# Book Blast Service - Specializing in New Releases



## Guest (Mar 17, 2016)

I run genreCRAVE which has taken over providing services for what was once called "Hungry Author Services". The service is dedicated mostly to New Releases, though we also Book Blast services for older titles. We've had some amazing successes recently, with quite a few authors making top 1000 and ever top 100 on Kindle. However, it's worth noting that we cannot control the results. We put our best effort into every title we promote. Titles with exceptional covers and editing tend to perform best.

I become personally invested in seeing my clients succeed. I work tirelessly on their release day contact readers one-on-one to recommend the books to the readers I personally know who I believe will like that book and be interested in buying. I also promote the book to my dedicated new release group and via my social media accounts. I have dedicated fans in every genre who take well to the books I recommend, however, at this time my service does not include non-fiction or children's books.

Here are posts from a couple authors who have used my service:
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,230741.0.html
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,232351.msg3236045.html

Perhaps others who have worked with me may want to speak up.

As some may have noticed, the old booking method is closed. We are currently only taking bookings through
http://www.genrecrave.com/book-blast/

If aiming to make a national bestseller list, I suggest reaching out to me on Facebook regarding that. I prefer to talk to those clients ahead of time so they can understand everything involved and determine if they want to make that commitment and if our program would be a good fit for them with that. This is a separate program from our Book Blast but includes both a Book Blast and a Spotlight.

*For those in my FREE Author Marketing Group on Facebook, you can continue to get $99 off the Book Blast price using the special coupon posted in the group. This coupon is good for old members as well as new members and can be used more than once.*

https://www.facebook.com/groups/976086735798716/

*We no longer use a website because we have a strong client base on FB and the website was only a lead in for our services. * Currently, we still maintain all of the sites that are reader-based. This is all part of an ongoing effort to streamline our services for better results and faster management.


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## C L Walker (Mar 19, 2014)

I have just used HungryAuthor for the release of my first Urban Fantasy.

Rebecca was great: attentive, courteous, and patient (I say stupid things).

Most importantly, she was successful (check out the book in the signature).

As I said during our first email exchange, *she rocks*.


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## Guest (Mar 17, 2016)

C L Walker said:


> I have just used HungryAuthor for the release of my first Urban Fantasy.
> 
> Rebecca was great: attentive, courteous, and patient (I say stupid things).
> 
> ...


I'm still working on it  Will be putting in the hours until 4am. But I'm glad you are happy with the results so far, and I hope it will continue to rise for you! I always say, when the authors provide a great product, it makes my job easier. I can't predict what readers will do, but I CAN set the book up for success on the marketing end of things. The rest of the credit goes to you and your well-packaged book and great story <3


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## jazzywaltz (Jan 3, 2016)

Rebecca's New Release Service has personally been amazing for me. I released Burned by Magic on December 24th, which apparently is a notoriously BAD day for release, and yet her book blast helped shoot me up the rankings to somewhere around the #400s as well as #1 in several categories and hot new release lists just 24 hours after the book went live. No her service wasn't the only factor but at least 40-50 sales came directly from her and that was a huge help in getting a boost early on. <3


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## GwynnEWhite (May 23, 2012)

I have been planning to this for a while now. So, no time like the present. I sent through a request form. Looking forward to hearing from you.


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## Yamila Abraham (Jan 5, 2016)

I'm probably confused...but I thought I was on a waiting list for this service ??


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## Guest (Mar 17, 2016)

Yamila Abraham said:


> I'm probably confused...but I thought I was on a waiting list for this service ??


You are probably on the waiting list for the review only service.


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## Jarmitagetheauthor (Sep 30, 2015)

I've filled in your contact form a couple of times but never heard back. I ended up paying for a couple of your giveaways instead but it really was the new release package I was after.


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## aimeeeasterling (Sep 22, 2014)

My new release blast is going out Saturday on Half Wolf and I'm looking forward to seeing what all the fuss is about. Thanks in advance, Rebecca!


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## FFJ (Feb 8, 2016)

TheForeverGirlSeries said:


> I run HungryAuthor.com, which is a company that is dedicated mostly to New Releases, though we also offer a reviewer-to-author matching service when we have the room. (Most of the time our reviewers are booked with our new releases as we limit the number of offers we send each week in order to make sure each book can get the highest number of reviews possible. If we overbook our reviewers, they will have too many books to ever review them all.)
> 
> Anyway, I don't think I ever made a post about this service, but better late than never, I suppose. Mostly because I get a lot of business via word of mouth (thank you to my amazing clients for spreading the word) but since I have recently raised my price, I thought it would be nice to give everyone a last chance to get it at the old price.
> 
> ...


Thanks so much for alerting us to your services.


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## Guest (Mar 17, 2016)

We recently became aware that not all of our contacts were coming through.  please accept our apologies for that. It is one of the reasons I set up a new email last night. If anyone has trouble reaching us through the contact form, they can try emailing is directly on [email protected] That should help put them in direct contact. Thank you!


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## CM Raymond (Jun 28, 2015)

Great timing Rebecca!

I just mentioned our plan (hope) to use your services in my way too long launch thread here: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,232701.msg3241351.html#msg3241351


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## jackconnerbooks (Nov 18, 2014)

I'm looking forward to my blast in May.


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## CM Raymond (Jun 28, 2015)

How much lead time do you need for a release?


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## Jim Johnson (Jan 4, 2011)

I'm on the review waiting list too. Curious to see more of the program.


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## Guest (Mar 17, 2016)

CM Raymond said:


> How much lead time do you need for a release?


I say two weeks minimum, if you are okay with reviews coming in after your blast. For those who want reviews posted on release day, I say the sooner they can book the better. 3-4 months gives us time to reach your name on the offer list to reviewers, distribute, and then allow them a full 8 weeks to read before we nudge them with a reminder to post their review if they plan to do so. Thank you for your interest and I hope your new release goes amazing whichever way you go with it!


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## CM Raymond (Jun 28, 2015)

TheForeverGirlSeries said:


> I say two weeks minimum, if you are okay with reviews coming in after your blast. For those who want reviews posted on release day, I say the sooner they can book the better. 3-4 months gives us time to reach your name on the offer list to reviewers, distribute, and then allow them a full 8 weeks to read before we nudge them with a reminder to post their review if they plan to do so. Thank you for your interest and I hope your new release goes amazing whichever way you go with it!


