In June 2010, we debuted TPC’s first novel SELLOUT at the 2010 Black Writers Reunion & Conference in Atlanta. In June 2011, we launched A HARD MAN IS GOOD TO FIND. Now, I wish I can keep on this saga by announcing another June TPC baby, but alas, I can’t (not until later this year). Still, my kids have two and one-year-old anniversaries, and I wouldn’t be a good parent if I didn’t acknowledge each with a little birthday celebration, right? So, on that note…
Happy birthday to my two kids (and TPC’s grandkids) SELLOUT and A HARD MAN IS GOOD TO FIND!
Well, it’s more like birth “month,” but in my eyes, June will always be a month to commemorate–not only for me as the debut author, but for The Pantheon Collective, the publisher. With only one book as our sole product two years ago, the three of us knew we had to work every angle to get noticed. Being an indie–A.K.A, “small guy”–we were open to anything to let the world know about us. And I mean anything:
Book reviews, interviews (radio, print, and online), YouTube, press releases, fan pages, websites, TPC contests, blogs, social media, entering book contests, book signings, conferences, book cover votes, mailing lists, book clubs (my bread and butter!), local book stores, Amazon, Smashwords, All Romance–taking in deep breath–Kindle/Amazon giftcard giveaways, advertisements, book trailers, video check-ins, free books, university panels, writer groups, family reunions, weddings, airports–like I said, any freakin’ thing.
Well, we haven’t gotten this TV thing licked yet, but it’ll happen. I’m sure of it. 
Marketing and promotion for us started looooooong before we launched SELLOUT, way back in January 2010 (like I said, we launched in June 2010). This is a very important lesson that I’m glad we learned early on because many new authors start marketing after the book is published. If you think about it, you see big-bang summer movie trailers during the Superbowl!
I must say, I’m more than proud of our collaborative efforts and accomplishments the past two years–not just for what we’ve done with my books, but for Stephanie Casher’s WHEN LOVE ISN’T ENOUGH and Qwantu Amaru’s ONE BLOOD. WHEN LOVE is our best reviewed novel to date with an average of 4.8 out of 5 stars (57 total reviews so far); and ONE BLOOD received a 2012 Star of Merit and IndieReader Discovery Award by Kirkus Reviews, declared the “world’s toughest book critics.” The TPC3 has won multiple book awards and on track for several significant milestones in sales this year (5,000 copies sold for WHEN LOVE, 10,000 copies sold each for A HARD MAN and SELLOUT and 30,000 total copies sold for all books together). Not too shabby for three folks with a dream!
We have six months left in this year, and the TPC3 has more things in store, including the next installment in Stephanie’s SOUL MATES trilogy. That’s not all, folks. You want to know what else we got going on? Well, we have … naw, you’ll just have to wait and see. 
