Peter E. Fenton Explores The Life Of Books, & Reveals Plans For A World Tour

Peter E. Fenton Gives Away First Two ... Peter E. Fenton’s Latest Novel Is Ava...

Peter E. Fenton Explores The Life Of Books, & Reveals Plans For A World Tour

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Most of my early writing was for the theatre. When one of my plays was ready to hit the stage, the emphasis was on a strong opening night, good reviews and selling out the run. A theatrical run can last as little as a few shows, or for hits on Broadway, a play can run for years. Most of my shows have had standard three week regional runs, and then received other productions down the road. But the life span of the original production … generally a matter of weeks.

Books are completely different and I find it a challenge to mentally switch gears. With a novel, the day the book becomes available to the public it is really only the very beginning of its life. The novel hangs out on websites or in bookstores waiting to be acquired by a reader. And that reader might have a big pile of books they have already purchased. They may get around to reading my book in a week, or a month, or a year … or never. And after the book is read, sometimes people review the book, and sometimes they don’t.

It is for this reason that the industry looks at the initial life of a book as being seven years from the time it is released, until the point where readers are less likely to find it among the millions of other books available on the internet. Some books are discovered many years after publication and hit their prime when the author thinks they are forgotten. And there are other factors that come into play when a book is part of a series, are reanimated by a new edition or translation, or when the book is turned into other media forms.

In this newsletter I thought it would be fun to check up on each of my books and show where they’re at in their life cycle. Read on, and discover how over the last three years my stories have evolved and grown.

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The Burnt is at the very beginning of its life. Early review copies were sent to bloggers and advance readers in the hopes that their reviews will generate some fanfare to encourage people to read the book. “Opening night” for The Burnt is a week away. I’m happy to report that the novel has been doing well in pre-sales in part because it is the third book in a series. Readers who have read the first two books are eager to find out what happens next. Where will it evolve? Well, as of today, it is being translated into Spanish, Italian and German. It would appear that it will have a good start to its life.

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Not Not Normal was released a year ago and is in a very different situation. This book had a limited release with Lorimer Publishing in Canada and the U.S. They put more emphasis on institutional sales of hard-cover books. The reviews have been very good, but this book’s longevity will be dependent on how many copies landed in libraries across Canada and the United States. Readers will be able to check out the book for decades to come, but general sales may be limited. The book is still in its infancy and in time, readers who have found my adult work, may take an interest in my youth writing.

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Hoodoo House was released last summer. It did very well, and benefitted from readers who had already gotten hooked on the series with the first novel Mann Hunt. Whenever a new book is coming out in a series, the publisher will often arrange a sale on the previous book in the series to draw in new readers. A notification of a 99 cent sale last week on the e-pub copy of Hoodoo House was emailed to 300 000 targeted readers. This campaign pushed the novel to #1 Bestseller Status on Amazon in its category in both the US and Canada. Many of these purchasers will hopefully take an interest in the other books in the series. Hoodoo House is in its prime, enjoying lots of attention and sales are increasing after a year of building a foundation of readers.

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So how is Mann Hunt doing? There is an interesting phenomenon that happens every time a new book in a series is released. The first book in the series always sees an increase in interest. Studies have shown that the first book in any series will always be the best seller for any author. This is because if someone hears about my work, they want to start the series at the beginning. If they stumble across the second or third book and read them, they likely want to find out how it all began.

With The Burnt coming out next week, the promotional team I work with has been allowing reviewers to read the earlier books in the series on the condition that they review them. The result has been an upswing in interest in both Mann Hunt and Hoodoo House and lots of new reviews for these books which generates interest in readers who have had their appetite whetted for The Burnt.

Interest has not only been shown in the buying public, but also in the library users. Mann Hunt currently has a 12 week waiting list at the Toronto Public Library. So my two year old novel (not sure what that is in human years) is enjoying the benefits of being the first-born in the series. And it will likely reap the greatest rewards.

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So how about my very first book? The Woodcarver’s Model was released in April of 2022. Since nobody really knew who I was, it is probably my least purchased book with around 2000 copies sold to date. But the interesting thing is that it is still only 3 years into that 7 year life cycle. Readers who enjoy The Declan Hunt Mysteries might wonder what else I have written and pick up a copy. The distributor and publisher will likely put the book on sale a few times a year to increase exposure. The fact that this book is a stand-alone means it will likely see smaller numbers than books in a series, BUT over time someone could discover it, shout it out over social media and give it new life. This book is sort of keeping a low profile while the younger books establish themselves. The Woodcarver’s Model has seen steady sales every month as more and more readers discover its cast of lovable characters.

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Books evolve in strange and wonderful ways. The fact that the entire Declan Hunt Mysteries series will be available in e-pub form worldwide in English, Spanish, Italian and German will increase the profile for the series, not only in the translated language, but in the English market as well.

And this leads to media opportunities. Mann Hunt will be released as an audio book this year which will expand the market to people who like to listen to books. And with the series in four language, and audio books to follow … the next logical step will be to try and find a way to bring the books to life in film and television. Right now that is a fair ways off, but why not dream big? And if the books made the leap to TV or film, it would allow them a much longer life than the traditional seven years.

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Ultimately, between the writing, the promotion, the marketing and the work of the publisher to get translations, the goal is simply to have as many people as possible enjoy the stories. And the greatest thrill of all is when I get to meet those readers in person at conferences. Meeting fans is one of the best rewards for the many hours spent at the keyboard in the office trying to make everything make sense. I already indicated that I will be at the Northern Rainbow Readers and Writers conference this summer.

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But the bigger conference will be this fall when I attend a signing day in Melbourne, Australia at RARE 2025. And since it is such a long distance away, Scott and I will be turning it into a bit of a world tour that will include stops in Lisbon, Athens, Singapore, Melbourne, Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland, Tokyo, Kyoto, Vancouver and Calgary. Most of this will be recreational, but it just goes to show how the idea of writing a book, a lot of hard work, and a willingness to try new things can lead you all the way around the world.

And none of it would be possible without YOU … the readers. So thanks for your support helping me, and my writing evolve. Thanks for reading my stories. Thanks for posting reviews and telling your friends about my books. Thanks for coming to conferences and sharing your passion for reading. Because thanks to YOU, I can continue to write and my novels will continue to evolve. And if they find enough readers, they may have a very long life indeed.

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Next week … LAUNCH WEEK. Exciting information on the release of the The Burnt (and how to get a paperback copy of your own), more details on the Northern Rainbow Readers and Writers conference, and a list of thanks to the team that made it possible to get The Burnt published this year.

As always, thanks for reading.

Warmest Regards,