Thanks! I think we can get it in two weeks in advance. If the service is as good as people say, I imagine it is worth every penny!


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## VLH (Jun 18, 2015)

I'm a bit slow sometimes, please forgive.   Do we send you the book before it releases on Amazon, B&N, etc...?


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## starkllr (Mar 21, 2013)

I just submitted the contact form.  I hope you can fit me in!


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## J.A. Cipriano (May 27, 2014)

I used Rebecca's service for both Marked and Cursed and can pretty much guarantee it got me 50+ sales both times on the books the first day they were out. YMMV, but if that sounds like a good deal to you, then do it. If not, well, don't


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## AltMe (May 18, 2015)

TheForeverGirlSeries said:


> I say two weeks minimum, if you are okay with reviews coming in after your blast. For those who want reviews posted on release day, I say the sooner they can book the better. 3-4 months gives us time to reach your name on the offer list to reviewers, distribute, and then allow them a full 8 weeks to read before we nudge them with a reminder to post their review if they plan to do so. Thank you for your interest and I hope your new release goes amazing whichever way you go with it!


I cant really do that.

I can tell you my next release will be anytime from 3 weeks to 3 months away, although hopefully closer to 3 weeks. But I wont know for sure when it will release until the day it does.

Makes it impossible to book.


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## Guest (Mar 17, 2016)

TimothyEllis said:


> I cant really do that.
> 
> I can tell you my next release will be anytime from 3 weeks to 3 months away, although hopefully closer to 3 weeks. But I wont know for sure when it will release until the day it does.
> 
> Makes it impossible to book.


I must have been unclear about how the process works. For that, I apologize. Booking in advance allows us to have the reviews ready on release day. However, many people book us and have us run the blast whenever they are ready and the reviews filter in afterward. I actually don't need to know the blast date until the night before, as my current clients can confirm. So they book my services, send me copies for review when ready, once I have those (can really be at any time) I distribute them. Either before or after the books are distributed, they email me and tell me they want me to run the blast and I do. I need to know some information about the book at least 2 weeks prior (title, genre) which is why I need to have the author book my services *at least* 2 weeks prior.


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## Bbates024 (Nov 3, 2014)

While I haven't used the service yet, I have done the Free kindle Giveaway and have also secured a much-coveted review slot. I can say for me it's always a no brainer to work with someone like Rebbeca. She really does care and always answers your questions, and or concerns right away. It's not often you find a partner in this business that drives results but is also extremely attentive to your needs.

Thanks for being awesome!


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## Seshenet (May 20, 2015)

Thanks for letting us know about this service. I'm still learning what's available out there.

I am working on the 2nd novel in a trilogy. I'll probably be ready to publish sometime next year. You said the deal can be redeemed at any time. So there's no expiration? Sorry if I'm asking something obvious -- my brain right now is wiped out thanks to allergies.   Anyway, I like to save money whenever I can.

Thanks!


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## Guest (Mar 17, 2016)

Seshenet said:


> Thanks for letting us know about this service. I'm still learning what's available out there.
> 
> I am working on the 2nd novel in a trilogy. I'll probably be ready to publish sometime next year. You said the deal can be redeemed at any time. So there's no expiration? Sorry if I'm asking something obvious -- my brain right now is wiped out thanks to allergies.  Anyway, I like to save money whenever I can.
> 
> Thanks!


Yes, the pre-booked spots can be redeemed at any time. I had one previous customer today book 5 spots for books she doesn't even have release dates for. I'm very easy to work with. For example, sometimes my clients sign up for one service but then want to use a different service I offer. We transfer the credit and do what they want instead.


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## Guest (Mar 17, 2016)

Bbates024 said:


> While I haven't used the service yet, I have done the Free kindle Giveaway and have also secured a much-coveted review slot. I can say for me it's always a no brainer to work with someone like Rebbeca. She really does care and always answers your questions, and or concerns right away. It's not often you find a partner in this business that drives results but is also extremely attentive to your needs.
> 
> Thanks for being awesome!


Awe <3 Thank you! The feeling is mutual. We have done a lot of business over the years and I always know when working with you that it will be a good experience for me as well. I appreciate that &#128588;&#127995;


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## Fel Beasley (Apr 1, 2014)

Quick question. Do you require the full fee upfront at booking or a deposit? I ask because my book won't be ready for several months (it's being dev edited at the moment) but I'd rather book ahead both to save money and because I predict you're going to get swamped in the coming months as more people hear about how awesome this is.


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## amyates (Feb 17, 2014)

Thanks for making this post. Contacted you!


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## Guest (Mar 17, 2016)

Felicia Beasley said:


> Quick question. Do you require the full fee upfront at booking or a deposit? I ask because my book won't be ready for several months (it's being dev edited at the moment) but I'd rather book ahead both to save money and because I predict you're going to get swamped in the coming months as more people hear about how awesome this is.


Normally I allow a deposit (though most just pay up front). But for this deal the full amount must be paid prior to March 31st to lock in the old rate. &#128536;


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## N. D. Iverson (Feb 1, 2016)

TheForeverGirlSeries said:


> I run HungryAuthor.com, which is a company that is dedicated mostly to New Releases, though we also offer a reviewer-to-author matching service when we have the room. (Most of the time our reviewers are booked with our new releases as we limit the number of offers we send each week in order to make sure each book can get the highest number of reviews possible. If we overbook our reviewers, they will have too many books to ever review them all.)
> 
> Anyway, I don't think I ever made a post about this service, but better late than never, I suppose. Mostly because I get a lot of business via word of mouth (thank you to my amazing clients for spreading the word) but since I have recently raised my price, I thought it would be nice to give everyone a last chance to get it at the old price.
> 
> ...


Does the new release have to be the first book in the series or can it be book 2, for example?


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## GwynnEWhite (May 23, 2012)

Did you get my request sent today? I'm scared it got lost in the ether.


