# Milestone: A Million (Now 2 million) + Books Sold and Counting



## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

Dut du-duuuuuuh! The impossible has happened. These are crazy times, people! Crazy! I passed the million books sold mark this month. The only reason I noticed was because a KBer asked for my sales numbers for May. I did a double take when I tallied them up. I was all bleary eyed after being at a funeral and assumed my brain broke. I don't talk too much about numbers or money, but we were so strapped when I started self pubbing. I had tons of medical bills and have been sick for so long that I didn't think I'd get better. OMG. Anyway, I paid my medical bills and was able to buy a house. We're moving out of the 'hood! Hooray!

I just wanted to share. Everything happened so fast that I still feel blindsided, but in a good way.

My first month of publishing March 2011, I sold 20+ books
My second month 200+
In Jan 2013 I passed 100,000 books sold total

Total number of published works: 37 (about 1/2 novellas, 1/2 novels)
Main marketing tool: Facebook

When I started I thought I could sell 8,000 books total. That number seemed unattainable then, and I remember passing it. I can't even picture a million books. Would that fill up my living room? My house? I have no idea.

Anyway, I want to thank KBers for being so awesome, offering encouragement and insight. I tell ppl interested in publishing about this board and the ppl here. It's a treasure trove of information and awesomeness! If you guys have questions, I'm happy to share. Feel free to ask.  And I'll be at RWA next month, so if you're going lemme know! I would love to meet you guys!

UPDATE: Passed 2 million in August 2013.  http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,154866.msg2339022.html#msg2339022


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## brendajcarlton (Sep 29, 2012)

Amazing.  Congratulations.


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

Amazing numbers, and it sounds like it all happened right when it was so desperately needed. Enjoy that new house and not having to look at medical bills stamped 'overdue' arriving in your mailbox. Congratulations! Your experience brings tears to my eyes.


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## Joe_Nobody (Oct 23, 2012)

Miss Ward, I'm so proud of ya, I could almost bust.

You've earned it. I hope you enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Salute.


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

Congratulations, Holly!


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

At this rate, you'll be at 5M by the end of the year. The mind, she boggles.


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## RBC (Feb 24, 2013)

That's so great! Best of luck with next milestones! Hit 2.5 mil next year!


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## Joshua Dalzelle (Jun 12, 2013)

Incredible... Congratulations! That's quite a milestone.


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## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

That is so great! Congrats. And thank you for staying at the KBs to offer your advice and insight. Very cool.


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## willow1 (Mar 29, 2013)

Congrats! I wish you continued success. Amazing!


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## Bilinda Ní Siodacaín (Jun 16, 2011)

Wow, Holly, that's amazing! I'm so thrilled for you!


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## JTCochrane (Feb 6, 2012)

Awesome!  Congrats!  Go out and Celebrate!


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## D.L. Shutter (Jul 9, 2011)

> In Jan 2013 I passed 100,000 books sold total


Wait! You've sold 900k books since January?!

And the crowd roars:

HOL-LY...HOL-LY...HOL-LY!


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## Alex Owens (Mar 24, 2011)

Hot d*mn!   You go on with your bad-self! So happy for you!

And looking back on the situation you were in when you started, it should make the success that much more sweet!


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## LG Castillo (Jun 28, 2012)

Holly, you are truly an inspiration. You totally deserve the success and more! You're an excellent writer and very business savvy. I know your career will continue to soar to great heights. (hugs)


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## 31842 (Jan 11, 2011)

I can't even comprehend this!!! WOW!!! Absolutely amazing! What an INCREDIBLE year! CONGRATS!!!


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## 41352 (Apr 4, 2011)

deleted


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## Wansit (Sep 27, 2012)

This is amazing. Congrats


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

That's a lot of books. Well done.


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## sarracannon (Apr 19, 2011)

Congrats girl! Very well-deserved. Your books are like crack. The good kind. Er... well, you know what I mean . Can't wait to meet you at RWA!


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## Just Browsing (Sep 26, 2012)

I love that you didn't even notice till you counted up for some other reason. That must have been such a sweet surprise! Congrats. And you KNOW you earned it.


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## Hugh Howey (Feb 11, 2012)

*applause*

You are amazing. An inspiration to so many. That's an incredible milestone.


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## cblewgolf (Jan 3, 2011)

That's downright jaw-dropping.  Congrats!  I wasn't going to bring my laptop on vacation, now I am!
CHEERS!


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## N. Gemini Sasson (Jul 5, 2010)

>>>My first month of publishing March 2011, I sold 20+ books
My second month 200+
In Jan 2013 I passed 100,000 books sold total
<<<

Mind-blowing. You rock, girl! Thanks for hanging out here to share your experiences and provide us with inspiration.


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## 56139 (Jan 21, 2012)

WOW!  That is just WOW!  Live it up, Girl.  Don't forget to live it up!


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## Lanie Jordan (Feb 23, 2011)

Congrats! I'd call that 'awesome' but it seems like such a small word for something so big.


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## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)

Congratulations!!!  That is fantastic.  I'm so happy for you, especially since you've had to overcome sickness, etc.  It always makes me happy to hear about good things happening to people who need them.  Even more so when they've earnt it like you have!    

We need party smilies!


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## summerdaniels71 (Jul 23, 2011)

WOW!!

CONGRATULATIONS!! PARTY AT HOLLY'S NEW HOUSE!!


