Indie Author Spotlight: Erica Ridley

This month, we proudly celebrate Erica Ridley for her outstanding achievements in the indie publishing world! Erica’s journey to becoming a cherished author has been anything but linear, yet her unwavering passion for storytelling has propelled her to remarkable heights. Her relentless dedication has resulted in a diverse and impressive catalogue spanning multiple genres.

Join us as we highlight Erica Ridley and her significant milestones. We’re excited to see the next wave of 100 books she will bring to readers in the years ahead. But for now, let’s hear Erica share her inspiring journey, in her own words…

 

Secret Dream to Successful Career

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved to read. The desire to write my own books sprang up just as naturally. At every spare moment, I filled spiral notebooks with my hand-scrawled stories until blisters formed on my fingers from writing for too long. (Remember those funky old rubber pencil grippers? I went through those like socks, lol.) Like those colorful ‘80s writing aids, Barnes & Noble has been just as important a part of my writing journey.

When I grew up and decided to try my hand at being a Real Writer, self-publishing wasn’t the viable phenomenon it is today, and my path was far from a straight line. After much learning and effort, I got a fabulous literary agent (Lauren Abramo, love her!) and my first book contract.

Ebooks weren’t yet widely adopted, but getting closer to mainstream every day. My second traditionally published book was lucky enough to have a tie-in promotion with Nook devices to automatically pop up custom bonus content I’d written whenever a reader entered a Barnes & Noble store with their Nook e-reader. So delightful!

 

From Bookstores to Browsers

While I was fulfilling traditional book contracts, several pioneering friends of mine were wading into the shiny new self-publishing frontier and having great success—like my dear friend Darcy Burke, with whom I later wrote the Wicked Dukes Club series.

As soon as I could, I decided to follow their footsteps. Although my first indie book… shall we say underperformed (*the correct term is “unmitigated flop”) the whole experience was incredibly fun, and I learned more by the day.

My next effort was a trope-y, linked romance series. To my surprise, by book two, I was finally earning a living wage. And to my complete disbelief, the seventh book hit the USA Today bestseller list, and #9 on the New York Times!

 

My BFF Barnes & Noble

I could never have succeeded so well and swiftly without the Nook team. Their innovative platform and promotional partnerships were instrumental in turning my dream into reality.

Often through thoughtful collaborations like Top Indie Favorites, and other seasonal or price-reduction promotions, whether it’s a limited-time full-series BOGO event, as I did this holiday season with my 12 Dukes of Christmas historical romances, or a permanent first-in-series free promotion, like I’ve done with Defying the Earl, first in the Heart & Soul series.

Today, I’m a hybrid author who continues to both publish traditionally as well as independently with Nook Press. I’ve signed books at Barnes & Noble bookstores around the country, and cherish any opportunity to meet up with the amazing Julie Braunschweiger and other Nook team members at writers conferences.

What’s next for Nook? I have no idea, but can’t wait to find out together!

 

About Erica

Erica Ridley is a New York Times bestselling author of witty, feel-good historical romance novels, including the critically acclaimed Wild Wynchesters series. Her debut young adult horror novel, The Protégée, releases this summer. When not reading or writing, Erica can be found eating couscous in Morocco, zip-lining through rainforests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.

 

Connect with the Author

https://www.ericaridley.com

https://www.facebook.com/ericaridley

https://www.instagram.com/ericaridley

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