The
unending accounts of sexual assault on college campuses compelled me to write Survivors’
Dawn.
My
goal in writing the novel was NOT to focus on the act itself, but instead, to
write of the victim’s journey, to tell a story about the strength, courage, and
determination of survivors, to describe the difficulties they face in their
pursuit of justice, and finally, to offer hope for a future where students can
pursue their dreams without fear of being attacked.
As
Lady Gaga’s “Til It Happens to You” implies, non-victims can never truly know
how it feels to be assaulted, but we can try to empathize, and we can try to
help. Awareness is key to reducing the incidence of sexual assault on campus.
Please do your part by taking the It's On Us pledge and contributing to
organizations that are fighting on the front lines.
Thank
you to readers who give me encouragement. It means so much to me. Word of mouth
is an incredible thing, so thank you also for telling your friends about Survivors'
Dawn.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
About the Book:
A
heroic story of three college women’s fight for justice
At
first glance, Brooke Flanagan, Lauren Le, and Nikki
Towers have little in common:
a churchgoing virgin, a party girl, and a resident advisor. But they all
have their own dreams, dreams that can be shattered in a single night.
When
freshman Brooke Flanagan first arrives at the university, she’s
excited to escape her sheltered life in a Southern town. Lauren Le, a
scholarship student, likes to have a good time, but she never disappoints her
hardworking, single mom. Nikki Towers
always goes her own way. Confident, poised, and wealthy, Nikki’s biggest
problem is what to do with her future.
Into
these girls’ lives walks Colin Jordan. Colin is the son of a private equity
titan, captain of his club basketball team, and a brilliant pre-law student. He
is also a sexual predator.
Survivors’
Dawn relates a journey of heroes: the strength, courage,
and determination of the victims as they fight to survive; the obstacles they
face in their pursuit of justice; and finally, with its conclusion, hope for a
future where students can pursue their dreams without fear of being attacked.
A
contemporary novel, Survivor’s Dawn wrestles with issues of
privilege, sexual assault, and the responsibility of academic institutions to
protect their students.
ORDER YOUR COPY:
Amazon
After your book was released,
what was the first thing you did when getting ready for your book launch?
The first thing I did was to build
a detailed marketing plan with tasks ranked by priority (High, Medium, Low). I
now have forty-seven tasks in my marketing plan. Two-thirds of the high
priority tasks have been done, and I have yet to spend my first promotional
dollar.
Here are a few of the tasks in my
plan: write marketing copy, load Amazon marketing copy using the Kindlepreneur
free tool, create Facebook page for Survivors’ Dawn, and find five
contests that accept eBook submissions.
After that, what was your next
step?
I focused on updating my online
presence: my website, twitter handle, and Facebook page. I wanted all of those
marketing instruments to portray the right image for Survivors’ Dawn before
I began spending marketing dollars.
Did you do anything different
to spice up your website in lieu of your upcoming book release?
Absolutely. I updated my website
to have a special page for Survivors’ Dawn and to include the marketing
copy and quotes from early reviews. Also, I inserted links to buy the book on
Amazon.
Did you ever consider using a
PR agency to help you promote your book or did you prefer the DIY route?
I’m holding off on hiring a PR
agency until I verify that Survivors’ Dawn has word-of-mouth power. In
the past, I hired a public relations expert, and they did a good job, but the
downstream lift was limited. I concluded that no book could be successful
without the multiplying effect of word-of-mouth.
If readers enjoy your book but
don’t mention it to their friends, the chances of you earning back the PR fee
in royalties are mighty slim. On the other hand, if readers can’t wait to tell
their friends about your book, you have a winner!
Were finding reviews a top
priority for you and, if yes, how did you approach that?
I used to send free copies of my
books to all my friends and ask them to post reviews, but eventually, that
practice grew stale. Now I only send the book to a few friends who I know will
enjoy the story and not mind posting a review.
With Survivors’ Dawn, I
have hired Pump Up Your Book to arrange a blog tour, and I hope to receive some
thoughtful reviews from that process. I used to believe I needed fifty reviews
to successfully promote my book, but now I believe that selling books has more
to do with the quality than the quantity of reviews.
What are your views on social
media for marketing your book?
Play to your audience of readers.
Fiction readers would rather follow a fun Facebook site than subscribe to a
writer’s blog. But if you are a nonfiction writer with a following in a certain
field (e.g. sports trivia), then posting new content to your blog every week
will attract potential readers.
Did you write a press release
and do you think it worked for you?
Not yet. Timing is important when
it comes to writing a press release. A press release that announces a new
release from Ashley Warren will not attract the same attention as a novel by
Stephen King or James Patterson. But if a wealthy reader donates a million
dollars to Its On Us after reading Survivors’ Dawn, I will write a press
release. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’ve got my fingers crossed.
Did you have other books you
offered for free in order to help sell your present book?
No. I think offering the first
book in a series for free is a great way to find new readers, but Survivors’
Dawn is not a series, so I haven’t used that approach.
Did you set up book signings
and, if so, how did that work for you?
Survivors’
Dawn is not available in print. My budget
demanded that I choose between hiring a great editor and spending money on
print design. I chose editing, but if I sell enough eBooks, I’ll pump the
royalties back into the print publishing process.
What was the best money you
ever spent on your book launch?
Hiring Pump Up Your Book to
arrange my blog tour. I could never have reached all the bloggers PUYB did on
my behalf. They saved me hundreds of hours on submissions.
Any tips for those authors
wanting to set up a successful book launch?
In addition to a blog tour, I
suggest that writers budget a couple hundred dollars for fiction contests. When
your novel is named as a finalist or winner of a contest, it gives you instant
credibility, and it attracts new readers. Before submitting, check out the Self Publishing
Advice Center’s Awards and Contest Ratings to steer clear of swindlers.
Contests costs money, and there is
no guarantee that you will win, but I still think it’s well worth the effort.
Thank you for having me. Book
bloggers make the world a better place
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