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## Margo Karasek (Feb 29, 2012)

Holly, congrats  Your publishing experience is one of the ones that keeps me glued to the computer working on my WIP. Thanks!


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

DDark said:


> Congrats, and what an amazing milestone! I feel your pain on the medical, and not everyone knows what's going on in each others personal lives that sales like that make all the difference. It's been fun to watch your success! I hope my writing career is a fraction as successful as yours. I'd be happy to pay bills and keep doing what I love, but it would be nice to move out of an apartment and not have to drive a 16 year old car with a busted A/C LOL I'm keeping the dream alive
> 
> Is the million mark across all retailers or Amazon? I keep thinking that when you hit 1 mil on Amazon, you get a lifetime supply of candy bars. That's my fantasy, and I'm stickin' to it.


Across all platforms, but the bulk is Amazon. And I'd planned on asking for bottled water. What's wrong with me?


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## jlmarten (May 9, 2012)

Today's the first day of summer and you are obviously blazing hot! Mega congrats!

Your story almost inspires me to drop the two WIPs I have going and get to work on the idea I have for a NA paranormal romance.

...maybe not.


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## notreallyhere (Oct 8, 2011)

That's fantastic, Holly! *virtual high five* Thank you for continuing to share your experiences here. They definitely inspire!


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## Amanda Brice (Feb 16, 2011)

WOW! Major congrats, Holly!!!!!!


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Congrats on such a huge milestone  .

It's 'strange' how things work out. My best sales month coincided with me having to buy a balustrade and handrail for part of our garden as my husband had developed Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease and was in danger of falling down an eight-foot bank onto bricks. The royalties just covered the cost. I've never made nearly as much money in any one month since.


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## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

h.m. ward said:


> Across all platforms, but the bulk is Amazon. And I'd planned on asking for bottled water. What's wrong with me?


Do you use a spreadsheet to keep track? Inquiring minds and all.


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

Alan Petersen said:


> Do you use a spreadsheet to keep track? Inquiring minds and all.


I used hubby. Since he's a trophy husband now, he has fun adding things up.


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## SBJones (Jun 13, 2011)

Congratulations.  I can't wait to hear about when you hit ten million!


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## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

h.m. ward said:


> I used hubby. Since he's a trophy husband now, he has fun adding things up.


I'll have to stick to my spreadsheet then!


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## Rick Gualtieri (Oct 31, 2011)

Holy macaroni!  I'm floored.  Mega congrats!


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## Zenferno (May 29, 2013)

h.m. ward said:


> When I started I thought I could sell 8,000 books total. That number seemed unattainable then, and I remember passing it. I can't even picture a million books. Would that fill up my living room? My house? I have no idea.


Congrats Holly, that's all kinds of awesome. I tried to work out how much space that would fill up in a house but experienced a Maths fail lol.

I will eat some chocolate to celebrate your milestone.


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## dianasg (Jan 8, 2010)

*cheers & applause*

Holly, that's amazing! And wonderful! Congratulations! Speaking both as a fan and as a fellow writer, you deserve it.    thank you so much for sharing your experiences and numbers. I struggle with the medical thing, too. You're an inspiration!


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## Daizie (Mar 27, 2013)

Wow, that is amazing! Congrats!


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## Theresaragan (Jul 1, 2011)

Wonderful news. Congratulations!


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## John Daulton (Feb 28, 2012)

Amazingly cool. Congrats.


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## Mr. RAD (Jan 4, 2011)

We hear about KBers making sales in the threads almost every day, but hearing about one of our own selling 1,000,000 books and _still_ hanging out on this board is super awesome.

Congratulations, Holly!


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## Hugh Howey (Feb 11, 2012)

Mr. RAD said:


> We hear about KBers making sales in the threads almost every day, but hearing about one of our own selling 1,000,000 books and _still_ hanging out on this board is super awesome.
> 
> Congratulations, Holly!


I know, right? The day I sell my millionth, I'm mooning this joint and heading off to hang with the cool kids.


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## blakebooks (Mar 10, 2012)

How awesome is that?

I assume you're planting the subliminal hint to buy Russell Blake's books in all your new works? If not, let's talk.


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## @Suzanna (Mar 14, 2011)

I remember the post you made in January where you stated you'd sold 100K copies of your books and was impressed then, but [email protected]! An additional 900K since that time? Major congratulations!


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## Chris Northern (Jan 20, 2011)

That is truly wonderful. Congrats and much happiness.


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

Amazeballs!!  That's all I can say about that.


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

Stunning and amazing and fabulous! Huge congratulations on that huge milestone.


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## Sally C (Mar 31, 2011)

Holly, that's totally inspirational and fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing!!!!


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## AnneMarie Novark (Aug 15, 2010)

Way to go, Holly!!!

*blows tootie horns*

*throws confetti*

Mega- Congratulations!!!


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## Dee Ernst (Jan 10, 2011)

Oh my goodness. Did you buy something totally frivolous yet?


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## Kitty French (Dec 3, 2012)

WOW! Congrats Holly, that is an amazing number of books in such a short time!


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

Dee Ernst said:


> Oh my goodness. Did you buy something totally frivolous yet?


Not really, unless a house not in the hood counts. The day we got back from the funeral, the house around the block from me was robbed at gun point. Things like that have happened to everyone on my street. Right after it happened to us, I went out searching for a big scary dog with mad ninja skills.

