Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Debut Author Angie Flores Hits Amazon Number One New Release

Los Angeles, CA—Debut Author Angie Flores did what many deem impossible. At a time when many indie authors sell an average of 100 copies in their books lifetime, and traditionally published authors compete to top Amazon lists, she stormed the kid lit scene with an Amazon Number One Hot New Release in three different categories, landing in the top thousandth-of-one-percent ranking on the online book selling giant.

In fact, her launch was so successful that the book sold out of its initial Amazon stock in the first 12 hours.

In the days that followed, Angie was invited to speak at local schools, share her story on the Reading With Your Kids podcast, and mentor a well-known Los Angeles news personality looking for support and advice writing their first children’s book. She also earned a perfect five-star rating from Reader’s Favorite, a five-star rating from ATAI (Author's Talk About It) and maintains a five star rating on Amazon. In May, Cub's Wish received an Honorable Mention in the Paris Book Festival as well as in the San Francisco Book Festival, and New York Book Festivals. In June 2017, Cub's Wish received First Place in the distinguished children's book contest Purple Dragonfly Book Awards. Angie also received a best-seller status from the first book store where her book displayed (Pipe & Thimble Book Store in Lomita). July brought two more Honorable Mentions for Cub's Wish from the Pacific Rim Book Festival, and the Hollywood Book Festival. In June and July, Cub’s Wish was the bestselling book at the first book store that Angie’s book was accepted in -Pipe & Thimble Bookstore, in Lomita. Cub’s Wish was named one of the Top 10 Books that teach kindness on Children’s Publishers, and received a First Place award in the ATAI Children’s Book Cover Contest with 58% of the votes and achieving hundreds of more votes than any book in any category. The end of the year was exciting with Angie being invited to take part in 2 parades to publicize the book - The Hollywood Riviera Parade, and the San Pedro Holiday parade. Cub's Wish also won 2 more first place awards:Author's Talk About It Awarded Cub's Wish First Place in Children's Books and the Royal Dragonfly awarded Cub's Wish First Place in Gift Books. Reading With Your Kids bestowed it's highest honor to Cub's Wish as an Certified Good Read. To commemorate the first exciting year of the book's journey, Angie launched Ccub's Wish as an e-book for Amazon Kindle, which quickly became a #1 Best Seller and #1 Hot new release.

How did she do it? Grit and tenacity.

Angie was prepared. She examined various roads to publication, from indie to small press to hybrid to traditional, and decided that her first foray into the literary scene had to come straight from her heart and head.

She wanted to carefully manage the message and the marketing, but she also insisted on a high quality product. After narrowing more than a dozen of her own manuscripts down to the one she would ultimately publish, Angie interviewed potential illustrators and reached out for help editing and formatting the book. Every step of the way, Angie maintained her vision while seeking out and welcoming insight.

She also started to build buzz for her book. Reaching out to family and friends first, she was able to create a sense of excitement and support in the days leading up to the launch, so that on the day the book debuted, her social media was awash with supportive messages and friends sharing links. That core group of supporters took her message beyond immediate contacts and word of her book spread beyond Southern California out into the world beyond.

Along the way, Angie tapped into her personal network of highly successful authors to soak up their wisdom, from how to list the story online to the best printers to use to how to leverage social media to boost sales.

Angie is grateful and humbled by the support and the book’s success, and she looks forward to sharing many more stories with the world.

“It is important to open a child’s imagination and help them see what they can achieve, as long as they believe,” Angie said. “I speak to children about their own wishes, and what it means to wish from the heart.”

Whether children get to know her through her stories, or as a guest author at a school assembly, it is that message of passion and perseverance that comes through loud and clear.

About Angie Flores

Angie Flores is a mother of three, and a Hollywood native who now calls the South Bay of Los Angeles her home. Cub’s Wish is her first solo book, and her fourth publication. Angie has also been featured in the Story Sprouts anthologies and the Kayla Wayman collaborative middle grade novel. She serves as the Marketing Manager on the all-volunteer board of the Children’s Book Writers of Los Angeles (CBW-LA), where she helps other new writers find their voice and tell their story.

Angie can be found online at www.angiefloresbooks.com and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/angiefloresbooks.

About Cub’s Wish

Making wishes for a wishing star is not always as easy as it seems, especially knowing the wish may be granted. Cub's Wish brings out the sweet moments of conversation between parent and child and the understanding that sometimes we all need a little guidance to achieve our dreams. Cub’s Wish is a picture book for 3-8 year olds, illustrated by Yidan Yuan.

Contact

Angie Flores, Author

crafty125@hotmail.com

Ph. (310)408-3764