THE GUESTBOOK, my debut romance novel, had been out for just over a week when I was told it was to be featured in an Amazon promotion. Until this point I had been really pleased with how the book had been doing, for a debut author to get a sales ranking of 1000 was really good and I had been holding onto that position for over a week. The reviews had been amazing and I was enjoying a great blog tour with lovely bloggers falling in love with my story too.

At midnight, just before the promotion started my book was at 980 in the sales rankings and although I was excited to see this ranking improve, I honestly didn’t see how it could go much higher.

I was staying away with work and lying in a bedroom fresh from the 80’s with heavy lacy net curtains and flowered wallpaper. Surely this was not going to be the setting of my big breakthrough?

The next morning as I hurried around getting ready to leave, I checked my rankings again, this time it was 348.  Everything just stopped as I stood, half-dressed, with one sock on, and stared at this number.  How had that happened? It was six o-clock in the morning and the promotion was going to run for the whole day.  For the first time, getting into the top 100 actually seemed like a possibility.

I was late for work now and as I shoved down my breakfast, I checked the rankings once more, this time it was 143. I gasped so loudly in the breakfast room that all the other guests looked at me in alarm.  I stared back at them with an open mouth, half chewed toast sitting on my tongue and tears literally forming in my eyes. I texted my parents to say the promo had started very well, my current ranking and that I would be round later for tea.

I started work but I could barely concentrate. What was happening? Where was my book now? How many had I sold?

A short break at 10.30 revealed I had made it to the top 100, I was now 93 in the whole of the UK. But it also revealed something else, something amazing and this actually meant so much more than my current chart position. My book blogging friends had taken the promo to Twitter and there was a frenzy erupting as people tweeted about my book and then about my rankings.( I found out a few days later that The Guestbook was actually trending on Twitter!) People were celebrating my victory and I wasn’t even there to join in. Suddenly I had nearly a hundred tweets, with loads of people congratulating, promoting or just commenting about my success.  People cared.  They wanted me to do well almost as much as I wanted to do well. I will never forget how much love and support I got that day, how excited and emotional the book blogging community were for me.

I finished work and got in the van to come home, I checked my rankings again. This time I was number 20. This was unreal. I could barely breathe. I took my phone off silent and started driving home.  My phone did not stop buzzing as the bloggers continued in their quest to get me to number one.

As I got stuck in some road works traffic, I took a quick glance at my rankings again, I had done it, I had reached number 10.  Screaming at the phone, I quickly pulled over into a layby and texted my book blogging friends, Victoria, Kirsty, Megan and Laura who had started this massive frenzy several hours before. They were all crying for me, and dancing around the house. It was so emotional, so amazing and I just wanted to hug them so much for all their support.

I drove home with my heart racing and walked into my parents’ house.

‘Well? Are you number one?’ my Dad joked.

‘No, I’m not going to get to number one am I?’

He resumed reading his book.

‘I am number 10 though.’

They both looked up, it was like something out of a cartoon.  ‘Really?’

‘Yes really.’

We screamed, cried and hugged each other.  I had been trying to get published for almost five years and my first traditionally published novel had just gone in at number 10.

I spent the next few hours replying to all the tweets and thanking everybody for their support.  There were hundreds of people to thank and I still couldn’t get over this huge social media buzz that my little book had created.

I was number 6 at very early hours in the morning and number 5 when I woke up.

For a while I stayed there, three places behind Oscar winning Twelve Years a Slave and seven places in front of JK Rowling’s, A Cuckoo Calling.  It was almost ridiculous.

Of course it started to sink after that. But I had gained something much more important. The real friendship, love and support of the amazing people on Twitter. I cannot ever thank them enough.

HOLLY MARTIN won the first SUNLOUNGER short story competition with her globe-trotting romance One Hundred Proposals. She has since turned the story into a full-length novel – hopefully her next Top 10 bestseller! Out now on Amazon!