Here's Crackers. Beware. She'll lick you to death.










The pretty red bow makes her really bad *ss, right? lol.

Oh! I thought of something. Hub's got me a painting that I've wanted forever. Like he remembered what it was, and tracked it down 10 years later. He's awesome.  I need to get him that trophy husband t shirt. Oooh lalala.


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

Congrats on your success, Holly.


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## Marti talbott (Apr 19, 2011)

Spectacular, I am happy for you.


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## badaniels (May 8, 2013)

Congratulations. Posts like these keep me writing.


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## Faye Hunter (Jun 5, 2013)

Wow, wow, wowsers! Congrats! My husband dreams of being a trophy husband.


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## 13893 (Apr 29, 2010)

I needed to see this today! It's a wonderful success story.


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## Lynn McNamee (Jan 8, 2009)

That's incredible!  

What an awesome milestone! Congratulations!  

And to think that when I edit, I spend my time removing exclamation points.   This deserves lots of them!


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

Holly - to those of us just starting out, stories like yours drive us on. Only a small fraction of us may achieve the sort of success that you have, but you're living proof that it's possible. A million+ congratulations!


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## R.V. Doon (Apr 1, 2013)

Amazing!


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

That's freaking AWESOME, Holly. Super congrats to you.


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## bellabentley (Mar 25, 2013)

I am soooo happy for you! My heart is filled with such warmth and happiness for you  and to think 900k were from this year... You totally will be selling 1 mil more by New Years! TOTALLY get that trophy husband t shirt! So cute <3. Thank you for posting and sharing what's possible!


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Wow. Congratulations. That is truly mind-boggling in a great way. Your output is amazing, combined with writing that appeals to your fan base (and how nice and gracious you are), and viola, you have your winning formula.


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## jnfr (Mar 26, 2011)

Love this so much. Huge congratulations, and yes, here's to the next million!


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## Mark Philipson (Mar 9, 2013)

That's great. I'm really happy for you.


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## D.L. Shutter (Jul 9, 2011)

> Since he's a trophy husband now, he has fun adding things up.


I would like to think he's having a blast! Besides "Christmas Kisses" everything in the H.M Ward library is $2.99 with a healthy percentage at $3.99 and $4.99. I know there was a big .99c promo for Broken to move up to #1, which I'm guessing is a good chunk of these numbers, but there's also print editions from $5 to $14.

Let's go with a conservative average.

$3.99 x 900k = 3,591,000 x .70 = $2,513,700 pre-tax. Since January.

Umm...duh.

Best of luck with the print only deal, the movie rights negotiation, the dozens of foreign print deals and the CBS interview. There's a mountain of E/ROM out there but clearly you've found a voice that's resonating so strongly with so many readers. I think you've very much earned your new success.

Cheers.


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Hugh Howey said:


> I know, right? The day I sell my millionth, I'm mooning this joint and heading off to hang with the cool kids.


Ouch!


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## 25803 (Oct 24, 2010)

Holly,

How amazing, awesome, spectacular, incredible, extraordinary, excellent, fantastic, ginormous, stupendous, rocking, marvelous, terrific -- the words fail me.

Congratulations!!!!!!


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

You are my daily dose of inspiration, Holly!  It must help with the healing to know you can afford your medical bills! Good for you and your family.  You should be very proud.  You worked really really hard to get here.


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## A. S. Warwick (Jan 14, 2011)

Wow. congratulations.

Next stop 2 million.


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## Alexandra C (Jun 4, 2013)

Congratulations! Wow- can't believe how many books you wrote in such a short time. Wishing you continued success. Thank you so much for sharing freely with us some great tips as well.


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## Bruce Blake (Feb 15, 2011)

So inspiring. Congrats, Holly!


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

Thanks all! The final bit of my preorder stuff is done. Im so excited! I can't wait to see what happens. *happy dance!*


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## LovelynBettison (Aug 12, 2012)

That's amazing! Congratulations!


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

Holy cow, I just saw this. Wow! And huge congrats.


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## M.S. Verish (Feb 26, 2010)

1,000,000? That's a spectacular feat. Congrats!


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## Sarah M (Apr 6, 2013)

Congratulations! That is so cool and really inspiring.


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## L.C. Candar (Sep 25, 2012)

Dear Miss Ward, I wonder if you would like to adopt me? And if not, could I rub myself against you a little so that some of your million-selling-dust(TM) would rub onto me and enchant me enough to sell at least 500.000 books? 

Anyway, THAT'S a great milestone. Congratulations.


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## Desmond X. Torres (Mar 16, 2013)

Candar said:


> Dear Miss Ward, I wonder if you would like to adopt me? And if not, could I rub myself against you a little so that some of your million-selling-dust(TM) would rub onto me and enchant me enough to sell at least 500.000 books?
> 
> Anyway, THAT'S a great milestone. Congratulations.


It's not the pixie dust... think about it...
Holly....
Howie...
Hocking....

I'm seeing a trend here, and I'm getting a pen name... Holiburton Howking. Just call me Holly. It's not the dust, it's not the shoes... it's the H. 
Or else I'm changing my dog's name from Ruby to Cookie as 'Cracker' is already taken....


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

Desmond X. Torres said:


> It's not the pixie dust... think about it...
> Holly....
> Howie...
> Hocking....
> ...


lol! And I thought being named after a bunch of holiday thistle was nothing but trouble.