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## 72117 (Sep 1, 2013)

TheForeverGirlSeries said:


> You can learn more about the service here: http://hungryauthor.com/new-release-service/ or you can email hungryauthorservices (at) gmail (dot) com. Both methods of contact will result in an auto reply that has more details.


I submitted the form but did not receive an auto reply.


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## Guest (Mar 18, 2016)

N. D. Iverson said:


> Does the new release have to be the first book in the series or can it be book 2, for example?


I have done second books in series and it's worked out well, especially if the book can work as a standalone.


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## Guest (Mar 18, 2016)

I'm still having issues with the form, and working on fixing them, but I think I've handled everything that has come in now. Emailing directly seems to work better until I can sort out why I'm having this form issue. Thank you for your patience!


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## hardnutt (Nov 19, 2010)

Sent a request in for The Spanish Connection, my latest Rafferty & Llewellyn mystery.

I've got to go out now, so will pay when I get back this afternoon.
Geraldine


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## Guest (Mar 18, 2016)

hardnutt said:


> Sent a request in for The Spanish Connection, my latest Rafferty & Llewellyn mystery.
> 
> I've got to go out now, so will pay when I get back this afternoon.
> Geraldine


Thank you  I look forward to helping make your novel a success!


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## KeraEmory (Feb 8, 2016)

Curious about the review side of the new release service--are these the kind of reviews that will say "I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review"?


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## Key (Jan 6, 2014)

I used this service! Unfortunately I think my genre or my book weren't quite cutting it, or something else I didn't manage, because although the book did good on the day of the blast (up to about the 7,000 rank!) and a couple of days after, it still sank like a stone and none of the _Hungry_ reviewers enjoyed it enough to finish it & review. 

I still learned some good things and liked working with Rebecca, but I don't think I could afford it again unless I had a book I *knew* a lot of people were going to want!

(It does have three reviews, 2 from Netgalley and 1 from a buyer.)


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## Guest (Mar 19, 2016)

Key said:


> I used this service! Unfortunately I think my genre or my book weren't quite cutting it, or something else I didn't manage, because although the book did good on the day of the blast (up to about the 7,000 rank!) and a couple of days after, it still sank like a stone and none of the _Hungry_ reviewers enjoyed it enough to finish it & review.
> 
> I still learned some good things and liked working with Rebecca, but I don't think I could afford it again unless I had a book I *knew* a lot of people were going to want!
> 
> (It does have three reviews, 2 from Netgalley and 1 from a buyer.)


Hmmm. I checked my system. As I explain when people sign up, if there isn't 3-4 months notice, the reviews aren't ready on release day and will come in after. By time your book came up on the distribution list, it was delivered to reviewers on 3/9. Which mean their review reminder won't deliver until 5/9. If by 6/9 you don't have at least 5 reviews, we will re-run the review aspect of the service for free


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## Guest (Mar 19, 2016)

KeraEmory said:


> Curious about the review side of the new release service--are these the kind of reviews that will say "I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review"?


Unfortunately, we cannot control how other people review. Amazon tells them to share that, and some reviewers do and some don't. It's up to the individual reviewer to disclose where their copy came from.


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## PB2016 (Jan 14, 2016)

Looks like a very useful service...sorry to see that you are not doing nonfiction  I would have loved to sign up for either of my books.


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## A. N. Other Author (Oct 11, 2014)

I'm glad I found this. I'm taking the summer to write a 3rd book in a current series but in late autumn/early winter I plan on a slight change of sub-genre, a new thriller series with supernatural elements. Hopefully will be a good fit.


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## Jane Killick (Aug 29, 2014)

I sent you an email. I mention it here because you're on Gmail and crazy stuff happens on Gmail.

I thought I saw a sign up form on your page? Doesn't seem to be there now.


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## Taitrina (Oct 17, 2014)

Nothing like limiting somethings availability to get me off the fence.  

Actually that's not true I was going to book anyway, I was just going to wait till Monday to email. Like Jane I'm just posting here that I've sent you an email in case it gets lost in the ether. I wasn't sure what information you wanted at this stage as the signup form has disappeared.


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## aimeeeasterling (Sep 22, 2014)

Just posting a followup in case anyone was watching my book today to see how this boost helped Half Wolf. We actually moved the blast to yesterday and combined it with Riffle. Between the two, I sold 96 books (at 99 cents) and had 20 borrows. My rank rose just a hair from the previous day's Booksends-created rank of 1400 to 1154. Not bad at all!


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## CM Raymond (Jun 28, 2015)

Taitrina said:


> Nothing like limiting somethings availability to get me off the fence.


Yep.

Got me too!


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## David J Normoyle (Jun 22, 2012)

CM Raymond said:


> Yep.
> 
> Got me too!


Me three.


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## Guest (Mar 19, 2016)

I believe I have caught up on all the emails. Now I am taking a pause while I figure out who is booking and how many spots I have left. Thank you for understanding <3


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## Guest (Mar 24, 2016)

Okay so final count taken. I have 3 spots left


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## Jarmitagetheauthor (Sep 30, 2015)

I've filled in the form on your website countless times, I then emailed you and got an automated message back saying I'll receive a reply by Wednesday (Yesterday) and I still haven't heard back. I paid for two giveaway things instead but I really wanted the new release blast. I've not heard back about those either but if they have already happened I've not noticed an increase of sales or sign-ups or anything. Can I please change my giveaways to the new release blast I wanted in the first place?
Thank you


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## Steve Silkin (Sep 15, 2010)

I have just published two books. I would be very interested in taking one or two of the slots.

I wonder which book would be better suited for your readers. Could you advise?

I'm re-reading your OP now. My email is stevesilkin at gmail.


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## Guest (Mar 24, 2016)

Jarmitagetheauthor said:


> I've filled in the form on your website countless times, I then emailed you and got an automated message back saying I'll receive a reply by Wednesday (Yesterday) and I still haven't heard back. I paid for two giveaway things instead but I really wanted the new release blast. I've not heard back about those either but if they have already happened I've not noticed an increase of sales or sign-ups or anything. Can I please change my giveaways to the new release blast I wanted in the first place?
> Thank you


did you read the automated reply and reply with "I would like to proceed" as outlined in the instructions? I'm pretty sure I have replied to everyone who wants to proceed. This is after setting up a dedicated email and making sure both my email and spam were all responded to.


