93% of all published books (and this includes cookbooks, self-help, history, politics–everything) sell less than 1000 copies over the life of the book. The average book only sells 83 copies over the life of the book. So how does a book break into the vaunted 7%?

Great reviews from established, respected, and non-biased publishing entities certainly helps. Winning literary awards can also assist authors cut through the chaff and readers identify the literary gems from the lumps of coal clouding bookshelves both physical and digital.

Clearly the odds are stacked against authors with multiple titles in rotation. Imagine the plight of the modern day debut author.

Still, for every rule there are always exceptions.

Author Qwantu Amaru was well aware of these statistics when he launched his debut novel, One Blood in November 2011, but he felt he could beat the odds with a simple formula: get reviews, get networked, get exposure, and get press.

6 months later One Blood is a certified bestseller, landing at #2 on a recent listing of bestselling fiction books for March and April 2012 published by AALBC.com the #1 site for African-American Literature. The novel was named a novel of remarkable merit (a distinction only 12% of all books ever achieve) by The Kirkus Book Review in February 2012 , and currently has a 4.5 out of 5 star rating through 110 customer reviews on Amazon.com.

In May 2012 it was announced that One Blood was designated as a Finalist in the Thriller/Suspense category of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards - known as "The Sundance of Book Publishing", a non-profit awards program judged by leaders in the indie book publishing industry to identify indie books that deserve to reach a wider audience. To see the winners click this link: Click here

For placing as a finalist, Qwantu Amaru receives a listing in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards Catalog which will be distributed to thousands of book buyers, media, and others; exposure for a full year at www.IndieBookAwards.com; and the opportunity to display a Finalist gold award stickers on the book.
 
Although he didn't win his category, Qwantu Amaru was honored to be named a finalist and attended the awards ceremony in New York during the Book Expo America conference being held at the Jacob Javits Center.

One Blood eclipsed 5,000 books sold in 6 months as of May 2012, shattering the 1,000 book barrier. The novel becomes the 4th consecutive title from Santa Cruz, CA based Indie Publisher, The Pantheon Collective (TPC Books) to do so.

Qwantu Amaru's  message to authors looking to duplicate his success is, "Once you have a polished, quality product, there are 6 steps to distinguish yourself and your novel from everything else out there: planning for success, daily discipline, getting your book (s) reviewed early and often, getting networked with other authors and those who love to help authors, gaining exposure for you and your book, and gaining press that powers all of your efforts."  

One Blood is available in ebook format for $.99 and hard copy for $15.95 on Amazon.com: Click here. For more information on Qwantu Amaru and One Blood visit his website www.qwantuamaru.com, follow him on twitter .onebloodbook, join his fanpage: www.facebook.com/onebloodbook, or e-mail him at qwantuamaru.gmail.com