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## dianasg (Jan 8, 2010)

Desmond X. Torres said:


> It's not the pixie dust... think about it...
> Holly....
> Howie...
> Hocking....
> ...


Genius!


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## WG McCabe (Oct 13, 2012)

I think ZOINKS should just about sum it up.


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## bellaandre (Dec 10, 2010)

Holly!!!! That's awesome. CONGRATS!!
 Bella


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## Anna K (Jul 2, 2011)

I'm so happy for you! Your story is so inspiring.


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## L.C. Candar (Sep 25, 2012)

Desmond X. Torres said:


> It's not the pixie dust... think about it...
> Holly....
> Howie...
> Hocking....
> ...


Oh, I see! Okay, call me Helga Hendersson from now on. But I still insist on the rubbing, just in case it were the dust. Actually, since Hugh is here as well, I might try to rub against him when I'm done with Holly and try to mix the formula that makes you sell a milion novelettes. It would surely be a hit.

Oh and why dont we rename kboards to Hboards to extend the h spell over everyone?


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## Joseph Turkot (Nov 9, 2012)

Super inspirational. I just passed 1,000 and your success makes me want to work harder!


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## 60865 (Jun 11, 2012)

wow wow wow ... 
You should soon start getting translation offers from world wide editors. Go for it, become an international superstar!
Congratulations.


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## NoCat (Aug 5, 2010)

W00t! It's only June, too. Here's to an even better second half of the year!


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

You're an inspiration, Holly


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## gonedark (May 30, 2013)

Content removed due to TOS Change of 2018. I do not agree to the terms.


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## BlankPage (Sep 23, 2012)

_Comment removed due to VS TOS 24/9/2018_


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

Thank you!!!!


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

What a fantastic achievement. Congratulations.


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## ejtrent (Dec 27, 2012)

What an amazing success story. You deserve it all, and are so kind to help the rest of us. You've done an excellent job of writing and promoting. You make it fun. Congratulations in a big way!!!!


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## shanerowling (Jan 17, 2013)

Congratulations on your milestone.  Your story is very inspirational.  It looks like you worked very hard on your books and didn't take any shortcuts.  Your rewards are well deserved!


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## KerryT2012 (Dec 18, 2012)

h.m. ward said:


> Dut du-duuuuuuh! The impossible has happened. These are crazy times, people! Crazy! I passed the million books sold mark this month. The only reason I noticed was because a KBer asked for my sales numbers for May. I did a double take when I tallied them up. I was all bleary eyed after being at a funeral and assumed my brain broke. I don't talk too much about numbers or money, but we were so strapped when I started self pubbing. I had tons of medical bills and have been sick for so long that I didn't think I'd get better. OMG. Anyway, I paid my medical bills and was able to buy a house. We're moving out of the 'hood! Hooray!
> 
> I just wanted to share. Everything happened so fast that I still feel blindsided, but in a good way.
> 
> ...


You were ill and you managed to do so well - that is absolutely amazing - happy for you on all counts your health, career and financial change....


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## ChrisWard (Mar 10, 2012)

Awesome! Already great to see a namesake doing so well!


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## Ben Mathew (Jan 27, 2013)

Congratulations!


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## MercyFaulk (May 13, 2013)

Uh-MAZING!     Congrats, Holly!


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## Maya Cross (May 28, 2012)

Mind = blown. Huge congrats. What a monumental achievement!

Indie authors represent! =)


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## KerryT2012 (Dec 18, 2012)

h.m. ward said:


> My first month of publishing March 2011, I sold 20+ books
> My second month 200+
> In Jan 2013 I passed 100,000 books sold total
> 
> ...


So, what changed by the way? One extreme to the next ? from 200 to 10k?


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

Sarwah2012 said:


> So, what changed by the way? One extreme to the next ? from 200 to 10k?


Let's see, I started with this book in March 2011. It's YA PNR. DK was launched at $3.99 for the ebook and $12.99 for the paperback. The cover it has now was added after the 4th book was released, so Jan 2012. I decided they needed cohesive covers and since there were enough books in the series to warrant the expense, I did a photoshoot. The cover model had been working for me at the photography boutique (I owned it for about 6 yrs).



In Aug of 2011, I put DK on sale for 99 cents and sold about 3K copies that month. I hated to do it, but I wanted to see what would happen. What happened was this - lots of ppl grabbed the 1st book, it shot up the charts to the 200's, and since there were no more books for those readers to devour, they fell away.

Book 2 of that series was released in Aug, 3 in Oct and 4 in Jan. By Jan I'd sold about 10K copies (its on my blog somewhere if you want to dig through it). On average, at each book release, I generated another $1K per month. So by the time I got to four books, I was making $4K per month.

Something I noticed over the course of the year was that there are dead times for YA, so I decided to try something different. The first different thing I wrote is my bastard book STONE PRISON (macabre short story) which never found it's audience. I went back to YA and wrote the final DK novel and 2 novellas. That puts me through March 2012. By that time I was dreading the summer slump and heard that romance sells better during the summer than YA, so I took a stab at it.

My first romance novel was SCANDALOUS, printed under a pen name, and it did nothing. Like totally belly flop. My die hards bought it, but it was total suckage. I kept writing, alternating YA PNR and Mature YA Contemporary Romance (which was later dubbed NA), and started publishing SECRETS series (5 serials, avg length is about 30K words ea). I put up two of those two weeks apart...and those bombed.

