CASE STUDY - BELLA ANDRE
By early 2010, Bella Andre had already spent seven years in the world of traditional publishing, releasing romances with heavyweight houses like Simon & Schuster, Random House and Hachette. She’d built an impressive catalogue, but then came the turning point; her next-book option wasn’t renewed.
“After publishing eight romances with Simon & Schuster and Random House, in early 2010 the option for my next book was not picked up. I was really bummed…”
But while this was a blow, it was also an opportunity. Bella had long felt creatively stifled through her publishers. Cover designs were out of her control, marketing felt impersonal and she believed the overall reader experience could be stronger.
“Despite being published with major publishers, I was constantly displeased with things like the cover design and the overall lack of reader experience.” (Wikipedia)
So she regained the rights to one of her backlist titles, reformatted it herself, designed a new cover and uploaded it to the still-nascent Amazon Kindle platform. Despite the prestige of traditional publishing, and with self-publishing far from the mainstream at the time, this leap would change Bella’s approach to book sales…for the better!
Marketing her first self-published book
Launching her own book after relying on traditional publishers for years was daunting but also exciting, because Bella was now able to take control. For her first launch, she focussed on:
Marketing to her contacts - she wrote personal emails to every single reader on her contact list…everyone who had contacted her during her previous five years of writing! This amounted to hundreds of personal emails.
Publishing across multiple platforms – she strategically released on Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook platform, reaching as many readers as possible.
Re-designing the cover - switching from a stock photo that sold poorly to a distinctive illustration.
“My sales literally took off overnight”
Fine-tuning her metadata – the keywords, blurbs, categories and descriptions that help readers and search engines find your book online, which played a pivotal role in discoverability and visibility on retailer sites.
The power of community
One of Bella’s greatest strengths is her ability to connect with readers on a personal level. From her early self-publishing days, she understood that behind every book sale is a real person and nurturing that relationship can turn a casual reader into a lifelong fan.
She doesn’t just post and disappear; she makes the effort to reply, thank and engage.
“I spend a lot of time answering emails from readers and chatting with them on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.”
This two-way conversation not only builds trust but also gives her valuable insight into what her audience loves. However, Andre is careful not to let social interaction overtake her primary role as a writer. Her creative output comes first, and she maintains a disciplined approach to her workday, emphasising that her priority is writing and she only goes to her social platforms once she’s met her word count for the day.
Her model keeps her fanbase engaged while ensuring she consistently produces new books.
Advertising and Giveaways
Bella treats her writing career like a business, and that means marketing is not optional. She doesn’t shy away from investing in visibility and sees advertising as a standard part of the publishing process.
She uses a mix of platforms to reach readers in different ways; Facebook ads to tap into targeted demographics, BookBub promotions to reach avid eBook buyers and even Pinterest and Instagram for visual storytelling and brand reinforcement for new readers.
“The reality of the business that we run as self-publishers is that we’re a business, and so businesses advertise, and I am really pragmatic about it … so I do advertise in all the places that one advertises, Facebook, BookBub, Amazon Marketing Services, Google, Pinterest, Instagram.”
Part of her toolkit also includes limited-time price promotions, which she believes are one of the most effective ways to attract new readers and climb retailer rankings.
“I think limited-time price promotions (mine are often 24 hours) are a fabulous way to help gain visibility for my books. There are so many new eBook readers downloading books every day that I’m always thinking about great ways to get my books in front of them. Thanks, BookBub, for helping with that!”
By combining steady community engagement with smart, data-driven advertising and promotional tactics, Bella ensures she engages her current readers while casting the net out for new readers!
Going global
Expanding beyond eBooks, Bella tapped into audio books and eventually foreign translations. She made a seven-figure profit from German-language translations alone, showing how translations can become major revenue streams.
When she struck a deal with publisher Harlequin MIRA, she retained her digital and translation rights while granting them print-only rights. This was a seven-figure print contract that gave her traditional distribution without sacrificing her independence.
Keep on Writing
Bella’s success isn’t just about marketing, it’s about consistent output. She has a comprehensive writing schedule and targets to ensure she meets her goal of releasing 3-4 books a year. She found that sales accelerated once she had multiple books in a series. Her Sullivan series hit the bestseller list only after the fifth book was published.
“I practice what I preach about how the next book is always the most important marketing you can do. I find that my regular release schedule means that there are always books to talk about, always fun contests and giveaways for my Sullifans, always new covers to reveal, excerpts to post etc.”
Though Bella does warn of burn-out and staying true to what you can achieve without impacting your health. She also recognises that she can’t do it all herself:
“I work with upwards of 20 contractors around the world in various capacities, depending on what I’m doing in my business and what I need the help with.”
Persistence
As always, it was her perseverance that paid off. Bella Andre’s journey from indie author to bestselling powerhouse didn’t hinge on luck, it was fuelled by reader-first marketing, platform experimentation and strategic expansion.
She self-published in March 2010 and took three years to make the bestseller list through smart, persistent strategy.
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