Title: The Baller
Author: Vi Keeland
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Contemporary romance
The Baller is a standalone romance novel that spent three consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and was a number-one bestseller on Amazon. The story begins when Delilah has her first interview as a professional sportscaster, which happens to be with famed quarterback Brody Easton in the men’s locker room. He decides to drop his towel just as she asks the first question—on camera.
When asked what contributed to The Baller’s success, author Vi Keeland said: “The biggest factor was definitely the buzz it caught. It’s hard to nail down one thing that caused it, but I’d say everything just aligned right. Sports books are very hot right now, the story ended with an epilogue that people loved and talked about, the cover was sexy, and the hero was super cocky, yet loveable. This all helped contribute to the buzz. Add in a large mailing list, 600 blogs helping to release it, and sexy teasers—and it just snowballed from there.”
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