BOMBED = Didn't pay for the cost of the cover and the editing. All my other titles were at least covering costs at launch within the 1st month or two. SCANDALOUS and SECRETS did not.

I put out a third SECRETS volume, wrote more YA PNR. I was sure this (BANE) was going to be my break out book, but it sold the same as the others.


Went back finished SECRETS 4 & 5, started DAMAGED and shelved it in Nov, tried writing some erotica that didn't sell very well (it shocked the hell out of my normal readers), and that puts us through the end of 2012. By that time I had just over 20 titles and sold about 75K copies.

What I learned - volume matters. It's possible to sustain a sales spike if you can publish another book before the spike dwindles. Sales spikes seem to last about 2 months for me. So my goal was to sustain readers b/t novels, so I started the ARRANGEMENT series. My editor told me not to do it--that it was too risky--but I felt like there was a hole in the market so I did it. Plus it gave my die hards more to read, faster. That series was intended to be NA Romance, but I think it's more NA erotic romance. Ooops.

In Jan, SCANDALOUS was put on sale for 99 cents for a promo and spiked. It hit the NYT and USA today lists and then all those ppl flowed into my other books. End of Jan, sold 100K books since I started in 2011.

SCANDALOUS 2 came out in time for Val Day. I continued to release the ARRANGEMENT serials around novel releases. There's a YA serial that's been going too--TRYSTAN SCOTT. I decide to try something new with DAMAGED and pull it out of the dust and release it. That release day was totally botched. There were no ads running and I didn't get to pimp it at all since I was in surgery. The book spiked to #6 on it's own. I ran an ad a few weeks later which bumped it to #1.

So the sales climbed so slowly at first that I stopped watching them. It was frustrating. One, two, three...d*mn, it took forever. So I intentionally didn't watch. Then one day I realized that I passed 10K sales, then 25K, then 75K. Once I hit 100K everything snowballed and in a matter of months, and it jumped to a million.

So the romance books are really what made the difference. And I'm so glad I didn't give up after 3 of those first books flopped.  SECRETS is now one of my bestselling series.

*sorry, i know my tense is shifting like crazy. baby's crying and i was trying to answer you before i grabbed him*


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## LG Castillo (Jun 28, 2012)

h.m. ward said:


> So my goal was to sustain readers b/t novels, so I started the ARRANGEMENT series. My editor told me not to do it--that it was too risky--but I felt like there was a hole in the market so I did it.


Thanks for sharing your author history, Holly. Clearly, your determination and marketing savvy were big factors in your success.

So, what was the hole in the market that you saw? You've definitely filled it.


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## Lefty (Apr 7, 2011)

I missed this earlier. Great job!


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

Linda Castillo said:


> Thanks for sharing your author history, Holly. Clearly, your determination and marketing savvy were big factors in your success.
> 
> So, what was the hole in the market that you saw? You've definitely filled it.


All the books I was reading were over 500+ pages. The 20-30K word books pretty much disappeared or were damn hard to find. I personally like them and was going nuts looking for them. I figured other ppl were too, so I started writing them last year.

Harlequin has a new line they're launching this fall to fill a market hole - same thing - 20K word stories. Sylvia Day is supposed to launch the line. So I guess I wasn't the only one who noticed. 

Writing those shorter works has also increased my total word output. I can easily write 3 of those in a month - 60K words - but to try and get a novel done is a month is rough. I've done it - SCANDALOUS was written in a week, edited in 2, and then released--but it was much more grueling. Must be a mental thing. I'm mental, so that makes sense. lol.


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## LG Castillo (Jun 28, 2012)

h.m. ward said:


> All the books I was reading were over 500+ pages. The 20-30K word books pretty much disappeared or were d*mn hard to find. I personally like them and was going nuts looking for them. I figured other ppl were too, so I started writing them last year.
> 
> Harlequin has a new line they're launching this fall to fill a market hole - same thing - 20K word stories. Sylvia Day is supposed to launch the line. So I guess I wasn't the only one who noticed.
> 
> Writing those shorter works has also increased my total word output. I can easily write 3 of those in a month - 60K words - but to try and get a novel done is a month is rough. I've done it - SCANDALOUS was written in a week, edited in 2, and then released--but it was much more grueling. Must be a mental thing. I'm mental, so that makes sense. lol.


Thanks, Holly! This totally makes sense. As a reader, I like 20k word stories for a quick read. I don't always have time to read an entire novel and sometimes I just want to read something over lunch.

Writing 20k word books/series is something I plan to experiment with soon.


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

Linda Castillo said:


> Thanks, Holly! This totally makes sense. As a reader, I like 20k word stories for a quick read. I don't always have time to read an entire novel and sometimes I just want to read something over lunch.
> 
> Writing 20k word books/series is something I plan to experiment with soon.


Yup! Exactly!


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## KerryT2012 (Dec 18, 2012)

h.m. ward said:


> Let's see, I started with this book in March 2011. It's YA PNR. DK was launched at $3.99 for the ebook and $12.99 for the paperback. The cover it has now was added after the 4th book was released, so Jan 2012. I decided they needed cohesive covers and since there were enough books in the series to warrant the expense, I did a photoshoot. The cover model had been working for me at the photography boutique (I owned it for about 6 yrs).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you for sharing, I was not expecting a response like this at all, so appreciate it.
I read that you held Persistence and Perseverance - key to success. Also, you believed in yourself and what you were trying to achieve. Maybe that was your motivation, or your desire as you said was to sell 8k books - you went beyond that and kept moving on.. - Congratulations and well done!


