Applications open · Hostile Range

Join the Launch Team

A book’s first week decides most of what happens to it afterward. A small group of readers who show up in that week can change a book’s whole life. That’s what this team is for.

What you get

  • The finished book before anyone else reads it
  • The cover reveal first, ahead of the newsletter
  • A look behind the scenes at how the book got written — the research, the ranch, the parts that changed
  • The opening chapter of book two before it goes to anyone else
  • A standing invitation to every launch team after this one
  • Direct access to me. You can reply to any email and I’ll answer.

What I ask

  • Buy your own copy during launch week, at the lowest price the book will ever be
  • Post one honest review within five days of release
  • Read about one short email a week for roughly six weeks
  • Tell one person who’d like it. That’s all. One.

One thing I deliberately don’t do: name launch team members in the acknowledgments. It would be a lovely thank-you, and it’s exactly the kind of documented author-reviewer connection that gets honest reviews removed. Your thanks comes privately instead.

Two things that surprise people

You buy the book. I don’t give it away.

Most launch teams hand every member a free copy. I don’t, and it isn’t about the money — the ebook will be priced as low as it will ever go during launch week. It’s that Amazon treats a verified-purchase review very differently from an unverified one. Verified reviews carry more weight, and they are far less likely to be quietly removed weeks later. A review that stays up is worth more to both of us than a review that vanishes.

We run by email. There’s no Facebook group.

Facebook groups are the default for launch teams and they’re a genuine liability. Facebook and Amazon share enough data that Amazon can connect members of a group to the author, and honest reviews get flagged as inauthentic and deleted. Your review is worth protecting. So: email, and nothing else to join.

And one more: honest means honest.

If the book doesn’t work for you, say so in your review. I would rather have a real three-star review than a polite five-star one, and so would every reader deciding whether to buy. Nobody is ever asked to pretend.

The application

It takes about four minutes and it asks real questions, because I’m keeping the team small and I want it made of the right readers. I read every application myself, and you’ll hear back either way — a yes or a no, not silence.

    Every field marked * is required. This takes about four minutes. I read every application myself and I'll email you either way.

    First, the basics

    Are we a good fit?

    Which of these do you already read? (Check all that apply)

    Hostile Range is romantic suspense set on a working Georgia ranch. The danger is real and on the page. The faith is quiet and woven in — characters who pray like real people do, with no preaching. The romance is central and earns its way.

    Honestly — does that sound like a book you'd enjoy? *

    What being on the team actually involves

    Launch team members buy their own copy. The ebook will be at the lowest price it will ever be during launch week. I do it this way on purpose: Amazon gives far more weight to verified-purchase reviews and is far less likely to remove them. A review that sticks is worth more to both of us than a review that disappears.

    Are you willing to buy a copy during launch week? *

    Will you post an honest review within five days of release? *

    Honest means honest. If the book doesn't work for you, say so. I would much rather have a real three-star review than a polite five-star one.

    Where could you post a review or talk about the book? * (Check all that apply)

    Roughly how many people would see a post from you?

    There is no wrong answer here. A reader who tells four friends in person often does more for a book than a big account that posts once. I ask so I can plan, not to rank you.

    A few last things

    Have you left a review for any book in the past year? *

    First-timers are genuinely welcome. I'll walk you through it.

    This team runs by email, not a Facebook group. That's deliberate — Facebook and Amazon share data in ways that get honest reviews flagged and removed. Expect roughly one short email a week for about six weeks.

    Can you commit to reading those emails? *

    This form uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your data is processed.

    Not ready to commit to all that? Completely fair.
    Just get updates on Hostile Range instead →