One Year Ago
EBook Bestselling Author Caught Leading Agent’s Attention

D.B. Henson's Publishing Gamble Landed Deal With Noah Lukeman

It seemed like a practical joke. That's how a southern author with one
eBook under her belt took it. You just don't get an email the day
after Christmas from one of the leading literary agents in the
business. No, it just doesn't happen.

Why would the agent who represents the likes of His Holiness The Dali
Lama, The estate of Jules Verne, and celebrity Gene Hackman want to
talk to D.B. Henson, a newcomer author?

"I was already aware of Noah's stellar reputation, and I knew he
didn't take submissions. An agent of his caliber would never contact
me," Henson reasoned, as she saw Noah Lukeman's email staring back at
her on the computer.

Sure it was a friendly prank, Henson didn't click open the email for
three days. Only after friends pleaded their innocence did she read
it. Noah Lukeman wanted to talk to her about representation.

Henson, a middle Tennessean long on talent and determination, had written a Nashville—based mystery and self—published it on Kindle in the spring of 2010. "I wasn't convinced the book was good enough to send out to agents," she recalled. "So I self—published on Kindle to test the waters." The end result was a 2010 Amazon Kindle Bestseller with DEED TO DEATH, selling more than 100,000 copies and making Amazon's Customer Favorites of the Year.

She quickly caught Lukeman's attention. Last December 26 the agent came calling.

"Debbie's success was hard to miss,"said Lukeman, who presides over
Lukeman Literary Management. "She achieved an incredible
feat—launching herself into the Amazon Top 100, and staying there for
hundreds of consecutive days. And she managed to do it in a crowded
genre. Just as impressive, the reviews of her work were terrific, and
she was chosen one of the Amazon Customer Favorites of the year.
Achieving sales success is one thing—but achieving sales and critical
success is another. It is rare. And in her case, it was
well—deserved."

Henson signed with Lukeman, who then sold DEED TO DEATH to Simon & Schuster.

"I've been approached by hundreds of authors who have achieved success
online whose work I decided not to represent. It all must boil down to
the writing, to the writer's skill and ability," said Lukeman. "In
Debbie's case, she had it. Her writing is terrific, and sings off the
page from the very first words. This was why I made a rare exception
in her case. I truly believe she has the talent to become one of the
great bestselling authors of all time."

Henson gives Lukeman credit for helping to fine tune that talent. Before he contacted her, she had read his self—improvement writer's book The First Five Pages

"Noah's book was extremely helpful," said Henson. "It explains the
techniques agents and editors use to evaluate manuscripts, and teaches
you how to avoid common mistakes in your writing that can lead to an
automatic rejection."

Henson took the reverse route from traditional publishing. Most
authors get the print book deal and then the eBook. Henson didn't know
it, but she helped blaze a trail that more often may be walked.

"I never looked at it that way," she said. "In the beginning, I was
just looking for a way to get honest feedback on my writing. I never
really expected the book to sell more than a few dozen copies. I was
shocked that it did so well. And I know I would never have landed
Noah as an agent if I had taken the traditional publishing route."

"Self-publishing online has definitely become a trend," added Lukeman.
"Debbie was out there on the forefront, way before most others. And
she was one of the very first self-published authors to achieve such a
success. Debbie helped make the trend. And she was on the forefront of
a trend once again, when she was one of the first to decide to go from
a self-published success to accepting an offer with a traditional
publisher."

Henson is busy writing a multi-book mystery series, also based in
Nashville. With this series Lukeman is confident D.B. Henson will
increase her brand awareness in the crowded mystery genre.

"Keep your eyes on her, because she is always on the cutting edge of
trends, said Lukeman, "and I feel certain that she will create more in
the future, and that other authors will follow."