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## ejtrent (Dec 27, 2012)

You are very generous to share the details of your progress. Clearly, you worked for your success. It's enlightening to see how some books that took off later weren't instantly successful. Over time, everything sells more. You did a great job of finding the hole and filling it. And writing great stories


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## ejtrent (Dec 27, 2012)

Holly,
One question occurred to me. The 20K books that Harlequin has in mind: Are they "serials", or is each book a different story completely? I know some readers like the serials and others nag about wanting the whole book at once. But there are just short romance novels, each has a whole different set of characters in it.


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## Kay Bratt (Dec 28, 2011)

Congrats, Holly. I saw you on kboards when things weren't heating up for you yet but mentally marked you as someone to watch. I could see by your insightful  comments, covers, and marketing tips that you had it going on. Glad to see I was right.

Celebrate! You deserve it.


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## 16205 (Jun 8, 2010)

Awesome, congratulations, Holly!


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## LilianaHart (Jun 20, 2011)

Woohoo! That's awesome, Holly! I should be hitting my million next week.


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## N. Gemini Sasson (Jul 5, 2010)

What amazes me is not just your perseverance and work ethic, but your willingness to be flexible and try something new. I think a lot of times we pigeonhole ourselves and stick with something even when it isn't going anywhere. You took risks and ultimately they paid off.

It's also interesting that the books you thought were going to do well, sometimes floundered. And the ones you were tentative about sometimes took off. Damaged was great. Damaged 2 is waiting patiently on my iPad.

And congrats to Lilliana, too!


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## 13893 (Apr 29, 2010)

Holly, thank you so much for your generosity in sharing your journey. It's not cool to admit it, but I get so discouraged sometimes. Your story helps - a lot.


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

LilianaHart said:


> Woohoo! That's awesome, Holly! I should be hitting my million next week.


Wahoo! We need to fist bump at RWA. Yes, I'm staking you.


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

ejtrent said:


> Holly,
> One question occurred to me. The 20K books that Harlequin has in mind: Are they "serials", or is each book a different story completely? I know some readers like the serials and others nag about wanting the whole book at once. But there are just short romance novels, each has a whole different set of characters in it.


I dont remember if H explicitly stated what they were doing with the serials. I remember that Sylvia Day got a 7 figure advance to be the flagship author to launch the line and there appears to be multiple books in the series - 3 are up for preorder. It looks like a trilogy, but they changed her last trilogy so who knows. H's is called _Cosmo Red Hot Reads_. There are handful of series like mine that are out right now. _Just One Night_ is being done by S&S and follow the same serial concept. H is planning on pricing at $3.99, S&S has their's priced at $1.99. Mine are $2.99.

My ARRANGEMENT series has sold about 400K (conservative est) books since Jan. About 40-50 people screamed at me (a couple sent hate mail) for making them serials, and the rest are begging for more. People will complain, but it's the minority by far.

I think it's more helpful to look at the positive responses to your books when deciding what to do/ how to shape your series. Those are the people that like your work and the one's you're trying to keep engaged. The haters hate you no matter what, so trying to appease them doesn't work very well.

Hope that helps.


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## 60865 (Jun 11, 2012)

h.m. ward said:


> My ARRANGEMENT series has sold about 400K (conservative est) books since Jan. About 40-50 people screamed at me (a couple sent hate mail) for making them serials, and the rest are begging for more. People will complain, but it's the minority by far.


Consider the hate mails as passionate support: they love the serie so much they hate when they run short of things to read.
Thanks for sharing.


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## B.A. Spangler (Jan 25, 2012)

Well deserved — Congrats!!


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## Michael_J_Sullivan (Aug 3, 2011)

So very awesome.  Congratulations doesn't seem adequate, but I offer  it nonetheless.


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## dianasg (Jan 8, 2010)

Holly, thank you so much for taking the time to share all the deets and everything! I admire your perseverance more than I can say. You are awesome!


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## Shane Murray (Aug 1, 2012)

Wow! Congrats!


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## LilianaHart (Jun 20, 2011)

h.m. ward said:


> Wahoo! We need to fist bump at RWA. Yes, I'm staking you.


Oh, awesome! I didn't know you were going to RWA. We'll definitely fist bump. And have a toast or two as well


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## ejtrent (Dec 27, 2012)

Yes, very helpful, Holly. I'm with you on keeping the readers happy and ignoring the negative ones. I get the impression that readers are busy and just want some quick, fun reads. So, I think serials are good. Plus, it's like a TV show. You get hooked on the characters and want to keep seeing it. I appreciate you taking the time to reply


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## Steve Vernon (Feb 18, 2011)

Big congrats to you indeed!


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## TiffanyTurner (Jun 8, 2009)

Offering my congratulations! It's great to have a KBer sharing their success. Just shows what can be done in 6 months. May the wind change blow towards all of us. It seems to be writing good books will get you noticed. Keep trooping along the path. I'll be happy to follow. To the next million! *Raises champagne glass*


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## bellabentley (Mar 25, 2013)

I really enjoyed reading the breakdown of your past two years on page 5! Very encouraging! Thanks for sharing and congrats again! <3


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## Mark Philipson (Mar 9, 2013)

Wow is all I can say.


