The Kindle Scout Campaign

Anyone who knows me knows that I submitted my most recent book, The One I Trust, to Amazon’s Kindle Scout program. For the last thirty days, I have been actively soliciting nominations in hopes of attracting the attention of the editors of Kindle Publishing—the ones who will decide whether or not to offer me a contract.

Getting a lot of nominations does not at all guarantee an offer, but I doubt that very many books get contracts without first getting a lot of nominations. Nominations generally come from the author’s friends/fan base, and from scouters who are browsing the Kindle Scout site, looking for good books to nominate. People who nominate a book that receives a contract receive a free, early copy, and are encouraged to leave reviews. Lots of nominations show Kindle Scout that an author has a lot of support—both from an existing fan base, and from Kindle scouters, who vote because they would like to read it.

I was honored and blessed that my book was in the top 20 (Hot and Trending) every single day of its campaign. The few hours it was not Hot and Trending were the first seven hours after it went live at midnight on November 19^th. Once I woke up and started asking for nominations, my friends and fans came through for me. The visibility of being on the Hot and Trending list brought it to the attention of Kindle scouters, who also nominated it, hoping that it will be published and that they will receive a free copy. All in all, my book’s Kindle Scout page had over 2,600 views and spent 713 hours on the Hot and Trending list.

This morning—the first day since the campaign ended—I received an email from Amazon, stating that I could expect to hear if I will be offered a contract or not within “the next few business days.”

What if I'm not offered a contract??

 

Initially I was unsure whether or not I should submit my book to the Kindle Scout program. It is the first in a series, and therefore a very important book. If accepted, I would lose much of the control I have enjoyed as a self-published author. I would no longer be in charge of pricing, nor would I be able to make changes to my content and cover on a whim. I would not be able to make my book available to readers through other retailers.

On the upside, however, Amazon all but guarantees me thousands of new readers if they offer me a contract. Since they would be giving all of my fans who nominated it a free copy, all of the sales they would generate over the next five years of the contract will essentially be NEW readers—readers who will hopefully enjoy my writing style, and then turn to the Chop, Chop series for more.

Since I was unsure whether or not to pursue a contract with Kindle Publishing, I prayed. I asked God to close doors if He did not want this to be the path that I went down. And then I gave it everything I had. I had the book professionally edited by my awesome editor, Barbie Halaby, I had her edit the promotional material required for the campaign, and I asked you all for your nominations and support.

 

If I’m not offered a contract, it won’t be because I didn’t try. It won't be because The One I Trust isn't an excellent book. It won’t be because my friends and fans let me down. It won’t be because my first series doesn’t have an astounding track record, proving my value as an author.

 

Quite simply, if I’m not offered a contract, it will be because Amazon is looking for something else at this time, and it will be because God has something else in mind for me.

Many people have asked where they can get a copy ofThe One I Trust. If Kindle Publishing accepts my book, I suspect it will be available by early spring. If they don’t accept my book, I’m going to share it with you as soon as possible—hopefully by the first of the year.

Win-win, either way . . . right?? No matter what, I am blessed to be a writer, blessed to be able to share my work with you, and blessed to have your support. I truly do thank each of you from the bottom of my heart.