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## Guest (Mar 24, 2016)

Jarmitagetheauthor said:


> I've filled in the form on your website countless times, I then emailed you and got an automated message back saying I'll receive a reply by Wednesday (Yesterday) and I still haven't heard back. I paid for two giveaway things instead but I really wanted the new release blast. I've not heard back about those either but if they have already happened I've not noticed an increase of sales or sign-ups or anything. Can I please change my giveaways to the new release blast I wanted in the first place?
> Thank you


PS: I don't often transfer giveaway slots to Hungry Author Services because changing those takes an incredible amount of double work for me (where transferring a credit does not require me to unset one person up and reset up another). One is a simple transfer of what service will be set up before I do; the other is asking me to do an hour or more of work for free.


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## Jarmitagetheauthor (Sep 30, 2015)

Apologies, I only saw the bit where it said you'd respond by Wednesday.


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## Guest (Mar 24, 2016)

Jarmitagetheauthor said:


> Apologies, I only saw the bit where it said you'd respond by Wednesday.


I understand. It's a LONG email because it all the information everyone needs. I can see how some people perhaps would not read the whole thing <3 But at this time, it seems to be the best method to answering everyone's questions ahead of time and then seeing what further info they need and if they want to move forward. Thank you for your feedback, though, I will definitely keep this in mind.


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## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

TheForeverGirlSeries said:


> did you read the automated reply and reply with "I would like to proceed" as outlined in the instructions? I'm pretty sure I have replied to everyone who wants to proceed. This is after setting up a dedicated email and making sure both my email and spam were all responded to.


I got an email saying something like "I reply on Tuesdays" and then nothing.


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## Guest (Mar 25, 2016)

Patty Jansen said:


> I got an email saying something like "I reply on Tuesdays" and then nothing.


All it said was I reply on Tuesdays? Nothing else? My automated message is like 1000 words long. Part of it includes instructions on what to do if still interested after reading the overview.


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## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

TheForeverGirlSeries said:


> All it said was I reply on Tuesdays? Nothing else? My automated message is like 1000 words long. Part of it includes instructions on what to do if still interested after reading the overview.


I'd already read the overview of what what you'd do when you outlined it on the KB. I assumed I'd get a "you're in" or an invoice on Tuesday, since emailing *already* showed that I was interested. I kinda baulked at the wall of text in size 8 TNR font that tbh I found really hard to decipher and a quick scan seemed to confirm that it contained most of what I already knew.


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## Guest (Mar 25, 2016)

Patty Jansen said:


> I'd already read the overview of what what you'd do when you outlined it on the KB. I assumed I'd get a "you're in" or an invoice on Tuesday, since emailing *already* showed that I was interested. I kinda baulked at the wall of text in size 8 TNR font that tbh I found really hard to decipher and a quick scan seemed to confirm that it contained most of what I already knew.


Sorry! You would be surprised how many people read the outline and then decide the service is not for them. I'm also surprised it's coming up 8 TNR. On my end, it's not that small, though I do realize it is a huge amount of text.

When you have to repeat that information 100 times even though you think people would already know by now, you get to the point where you just need a sort of FAQ people receive when emailing (because I find when I put a FAQ on the site, people don't read it and I still have to answer that way).

I try to spend more time working for my clients and less time replying to emails (so that I'm available if a client emails me) so this ended up being the best way for me to operate at this time.


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## Jane Killick (Aug 29, 2014)

TheForeverGirlSeries said:


> I'm also surprised it's coming up 8 TNR.


Just to confirm that the reply came up in a really small font that is hard to read. I wouldn't be surprised if it was 6 rather than 8. You'll probably want to look at that. I use MS Outlook to read my mail.

Other than that, I want to underline that I am happy with the reply that I got from you and all is good


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## Guest (Aug 7, 2016)

We have updated the booking method for our blasts. Please read original posts and message me on FB if you have any questions. Thank you!


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## Don Donovan (Dec 12, 2015)

I just went to HungryAuthor.com and was surprised to learn I would have to wait 10 days to find out how much the service costs and exactly what the service provides. Why is this info not available on the website?


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## James_T (May 15, 2012)

I sent an inquiry and got the form reply that you only reply on Tuesdays.  Then I received a reply from someone other than you (on a Thursday) that I could get more information if I confirmed a purchase.

The funny part was that the reply was poorly written with spelling and grammatical errors, as if it was composed by some "personal assistant" in a third world country.

Thanks, but it was enough to make me stay far away from your services.


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2016)

James_T said:


> I sent an inquiry and got the form reply that you only reply on Tuesdays. Then I received a reply from someone other than you (on a Thursday) that I could get more information if I confirmed a purchase.
> 
> The funny part was that the reply was poorly written with spelling and grammatical errors, as if it was composed by some "personal assistant" in a third world country.
> 
> Thanks, but it was enough to make me stay far away from your services.


Hmmm. Well, my personal assistant is from Tennessee  But it's cool if you want to stay away from my marketing service because of her grammar. I understand 

That said, there's a lot of lovely people who live in non-English speaking countries. English isn't their first language, sure, but I'm always impressed when they learn our language, because I'm yet to learn theirs. I have a lot of respect for those who speak more than one language.

And to any readers who may be viewing this, not all of us authors assume that you are from a third world country just because your grammar isn't perfect. And even if you _are_ from a third world country, I think it's awesome if you have computer and internet access and are using that to communicate with, or even work with, us authors. Many of us appreciate you. Stay awesome!


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2016)

Don Donovan said:


> I just went to HungryAuthor.com and was surprised to learn I would have to wait 10 days to find out how much the service costs and exactly what the service provides. Why is this info not available on the website?


That website is not being used for the service anymore.

Bookings are now handled here:
http://www.genrecrave.com/book-blast/

But there's a $99 off coupon for those in my Marketing Group, so it's really best to just go through there. Our recent results are getting authors in or around the top 1000 to top 100.


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## Lysandra_Lorde (Mar 6, 2016)

Man I just wanted to say your covers are like eye porn, they're just breathtaking. @ForeverGirl.


