My Day on Pixel of Ink

Yesterday was my day on Pixel of Ink - and it was amazing.

I've been on Kindle Boards for most of the year now and I'd heard a lot about Pixel of Ink. A LOT. So I went to the website and saw she was closed to submissions, but that she'd reopen in April. I checked every day for a solid reopening date and once it was posted I marked it on my calendar. Then I submitted, I paid the $119 fee, and was given my date: May 10, 2011.

Three weeks seemed like forever, but it came faster than I thought. Unfortunately the universe conspired against me yesterday. My DSL went out - kaput. I desperately checked my sales as much as I could on my iPhone, but it was an inadequate substitute. Emails from friends poured in, congratulating me on my rankings. I felt like everyone was having a party and I was stuck in traffic. I even spent a decent amount of time on the phone with my dad teaching him how to take a screenshot of my rankings - this was the best comic relief of the day.

What had I expected with a POI ad? I didn't have specific goals. I just crossed my fingers and hoped for the best - and my results were far beyond my hopes.

I sold 111 ebooks yesterday (108 Kindle, 3 Nook). That's more Kindle copies than I sold the entire month of April. My Facebook fan page increased by more than 30 fans. I was invited to participate in two HUGE blog giveaways (more info on that in coming days) and asked to present a session on self-publishing at a local SCBWI meeting.

Did I make back my $119 investment? No. Not yesterday, but if I can keep the momentum going, this ad could be my big break. Of course, that's yet to be determined, but I want to have positive thoughts.

One of the most satisfying results of this ad was my Kindle ranking. I hit three bestseller lists, nestling my book between the likes of Cassandra Clare and Ally Condie - two Big Six-publishing novels. Could a self-pubbed author ask for more? Well, yeah, I'd like to be #1, but I'm willing to be patient.

Anathema also ranked in the 700s of ALL Kindle books. That's crazy-awesome.

Now I just need to keep the momentum going. I wish there was a secret formula, but there isn't. I'll continue to work hard and hope that I hit it big.