2017 at 12:21 am

    Excellent – congrats and many thanks for sharing the tip on persistence (I had given up)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. Mac Logan
    February 23, 2017 at 1:10 am

    “It’s a sign. I mean, I don’t believe in these things, of course, but what else can it be?” … a sign … keep trucking

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  9. davidprosser
    February 23, 2017 at 1:38 am

    Well done, congratulations. I hope you manage the U.S. one in the near future.
    xxx Huge Hugs xxx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. Olivia Barrington
    February 23, 2017 at 2:11 am

    Fantastic!! You’ll conquer the rest of the world later. For now like you said, “you’ve got your foot in the door!” Congrats and good luck on this and your new book. Have you gotten to write some more on the new book? I hope so! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  12. Pearl R. Meaker
    February 23, 2017 at 2:14 am

    Most Excellent! 😊 Congratulations!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  13. J.R. Handley
    February 23, 2017 at 2:49 am

    Congrats!! 🎊🎈🍾🎉

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  14. Claire | Art and Soul
    February 23, 2017 at 3:14 am

    Hooray! This is brilliant! And it’s lovely and encouraging to hear that persistence pays off (says someone who had been on the end of nothing but rejections for 2 years now!!) 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  15. Tamara Kulish
    February 23, 2017 at 3:24 am

    Good for you! It’s so encouraging to hear that persistence DOES pay off!

    Peace to you, Tamara

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  16. Cee Tee Jackson
    February 23, 2017 at 3:40 am

    Nice one, Ana! I too believe on the constant finger poking “go on, go on, go on, go on, go on go on ……” approach. 😉 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  17. Karen TomsovicKKaren
    February 23, 2017 at 3:51 am

    Congrats, Ana! Persistence does pay off. Can’t wait to hear how it goes.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  18. Alex Kourvo
    February 23, 2017 at 5:31 am

    Congratulations! I love a story with a happy ending. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  20. fogwood214
    February 23, 2017 at 7:13 am

    How exciting! 😀 Congratulations!

    Also, I have a question. What does “not too flash” mean? I’m in the U.S., and it may be I’m just in the wrong circle to know it. In context I’m guessing it’s similar to “not to bad” or “not too shabby”?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Ana Spoke
      February 23, 2017 at 7:28 am

      Thank you 🙂 I’m about to find “not too flash” in the comments, but it’s actually the opposite, as I understand – flash means showy/sparkly/not average, so not too flash is nothing special. But then again, I’m Russian 🙂

      Like

      Reply
      • fogwood214
        February 23, 2017 at 7:37 am

        Okay, that makes sense. I wasn’t sure since you used it in reference to the estimated 2500 downloads, and I’m not knowledgable enough about BookBub to know if that’s a good amount or not (although with 200,000 subscribers it does seem a small percentage).

        Thanks!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Ana Spoke
        February 23, 2017 at 7:46 am

        Oh, I used it? Omg, wrote the blog in a fog 🙂 A full-on Bookbub promo can result in 30,000 and even more downloads, so 3,500 is eh. Still, it’s more than any other promo I ever got, and a better value.

        Like

  21. Karen Tomsovic
    February 23, 2017 at 10:15 am

    Congrats, Ana! Proof that persistence pays off. Can’t wait to see how it goes.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  23. Susan
    February 23, 2017 at 12:02 pm

    Fantastic! Congratulations on your persistence!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  24. Ellie P.
    February 23, 2017 at 1:21 pm

    I’m in awe of your persistence! GOOD FOR YOU!!! (BTW, I get the Bookbub newsletter – I’m in Canada. I’m so poor though, I only get books if they’re free. Argh. ) Good luck Ana, and I hope you get lots of sales from people who are richer than I am!!!! ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  26. ameliamackenzie
    February 23, 2017 at 7:39 pm

    I think you’re right about persistence! But no one ever wants to hear you need to work hard to get the things you want. :p Congrats on getting your deal!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Ana Spoke
      February 24, 2017 at 7:58 am

      I’m a big believer that people need to experience a right amount of pain in order to change. So hopefully once someone has experienced enough rejection, they could decide to sit down, evaluate why, and work hard to change that. I’m up to 100 rejections now, so I’m very motivated 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  27. Pingback: Writing Insight: Congrats, Ana Spoke-SHE GOT A BOOKBUB!!!! – Writing through Career Transition

  29. Sarah Potter Writes
    February 25, 2017 at 2:30 am

    Your determination has been rewarded big-time. I have a good feeling about this: that you’re about to get the recognition you deserve. I wish I had your energy and drive.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Ana Spoke
      February 25, 2017 at 1:23 pm

      Thank you so much Sarah 🙂 I keep having these good feelings, not every one of them turns into reality, but the thing is, I’m a published author. So what that I did it myself, I’ve got two books out there. Two years ago I didn’t know if I could finish one. It’s true with anything, saving money, losing weight or writing – just do a little every day.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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