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## TRGoodman (Jul 9, 2012)

Those are mind-blowing numbers. Congrats and a half with a cherry on top.


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

Thanks all! It's been a wild ride.

Here's the scoop on paper so far - no one is interested. I'm working on something right now. Will follow up with more as things play out. 



LilianaHart said:


> Oh, awesome! I didn't know you were going to RWA. We'll definitely fist bump. And have a toast or two as well


I LOVE toast! lol. I think I'm too dorky to be a romance writer.


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## AriaS (May 6, 2013)

That's amazing, and I'm happy that you were able to pay health bills, those are the worst. I mean, when someone spends money in good stuff, like a house, a vacation, etc, that's what feels good.
I haven't read your books yet, but they do seem very good, so I think your success is merited  Keep going, and nicely done!


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## ejtrent (Dec 27, 2012)

Here's the scoop on paper so far - no one is interested. I'm working on something right now. Will follow up with more as things play out.  

What does "paper" mean, Holly? I didn't understand what you were referring to.


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

ejtrent said:


> Here's the scoop on paper so far - no one is interested. I'm working on something right now. Will follow up with more as things play out.
> 
> What does "paper" mean, Holly? I didn't understand what you were referring to.


Distribution of paperbacks to B&M stores/ aka print only deal.


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## ejtrent (Dec 27, 2012)

Ah, I see - thought it might be something like that. You'd think they'd grab it while they can. Oh, well. I bet something good will work out for you


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## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Congrats on your success!

Just curious, because I see so many people posting their # of books sold, but where do you find this information? Is there a yearly spreadsheet you can DL on Amazon that shows this? or do you just check your account every day for sales and tally them on your own spreadsheet?


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

RM Prioleau said:


> Congrats on your success!
> 
> Just curious, because I see so many people posting their # of books sold, but where do you find this information? Is there a yearly spreadsheet you can DL on Amazon that shows this? or do you just check your account every day for sales and tally them on your own spreadsheet?


My husband has a spread sheet that breaks things down by title, date, series, price, and a few other things. He set it up in excel. We go over things once a quarter which is why I was kinda shocked. It appears I passed a million a while ago and didnt notice. 

On to 2 million!

(that sounds totally crazy)

((like cray cray kinda crazy))

(((







)))


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## JHarte (Jul 10, 2012)

Wow! Congratulations. You're an inspiration!!


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## KerryT2012 (Dec 18, 2012)

h.m. ward said:


> Wahoo! We need to fist bump at RWA. Yes, I'm staking you.


I see a lot about this and think, why join another group. What are your benefits? Not the long list that they send out of why you should join the group, but what do you think you gain from being part of it?


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## thesmallprint (May 25, 2012)

Congratulations Holly. I wish you continued success. Had you lived in Roman times, you'd need to have written M a thousand times, I'm told the Romans believed there was no number beyond 999,999*. You would've shown 'em!

* The unromantic say you simply place a bar above the M

Good luck
Joe


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## S. Shine (Jan 14, 2013)

What an incredible, awesome, ass-kicking achievement! WOW! A million books - now there's a milestone for ya! A big congrats!  

And thank for sharing, it's inspiring to read about the success of others! 

Here's to 10 million then! Sometime by the end of the year, say, around Christmas time!


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## KevinH (Jun 29, 2013)

Thanks for sharing your story; it is both impressive and inspiring.  Please let us know when 2 million is in your rearview mirror!


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## KerryT2012 (Dec 18, 2012)

KevinH said:


> Thanks for sharing your story; it is both impressive and inspiring. Please let us know when 2 million is in your rearview mirror!


Probably this Summer alone


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## yuzzy (Sep 20, 2013)

H.M. Ward said:


> The book spiked to #6 on it's own. I ran an ad a few weeks later which bumped it to #1.


First of all I like to cong. you on your should I say 2 million copies. You inspired me. 

I have a question you you don't mind answering. 

What type of ad. ( promotion ) do you do? 

Thanks you.


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## NoahPorter (Sep 15, 2013)

One of the most inspirational posts I've seen on here! Congrats!


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

Update: I thought I mentioned it, but maybe I didn't. In Aug I passed 2 million books sold. Who called it? Because I remember reading that in here and thinking there was no way in hell that I'd sell over 2 mill book in 1 year. That's crazy talk. It looks like I have a shot at hitting 3 million if things keep rolling along, which is fanfreakintastic. 

On a personal note, when I hit 1 million I'd been so sick for years, and they finally fixed me so I was all better. Like miracle recovery. 

Then, when I hit 2 million, the mystery illness returned. I can't even pick up the baby.  It's suckage with a big S. I've had so many scans that I glow in the dark. And btw, open MRIs suck just as much as MRIs. There's something that goes against human nature to let them strap you down and shove you into a tube, head first. No wonder why there are claw marks on the machine. Psh.

Here's to hoping it's gone for good before Christmas...


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## 41352 (Apr 4, 2011)

removed


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## 71089 (Jul 12, 2013)

I've just got a quick question. I was wondering how you got so many fans and a buildup on Facebook? I mean, since the initial post said that you used Facebook mostly


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

Stunning, inspiring news. Mind-boggling, really.