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## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

I signed up ages ago for the special discount price and won't using that until sometime around early December.  (I'll let you know a couple of weeks in advance as I will be doing this book on pre-order).

I have used Rebecca several times before for the list building option under FKG.  I always gained several (over 100 every time) sign ups and only lost a few.  I am using another one of her services right now and I do recommend her.

Glitches happen.  Yet the end results matter and I see those results.


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2016)

Lysandra_Lorde said:


> Man I just wanted to say your covers are like eye porn, they're just breathtaking. @ForeverGirl.


Thank you! I will tell my designer you said that. She'll love it <3 (rebeccafrank.design - she's amazing)


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2016)

tomgermann said:


> I signed up ages ago for the special discount price and won't using that until sometime around early December. (I'll let you know a couple of weeks in advance as I will be doing this book on pre-order).
> 
> I have used Rebecca several times before for the list building option under FKG. I always gained several (over 100 every time) sign ups and only lost a few. I am using another one of her services right now and I do recommend her.
> 
> Glitches happen. Yet the end results matter and I see those results.


Thank you, Tom! I look forward to helping you when the time comes!

And yes, glitches do happen. This is actually one of the reasons we recently (just in the last few days) changed our system. We were getting more inquiries about this service than I could humanly keep up with while still providing the actual service. We hope the new streamlined method will help us provide more consistent results with less hassle. I definitely apologize if anyone that had to experience that inconvenience before the switch.

(That said, me inconveniencing someone is no need to throw around "third world country" as if that's an appropriate phrase for insulting people. That's wrong, and I wouldn't be me if I didn't say so.) - obviously that last bit wasn't directed toward you, Tom. You've been a star to work with and very pleasant to me and any readers I've sent your way!


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## Sailor Stone (Feb 23, 2015)

Hi,
So I have a question(s):
I submitted for a New Release Launch and I paid the invoice that was sent to me. But then that was it. Should I be getting a confirmation email or anything? I did this three days ago and so far I have received no communication back from the service. I also have been trying to join to Facebook group for many days but to no avail. How long does it take to receive word there as to acceptance or not into the group?
Thanks.


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## Sailor Stone (Feb 23, 2015)

I can find no way to contact this company with my questions on their website, FB, or anywhere else. They have my payment but have not sent anything in the way of a confirmation. If anyone has an email link to them that doesn't just send back an automated response I would appreciate getting it. I paid 299.00 dollars to them five days ago and have yet to get any kind of response from them. Thanks


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## Shelley K (Sep 19, 2011)

Sailor Stone said:


> I can find no way to contact this company with my questions on their website, FB, or anywhere else. They have my payment but have not sent anything in the way of a confirmation. If anyone has an email link to them that doesn't just send back an automated response I would appreciate getting it. I paid 299.00 dollars to them five days ago and have yet to get any kind of response from them. Thanks


From the old site's new release page:

For more information, please contact us by emailing hungryauthorservices [at] gmail [dot] com - You will receive an autoresponse with information on how to book and how to get $99 off your order.

*PLEASE NOTE - Due to the popularity of this service, our response times can take up to 10 days. *

So you'll probably be waiting a while yet.


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## Sailor Stone (Feb 23, 2015)

Shelley K said:


> From the old site's new release page:
> 
> For more information, please contact us by emailing hungryauthorservices [at] gmail [dot] com - You will receive an autoresponse with information on how to book and how to get $99 off your order.
> 
> ...


Thanks Shelly,
I have tried that. That's just to get them to let you apply. I can find nothing after that autoresponder email. Quite frustrating. Thanks though.


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## Secret Pen Pal (Dec 27, 2013)

Kismet. I was just checking them out. Glad I saw your post. I don't see any method of contact on on their site except FB & G+ links, no email and not even Twitter. 

You might sign up for the newsletter. If they comply with CAN spam, there will be a physical address at the bottom. At least that way if the silence continues you might have a way to request a refund. 

BTW, take a look at the book rankings of a few of the latest books on their site, other than the ones that say bestseller on the cover. Told me all I needed to know.


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## JalexM (May 14, 2015)

Secret Pen Pal said:


> Kismet. I was just checking them out. Glad I saw your post. I don't see any method of contact on on their site except FB & G+ links, no email and not even Twitter.
> 
> You might sign up for the newsletter. If they comply with CAN spam, there will be a physical address at the bottom. At least that way if the silence continues you might have a way to request a refund.
> *
> BTW, take a look at the book rankings of a few of the latest books on their site, other than the ones that say bestseller on the cover. Told me all I needed to know.*


Despite their email response time, everyone I know who used their new release service has had good sales from it.


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## Guest (Aug 10, 2016)

Sailor Stone said:


> Thanks Shelly,
> I have tried that. That's just to get them to let you apply. I can find nothing after that autoresponder email. Quite frustrating. Thanks though.


I will message you on FB. The thing is, I don't send invoices for this service, so that you are saying I invoiced you has me concerned.


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## Guest (Aug 10, 2016)

Yes, we comply with CAN-SPAM. Here's a recent newsletter we sent out:

https://madmimi.com/p/8c2488/preview

As you can see at the bottom of the newsletter:

"©2016 Book Services includes advertisements from genreCRAVE, Free Kindle Giveaway, and Rebecca Hamilton Books. | You may unsubscribe at any time or click Preferences to adjust your subscription. Our business address is 300 E. Oakland Park Blvd, #162 Oakland Park, FL 33334"

*Note: Hungry Author is the author side of things. My readers only receive emails form the reader side of things (GC, FGK, and RHB - hence why I don't have "Hungry Author" in the business disclosure at the bottom.

Some authors we have done blasts for have maintained excellent ranking. Such as Jasmine Walt, Linsey Hall, Lee Dignam's latest release, Simone Pond, and CN Crawford. Others see a peek ranking, then they fall off. Our service is a one day blast, with results coming on days 1 and 2 (spill over). Many have made top 100 to top 1000 ranking on their blast day. However, we cannot control if a book ends up becoming "sticky" on Amazon, although we do our best to help each author and trust that they have edited and packaged their book in the best way possible to maximize results.

