#63 - How to Become a Bestselling Hybrid Author with Melody Anne

Episode 63 features NYT bestselling author Melody Anne, who began publishing in 2011 and has published forty (!) books and sold over 7 million copies since then. What strategies helped her get to where she is today, and what's working best for her now? How has becoming a bestselling hybrid author changed her life? Tune in and get inspired by Melody Anne's incredible journey, which she shares with US Manager Christine Munroe. At the end of the episode, Christine shares some reminders for planning your new releases as we head into fall. Melody Anne never grew up dreaming of being an author, because she couldn't have imagined the tools that exist today and empower authors to self-publish She's self-published 40 books in 5 years Her first conference was RWA in Anaheim, when self-publishing was spoken about more negatively. She stayed quiet but met Ruth Cardello, who became her mentor and inspired her to make her first book free Melody was horrified by this strategy – it took her a year to write the first book. But her sales exploded, with 40,000 downloads in the first day, followed by a huge spike in her paid books Another important moment was when a NYT bestselling author sitting next to her at a signing told her that she had done a great job and had a successful signing – that validation meant a lot to her Market changes from 2012 to now, from her perspective: more volume, more books priced at free, more niche genres. Marketing strategies have completely shifted to adapt to these developments Another huge moment was when she hit #3 on the NYT Bestseller list. She still finds it hard to believe that so many people want to buy her books when there are so many others to choose from nowadays "My day to day life is horrifyingly boring." Half the time she's in her pajamas at her computer for 12 hours a day, and forgets to brush her hair Her release schedule these days: self-publishing, and publishing with Montlake and Pocket. She has a release every month for the remainder of 2016 How she gets it all done: she currently has 6 people working with her, 3 of whom are full-time She works hard to engage with fans on Facebook, Goodreads, over email, but from her perspective the best way to connect with fans is face-to-face at conferences and readings. But when authors are out meeting fans, they need to remember that first impressions are crucially important. You can't take back a bad first impression The importance of writers getting out into the real world, away from their computers at home. "When you sit at home too long, you kind of forget… When I'm out, I watch how people talk and interact, and all of those things go in my books."   RELATED LINKS http://www.melodyanne.com/ @melodyanneauthor Facebook @authmelodyanne  twitter @melodyanneromance  Instagram   NYT and USA Today bestselling author Melody Anne wrote for years, then published in 2011, finding her true calling, and a love of writing nonstop. Holding a Bachelor's Degree in business, she loves to write about strong, powerful, businessmen and the corporate world. When Melody isn't writing, she cultivates strong bonds with her family and enjoys time spent with them as well as her friends, and beloved pets. A country girl at heart, she loves the small town and strong community she lives in and is involved in many community projects. To date, Melody has over 7 million book sales and has earned a spot on multiple best seller lists, including being an Amazon top 100 bestselling author for 3 years in a row, as well as a Kobo and iBooks best seller. But beyond that, she just loves getting to do what makes her happiest – live in a fantasy world, 95% of the time.