Publishing’s “Kindle-rella” story had a happy ending, as one indie author went from indie “bestseller” in the Kindle store to scoring a book deal with Simon & Schuster’s new Gallery Books imprint.
In January, we reported how indie publisher Bell Bridge Books offered a free copy of “Murder Takes The Cake” as a temporary promotion in the Kindle Store. The free book by Gayle Trent (pictured) jumped to third place on the Kindle “bestseller” list and she attracted the attention of Robert Gottlieb from Trident Media Group. Currently selling for $8.00, her book is now ranked #590 in the Kindle Store.
Trent’s editor from Bell Bridge Books, Deborah Smith, emailed us with a quick follow-up report, calling Trent a “Kindle-rella” story: “Gottlieb has sold the next book in Trent’s mystery series, Killer Sweet Tooth to Lauren McKenna … The publisher is also picking up subrights from us on one of Gayle’s previous titles in the series.” Smith also noted that the company will try again with the temporary free Kindle edition promotion in March. (Deal info via Publishers Marketplace)