When I get an unexpected success, it’s all the more satisfying. As many of you know, I closed the door on Larcombe Manor and the Phoenix Series in 2018, and spent a year polishing the twelve books I’d believed would get me noticed. A Featured Deal in March 2019 started the ball rolling, and a follow-up at the end of December that same year rewarded my persistence.
Without Gus Freeman and his cold case investigations, perhaps the ball wouldn’t have rolled very far into 2020. However, from Gus’s first murder mystery, until the twenty-fourth and final case, there have been a number of successful promotions for both my series which have improved my standing year on year. It was hard graft, but worth the effort.
I pressed ‘pause’ on the writing in April 2023, to re-charge the batteries, look for ways to find new readers, and seek better returns on my extensive back list. The ultimate aim was to cut back my output to four books a year without damaging my hard-earned standing.
Last month I secured a Featured Deal for The Olympus Project, the vigilante justice thriller that opened the Phoenix series. It went to readers who enjoy the Action & Adventure genre, and the response was terrific. The number of new followers on BookBub since the 28th of May suggests a kick-start for the Phoenix Series on which I can build throughout the summer.
In anticipation of running a series of Ads this summer to attract new Phoenix Club members, I’ve opened a NEW Author Page on Facebook. Here’s the link: –
https://facebook.com/AuthorTedTayler
As you can tell, I’ve resisted the temptation to make a giant leap into the unknown with a new partnership. It was a tough choice, because a lot of the heavy lifting would have been done for me, but unless I committed myself for a minimum of twelve months I might not have seen any benefits. Who knows? They might not even be there.
Discretion being the better part of valour, I think I should take small steps; improve my ROI on Ads with Amazon, Facebook, and BookBub, while pursuing more readers for The Phoenix and Gus Freeman.
Time will tell whether I can continue to go it alone and come up smiling. If I can, then as I said at the beginning – it will be all the more satisfying.
I’ll be back later in the summer – Best wishes
Ted Tayler