I'm sure your excitement must be tempered somewhat by the health issues. I really hope this time you get a _permanent _turnaround. Fingers crossed!


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

Ridonkulous.


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

ClarissaWild said:


> I've just got a quick question. I was wondering how you got so many fans and a buildup on Facebook? I mean, since the initial post said that you used Facebook mostly


I still you FB, mostly. People are always boggled by the number of fans over there, and I seriously think it's from talking to them. I answer people. My feelings are if they took the time to write me, I should take the time to write them back. Works fine with one email a month, but now there are tons and I still try to answer everyone. It's time consuming, but those are the people who took a chance on a nobody like me, so I try to keep up with it. In the beginning, when it was quiet, we just talked. I think the page was built 6 months prior to my 1st book coming out. It was YA PNR, so topics of conversation were usually the kinds of things that those readers like. If you go back and look at those (on the Demon Kissed page) you'll notice the tone is a lil different than on my reg fb page b/c the demographic was younger. We had super villain smack downs and asked silly questions.

Just have fun. Show off your personality. Treat people like their friends and they will be. I sound like a cornball, but its true. Social media should be fun. If it's not, you're doing it wrong.


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## 71089 (Jul 12, 2013)

H.M. Ward said:


> I still you FB, mostly. People are always boggled by the number of fans over there, and I seriously think it's from talking to them. I answer people. My feelings are if they took the time to write me, I should take the time to write them back. Works fine with one email a month, but now there are tons and I still try to answer everyone. It's time consuming, but those are the people who took a chance on a nobody like me, so I try to keep up with it. In the beginning, when it was quiet, we just talked. I think the page was built 6 months prior to my 1st book coming out. It was YA PNR, so topics of conversation were usually the kinds of things that those readers like. If you go back and look at those (on the Demon Kissed page) you'll notice the tone is a lil different than on my reg fb page b/c the demographic was younger. We had super villain smack downs and asked silly questions.
> 
> Just have fun. Show off your personality. Treat people like their friends and they will be. I sound like a cornball, but its true. Social media should be fun. If it's not, you're doing it wrong.


Thanks for answering! It really helps in terms of deciding what to do with my own fanpage  haha, I get what you mean. I've been thinking about doing something fun with nonsensical erotic stuff ... Like posting a picture a week with some random quote, or how you could use items in a funny way.
I've been responding to them too, I think I've got one fan at least  She responds to almost all of my posts, which makes me smile! There's really nothing better than having a fan ask for your next release!


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

ClarissaWild said:


> Thanks for answering! It really helps in terms of deciding what to do with my own fanpage  haha, I get what you mean. I've been thinking about doing something fun with nonsensical erotic stuff ... Like posting a picture a week with some random quote, or how you could use items in a funny way.
> I've been responding to them too, I think I've got one fan at least  She responds to almost all of my posts, which makes me smile! There's really nothing better than having a fan ask for your next release!


Yup! That's how you do it. One fan at a time. I still talk to all those people who found me early on. They feel like friends. It's cool when that happens.


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## Joseph Turkot (Nov 9, 2012)

Mind blowing. You make us driven.


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## Irisdeorre (Jul 26, 2011)

Wow, this is amazing! Congratulations and thank you for sharing your story with us. It inspires me to work even harder.


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## 56139 (Jan 21, 2012)

Holly - I hope it goes away soon and you can spend your days cuddling up that baby.    Congrats!  Major, huge, milestone!


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## Michael Buckley (Jun 24, 2013)

Congrats on the 2 mil, I hope you start feeling better.


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## KerryT2012 (Dec 18, 2012)

H.M. Ward said:


> Update: I thought I mentioned it, but maybe I didn't. In Aug I passed 2 million books sold. Who called it? Because I remember reading that in here and thinking there was no way in hell that I'd sell over 2 mill book in 1 year. That's crazy talk. It looks like I have a shot at hitting 3 million if things keep rolling along, which is fanfreakintastic.
> 
> On a personal note, when I hit 1 million I'd been so sick for years, and they finally fixed me so I was all better. Like miracle recovery.
> 
> ...


Definitely, I hope it goes before Xmas. Not sure what is the worse feeling ill or them telling you they don't know what is wrong with you knowing you are not right. Hope you get well soon and can hold your little one and feel real again


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## Mel Comley (Oct 13, 2010)

WOW! That's a hell of a lot of sales, even in the last two months!


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## Mel Comley (Oct 13, 2010)

WOW! That's a hell of a lot of sales, even in the last two months!


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

H.M. Ward said:


> Let's see, I started with this book in March 2011. It's YA PNR. DK was launched at $3.99 for the ebook and $12.99 for the paperback. The cover it has now was added after the 4th book was released, so Jan 2012. I decided they needed cohesive covers and since there were enough books in the series to warrant the expense, I did a photoshoot. The cover model had been working for me at the photography boutique (I owned it for about 6 yrs).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you for sharing your journey. I hope others who missed this bit (I think it was on page 5) see how much you went through, and never gave up on your books, upping your output, talking to your fans, not giving up as the first three romances flopped, basicially just working writing as a business even when you were feeling like cr*p, had a baby, bills, not much money coming in, etc.

Congratulations! 3 is now just around the corner. I pray you feel better soon, so you can really enjoy your journey.


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

Wow, those numbers are mind blowing! Congrats again, Holly. I really hope your health problems improve soon so you can enjoy your success even more.


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