Going Behind the Scenes with Destiny Blaine

One of the most exciting times of my youth was when my mother told me “Hollywood is coming to our farm!” Months later, the movie The River was filmed. Some of the most picturesque clips in the movie were snapshots of Dad’s property, located across the river from the main movie set and what is now known to locals as Laurel Run.

When the filming took place, I drove my mother bonkers because Mark Rydell was the movie director and I wanted to find a way to stay on his heels. I was a huge fan of On Golden Pond and The Rose, so Mark Rydell was the man of the hour. Unfortunately, Mr. Rydell was rather busy making a movie so Rydell sightings were numerous, but mostly from a distance.

Today, I often think about those good old days. During The River filming, I found it more interesting to watch what went on behind the camera rather than in front of it. The work involved was unbelievable and so many folks were dedicated to the movie’s success.

As a writer, I crave the finished product even though I enjoy the process of writing a manuscript. However, a writer’s job isn’t over with “The End” and in many ways, it’s just begun.

After a writer turns in his or her manuscript, the real effort begins. Marketing a book, especially an e-book, is generally up to the author. The success realized is often dependent on exposure. There are some fabulous books out there that will never be read because they aren’t marketed properly. No one knows about them.

On occasion, I receive an email from a new author who wants to know how they can entice readers to buy their book. I don’t mind putting some elbow grease into promotions and a great number of my books exceed the national average because I never lose sight of my goal and expectations for a project.

According to data found at Don Poynter’s Para Publishing (http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/statistics.cfm ), the average book in America sells about 500 copies. I’m assuming this number is based on book sales alone and doesn’t take into account short novellas.

The reason sales are mentioned here is because it’s important for readers and writers alike to see that in order for a book to sell, or exceed the national average and sell well, a writer must constantly work behind the scenes to generate profits. According to Don Poynter’s Para Publishing report found at the link above, “only 25,000 books sold more than 5,000 copies and another 200,000 sold fewer than 1,000 copies”. In Don Poynter’s report and the Publisher’s Weekly article he quotes, “Of the 1.2 million titles tracked by Nielsen Bookscan, 950,000 titles sold fewer than 99 copies.”

Wow, that’s disheartening and honestly, unacceptable. Anyone who wrote one of those 950,000 books should take a step back and look at what they can do behind the scenes because there lies the problem. If a book isn’t selling, it isn’t always the writing behind the material, but instead, it’s the writer behind the published product. An author must promote aggressively because it often determines how well a book will sell.

A Matter Among Four is one of my all-time best sellers under the pseudonym of Destiny Blaine. The novel exceeded the national average and will most likely meet other goals we have for the book once it’s in print. There were a lot of factors that played an important role in the success of A Matter Among Four.

It is important to find the right vehicle for any work of fiction, particularly romance. A Matter Among Men and A Matter Among Four were published by Siren Publishing, a publisher known for quality erotic romance as well as western ménage romances. Both books were set in Lewisburg, Tennessee, an area I know well enough to actively work the old fashioned way. When A Matter Among Men released, I was in Lewisburg promoting it on release day. A Matter Among Four released several months later and I headed back to Lewisburg. Did it help sales? Since both books have exceeded the national average, it probably didn’t hurt.

Readers are a lot like movie goers. Who out there decides to see a movie based on print advertising or the movie trailers viewed? Most of us reach our decisions on the marketing we see or word of mouth, but in order to have a recommendation for any book or movie in the first place, consumers have to know about it.

Readers and movie goers seldom think about the work that goes on behind closed doors but it’s the effort behind the curtain that leads all of us to a book worth recommending or a movie worthy of a little praise. I don’t mind to roll up my sleeves and work a little. I’ll pimp my book until the cows come home to reach and exceed that national average and the effort doesn’t stop there. After all, if the story was worth writing, it deserves exposure and just like in the movies, few people understand the work involved behind the scenes. Still, it’s rewarding for everyone involved in a project when the extra effort pays off with a little recognition and a few pennies on the dollar.

Destiny Blaine is one pseudonym for an award-winning, best selling, Tennessee author of romance, non-fiction, and young adult books. All of Destiny Blaine’s non-fiction books have sold more than 5,000 copies per title and ninety-five percent of her fiction novels and novellas have either exceeded or are on track to surpass the national average. Several of Destiny's books are best sellers. Destiny lives in East Tennessee with her husband and two teenagers. You can visit Destiny’s website at

www.destinyblaine.com.