At the end of the day, all we are really doing is getting your book in front of hungry readers. The rest is up to your book, and perhaps a little bit of luck and the Amazon gods shining some favor your way.

If you think our results suck, I suggest not booking us.


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## Guest (Aug 10, 2016)

Sailor Stone said:


> I can find no way to contact this company with my questions on their website, FB, or anywhere else. They have my payment but have not sent anything in the way of a confirmation. If anyone has an email link to them that doesn't just send back an automated response I would appreciate getting it. I paid 299.00 dollars to them five days ago and have yet to get any kind of response from them. Thanks


From reading this, it sounds like you paid via genreCRAVE, as there is currently no other way to send us money. (This is not an invoice.) If you filled out the form when making your payment, you're good to go. You should have received an automated confirmation, but if not, reply to the message I sent you on FB and we'll figure it out. Every Wednesday, I go into my account for genreCRAVE and move all bookings onto my schedule. If you paid, you will get your promotion, and there will be no uncertainly that it happened. Your sales report on Amazon will confirm  Most people contact me on FB for quick questions.

I realize some would prefer me to sit around opening and responding to emails all day, however, the change in the way I handle this service is why we've been getting much better results recently. I'm able to focus on my clients blasts and give them my all, and then I have that one night a week set aside for responding to emails. Is it for everyone? No. But there's something for everyone. I am not in this to win over every authors on the planet. I just want to help the authors who _want_ my help, and I'm very happy with my current clientele. Always happy to welcome new customers, but as I said, only if they want my help. I'm not in this to try to "convince" anyone that they need my services. Hope that helps!


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## Shelley K (Sep 19, 2011)

Wow.


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## Vidya (Feb 14, 2012)

Hi,
I've seen people in this thread talk about giveaways as opposed to new releases but I saw no mention of giveaways here:

http://www.genrecrave.com/book-blast/

do you have some separate page where we can submit a freebie for you to advertise?

If so, which would you recommend we do: submit a freebie or a 99c book or maybe even a 2.99 one? Which do you think helps to get sales going more? Thanks!

To those who say "take a look at the book rankings of a few of the latest books on their site," I wonder if that may be a question of certain genres not doing well? I don't know Forever Girl at all but kboarders have been posting about this service for some time now and it sounds like it gets good results. I'll definitely be trying it out and will post the results.

Sure, we all know Bookbub is king but there's little hope of getting a Bookbub for a new release. I'm interested in services like this one where the provider can blast a new release to several thousand people. Are there other services like this that I can try out too? For a new release, its worth trying as many venues as possible. But perhaps I should ask in a new thread about similar services.


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2016)

Shelley K said:


> Wow.


A palindrome!


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2016)

Vidya said:


> Hi,
> I've seen people in this thread talk about giveaways as opposed to new releases but I saw no mention of giveaways here:
> 
> http://www.genrecrave.com/book-blast/
> ...


Hi, Vidya 

I do run giveaways, but this is for newsletter building. I no longer promote Free Books, though. $0.99 and up are always welcome.

When they say to take a look at the books on my site, they are referring to the genreCRAVE promotions that start at $5 and go out to small newsletter segments. Those are not books being blasted - those books are not posted to genreCRAVE. Most authors are happy with their results for $5, but the new release blast is a much more intense promotion - the results are MUCH bigger than what one gets with my $5-$25 promotions. Perhaps some were not aware of that and were assuming the books on genreCRAVE were Book Blast titles.

As for genres, we do well with everything except non-fiction, childrens, and FF romance/erotica. M/F and MM romance, contemporary or erotica, do well. So does Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Dystopian. Basically, expect your results to be on par with what's trending in fiction. If you write in a trendy genre, you'll get better results than writing in more obscure genre or less popular genre (or genre that's not as popular for indies or in ebook). In other words, consider the market.

ALSO, we see a difference in results depending on cover and editing. I know some people don't want to hear that, but it's true. When a book is submitted and it has a great cover and stellar editing, my immediate thought is, 'This is going to be easy' - those are the books that seem to fly up the ranks and then get sticky.

As some can tell you, the proof of our results is in the also-boughts. Some authors have told me that they know my service helped more than anything else because their also boughts are all my customers, and they are in all my customers also boughts.

Of course, readers will ultimately do what they are gonna do. But right now, we have a great reading base and the marketing know how to give a book a noticeable boost, even when it's BRAND NEW. Which I think most people know is not easy to do. It's why many promo sites only review books with a certain number of reviews.

I hope this helps.


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## Vidya (Feb 14, 2012)

Thanks a lot. How well does YOUNG ADULT Paranormal Romance do with your blast? mine has been liked by a lot of adult readers too; its mainly adults who are my betas. so, how well does YA that can be enjoyed by adults do?


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## Moticom (Jun 29, 2016)

Looks good, when I'm not at work I'll have a look into this further (Facebook is blocked at work). 

Also, I realised that paranormal fantasy is the perfect way to describe the genre of my book Soulless Voodoo Guy! I'd been looking for the best genre to describe it and at last I think I've found it!


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## Kyra Gregory (Aug 9, 2013)

TheForeverGirlSeries said:


> Hi, Vidya
> 
> I do run giveaways, but this is for newsletter building. I no longer promote Free Books, though. $0.99 and up are always welcome.
> 
> ...


Thanks for clearing all this up  I'm sorry if I'm such a noob here; I never realised that these sites were sister sites or anything.

Are there no prices on the site? Sorry if I'm missing them.

I'm quite interested in the book blast! I've got book 3 in my Ascendant series coming out later this year and I'm hoping a good stacked promo on book 1 will give the whole series a bit of a boost. Do you reckon it would be good for that?

Thanks for offering the service!


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## Secret Pen Pal (Dec 27, 2013)

TheForeverGirlSeries said:


> Yes, we comply with CAN-SPAM. Here's a recent newsletter we sent out:
> 
> https://madmimi.com/p/8c2488/preview
> 
> ...


Anyone interested in your services can draw their own conclusions from this.

Thanks for letting us know you manage to get around to your business email once a week.

If I had any doubts that Hungry Author belongs in my Promotions to Avoid file, you've dispelled them.


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## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

Wow. SPP  Meow.

I have used the services several times.  First to gain signup to newsletter and those worked.

Just finished two different services.  Both had an impact.  Nice mid range impact.  Did I make my money back on them.  I will

have a big book blast coming out for my december new release of a series.  That will have an impact as well.

Feel nervousÉ  read threads.  the services are not all inexpensive but given sales and resultsÉ  it pays for itself.


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## CW Scott (Jan 6, 2016)

I was planning on using this service for a new release sometime in November. I'll release at .99 and bump it up to regular price after a week or so.

Does my book need to be on pre-order for you to accept it? How else would you evaluate the cover etc and verify it will be available? I would like to run the ad before the price jumps, so not sure how all the timing works. Hard to book something when I can't submit an amazon link for evaluation until after release. I don't want to do a pre-order.


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## RayBright (Nov 6, 2012)

I signed up back in March for a Rebecca special, but haven't used the service yet . . . decided to have book edited by 2nd editor. I have the PayPal receipt, and hope I can use that money to good purpose w/you. I wish I knew what I meant by that. This'll be my 1st launch, so I know nothing. 

Ray Bright


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## Guest (Aug 25, 2016)

We now provide support to authors attempting to make USA Today or New York Times bestseller lists. Just be prepared to have a marketing budget for such a run. 

This month, I've made USA today 3x (once with a solo title) and NY Times twice (once with a solo title). 

We continue to only answer emails once weekly as our opinion has not changed that we cannot take time away from marketing our clients to answer emails. All emails do get a response, but not at the expense of giving our all to marketing our existing clients. 

To those who understand this, thank you. To those who feel this is a deal breaker, we understand completely. To each their own, as they say


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## Guest (Aug 25, 2016)

CW Scott said:


> I was planning on using this service for a new release sometime in November. I'll release at .99 and bump it up to regular price after a week or so.
> 
> Does my book need to be on pre-order for you to accept it? How else would you evaluate the cover etc and verify it will be available? I would like to run the ad before the price jumps, so not sure how all the timing works. Hard to book something when I can't submit an amazon link for evaluation until after release. I don't want to do a pre-order.


You can submit author name and book title instead of ASIN. We will look it up on the blast date. If for some reason you don't get it up in time, we will help you reschedule for another date as soon as you get it up.


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## Guest (Aug 25, 2016)

RayBright said:


> I signed up back in March for a Rebecca special, but haven't used the service yet . . . decided to have book edited by 2nd editor. I have the PayPal receipt, and hope I can use that money to good purpose w/you. I wish I knew what I meant by that. This'll be my 1st launch, so I know nothing.
> 
> Ray Bright


I have "credits" logged for everyone who did that, and you will get the service you paid for whenever you are ready! Simply reach out to me when you are ready to schedule. Although our prices went up, you get the same service you paid for as part of that promotion was locking in our service at the lower price. We have you covered


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## SidK (Jul 7, 2015)

TheForeverGirlSeries said:


> We now provide support to authors attempting to make USA Today or New York Times bestseller lists. Just be prepared to have a marketing budget for such a run.


What is the marketing budget required for such an attempt?


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## suliabryon (May 18, 2009)

I just want to post and say that I have used SEVERAL of the services Rebecca offers, and the response I get from her services has always been fantastic. Not so with some other services I have tried. Is it expensive? Well, I guess YMMV, but I think it is well worth it, and I think she could charge more for her services and easily keep her client bookings full because what she offers is worth it. She knows what she's doing, and when she says she responds to emails once per week, she means it - meaning if you can be patient for that length of time, I have NEVER seen her miss a goal or a deadline when she says she is doing something. 

I'll give you one example of her service that I used: for my new release this month, I booked a triple blast. My book started around 20k in rank, and by the end of the day I was #1600. My prequel novella, though not part of the blast, rose from 70k to around 6k in rank. That spike has kept both books floating between 9k and 15k rank for the rest of the month. I've seen other authors make it into the top 1000 in rank. I didn't, quite, but I was still REALLY pleased with the results. Of course, every book and author can have a different experience, and a lot depends on your genre, cover, blurb, etc. This is my first 4 figure month since publishing my first book in March, and I owe a lot of that success to Rebecca's services. 

So, if her responding to email once a week is a dealbreaker, I guess that is your choice. And you know what? I don't mind, because that leaves more openings in her services for ME to book!    

Seriously, though, thanks Rebecca! Don't let the naysayers get you down.


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## writerightwright (Jul 18, 2016)

Hi There TheForeverGirlSeries.

I'm about to launch my first UF book. I have my cover together (very happy with it) the book is professionally edited (more than once!) and it is ready to go. All I need is a launch plan. 

After looking in to your service, I have a couple questions.

I know that part of your HA blast relies on gifting copies of the books to readers, then requiring proof they've accepted. Can you tell me how many 'sales' are made this way? Does this damage stickiness or are they spaced out over a few days?

Hear that your methods are very effective, but I just wanted to clear this up before I dive in.

Thanks!


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## Guest (Aug 26, 2016)

writerightwright said:


> Hi There TheForeverGirlSeries.
> 
> I'm about to launch my first UF book. I have my cover together (very happy with it) the book is professionally edited (more than once!) and it is ready to go. All I need is a launch plan.
> 
> ...


As with the most release parties, we do gift a few copies via a party to encourage sharing. Unfortunately due to the expense of other advertising we use and me paying my PA for helping out, we can't afford to gift many copies. Many who don't win a copy still buy, though, and friends they share with buy too. So It works out 

Most of the sales are organic, and prizes don't seem to hurt stickiness. Not all readers post screenshot of their prize or purchase, but sometimes if an author needs proof for Amazon that copies were sold, we will have even those who bought a copy send us a screen shot to help out. Many send screen shots of their purchase either way, to enter for the fan prize even if they didn't get their copy via gifting, so usually we can prove 25-50% of the sales through screen shots when needed (versus just gifting).

I do know some services who SOLELY do gifting, and they get great results, too. (Rainy Kaye). If you are more interested in having copies gifted, I recommend hiring her. I think her results are probably more consistent since it's based on gifting, rather than gifting being a small part of the program as it is with us. There are many services like mine, however, that involve some gifted copies but rely more on sales. I wish I could gift more, but that would drive my prices up, and I do need to make some profit. That said, if you don't think we would gift enough copies and you want to gift more, you could always gift copies yourself or hire another service (such as Rainy) to do the gifting for you.

To better explain, the blast is only $200 when using a coupon. From that I pay PP fees, my booking assistant 10%, my promotional assistant who gets a day rate (a different person), an the gift card prize for those who do participate in either accepting new a gift OR buying the book. But what is left of that $200 leaves me very little to work with in terms of gifting, and I do want to make a little bit of a profit on the service. So I am afraid the numbers just don't work out to gift a large number of copies. I assume Rainy is able to do this because she does it via amazon gift car so there are no Pp fees and she usually manages it herself, so she doesn't have additional people to pay. But (full disclosure) Rainy and I are very good friends, so I leave her to her business model and I stick to my own. It works. Some people hire both of us, so that they can get results both from her gifted copies and the sales I generate with my blasts.

As for how much is sales and how much is gifted, that probably depends on the response to our more prominent methods. If readers like a book we are promoting a LOT, then our gifted copies are only going to end up being like 3% of their sales. But if our readers aren't so into it, then our gifted copies might end up being 10% of their sales or more - it's really an impossible question to answer because how much of it is sales and how much is gifted depends entirely on who wants to buy if they don't win it. If trying to crack a new release with gifted copies, you would probably have to spend more than our promo costs just on gifting to have much of an impact. I simply can't recommend that as the only means for improving your ranking, BUT readers do love the chance to win books, so there's that  and the gifted copies can have a small impact on ranking, so it's not without merit. I just recommend hiring someone who specializes in that if that's what you want. I've had Rainy Kaye gift copies for me on occasion, so that's who I recommend, but like I said - if you have the time and the readers you could always just do that yourself 

Hope that helps!


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## N. D. Iverson (Feb 1, 2016)

Hi Rebecca,

Figured I'd post a question here since it looks like you're doing some Q&A right now. I will be writing an UF series soonish and have heard nothing but good things about your previously named 'Hungry Author New Release Blast' service. Everyone seems to recommend you  and I see in your OP that you have morphed that service into GenreCrave, is that correct? Or is this an entirely new service? I only have a pen name (community) Facebook page and thus cannot sign up for your FB page via that. Is there anyway to hire your new release blast services through GenreCrave or email? Thanks in advance for your reply!

N. D. Iverson


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## Guest (Aug 26, 2016)

N. D. Iverson said:


> Hi Rebecca,
> 
> Figured I'd post a question here since it looks like you're doing some Q&A right now. I will be writing an UF series soonish and have heard nothing but good things about your previously named 'Hungry Author New Release Blast' service. Everyone seems to recommend you  and I see in your OP that you have morphed that service into GenreCrave, is that correct? Or is this an entirely new service? I only have a pen name (community) Facebook page and thus cannot sign up for your FB page via that. Is there anyway to hire your new release blast services through GenreCrave or email? Thanks in advance for your reply!
> 
> N. D. Iverson


There are two services.

1) genreCRAVE book blast (formerly known as Hungry Author new release blast)
2) genreCRAVE spotlight (new)

Both can be booked via genrecrave.com - The Facebook group is just for special opportunities, coupons, and cross promotions. I also give free marketing advice there from time to time. But membership there is not needed to book a blast.


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## N. D. Iverson (Feb 1, 2016)

TheForeverGirlSeries said:


> There are two services.
> 
> 1) genreCRAVE book blast (formerly known as Hungry Author new release blast)
> 2) genreCRAVE spotlight (new)
> ...


Thanks so much for the speedy response! Looks like I'm missing out not being able to sign up for your FB group :/ perhaps I'll have to give in and start a personal FB just so I can sign up.

I have a question about the genreCRAVE book blast. What does the promotion entail? Just a newsletter blast or more services as well? And I must be blind, but on the info page I didn't see a price. May I ask what the cost is for this service? And what kind of results are typical for a new release for a (relatively) new author? Thanks again!


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## Guest (Aug 26, 2016)

N. D. Iverson said:


> Thanks so much for the speedy response! Looks like I'm missing out not being able to sign up for your FB group :/ perhaps I'll have to give in and start a personal FB just so I can sign up.
> 
> I have a question about the genreCRAVE book blast. What does the promotion entail? Just a newsletter blast or more services as well? And I must be blind, but on the info page I didn't see a price. May I ask what the cost is for this service? And what kind of results are typical for a new release for a (relatively) new author? Thanks again!


It's a great group, so if you do create a profile, I think you will enjoy it. Besides, having a profile page is much more valuable for authors IMO than having a business page.

The spotlight ($100) is a newsletter blast with option to build newsletter or share excerpt. 
The book blast ($299 or $200 if you use the FB group coupon) is more of a reader matching system. We set everything up in advance and hand select those who are interested in the genre to participate. They get a chance to win a copy in our main group, and then the private group also gets to play some games and they usually buy the book, too, since the recommendation was catered to them. We don't give out too many specifics on this as it's sort of a unique recipe for success we have.


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## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

@ N.D.  Why not create a 'fake' FB page and lock it down just so you have something to join specific FB groups with.  You do not have to use your real name and can set privacy settings incredibly high.

just a thought

Rebecca, I am going to have the next book in the series out for the Christmas rush come an invasion of aliens or other!  Not sure if I should offer a sale on all my books the day of or maybe the day after release of that new books.  Either way I will be using your service!


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## Eli Bloom (Oct 8, 2015)

I'm probably going to use the service - just a note, your submission form has a typo: "Process My Subsmission."


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## 91831 (Jul 18, 2016)

I'm a brand new author with only one book out (less than a week since release).  I just booked a blast for the end of September to coincide with my first count-down deal.  

I have zero visibility, best rank on .com so far is 33k, 7k on .co.uk, so far less than 5k KENP and about 10 sales.  I refuse to go freebie at the moment because, well what's the point.  63 FB page likes, 309 twitter followers. 0 subscribers on my newsletter. 

I'm interested to see how this goes and what it can do for those numbers.


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