Out of one year and into the other
Hey there you wonderful things,
GOODBYE 2023!
On a personal level 2023 was a bit of an odd one. Nothing too nasty but an odd, topsy turvsey, twisty wisty one. A running between spinning plates (some expected, others not so) year, a hard to make plans and stick to them kinda year. A very TRANSISTIONAL YEAR I feel which as I think about isn’t that much of a surprise – all of my *3 years in previous decades have been transitional, hard to wrangle eras that have ultimately lead to unexpectedly better things. So while I face a 2024 that feels a little daunting and challenging in some respects, I will approach the next 12 months as if they are a fire to forge a stronger blade, one that I will hold aloft in glory when more certain days arrive. Yes, I have been on the Amaretto tonight. Apologies.
On a creative level 2023 was also a transitional one but in a splendid way. My first novel SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE escaped what is known in the trade as the ’30 Day Cliff Drop’ and went off into the world to have a relatively successful year – certainly WAY more successful than I could have presumed. I expected only a handful of people I knew to give it a go but it’s thrilling to see a year later that it’s had hundreds of readers (nearing a thousand!). I know this is small fry compared to the sales many authors achieve but this has happened without marketing budgets, an established readership, connections in the blog world or the kinda of face that’s appealing on TikTok so I’m chuffed! And then there are the FIVE STAR reviews, kind messages and wonderful advice I’ve received from those already in the Independent Author biz. I couldn’t be more grateful and happy with how things have gone.
HELLO 2024!
So what’s next? WELL…
There are a few rods already in the fire regarding SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE and how to take it to the next level. The first of these is to rectify the branding and the titles of the book(s). When I launched the novel, my initial plan was that it was going to be a series of three volumes with each novel consisting of two books. I have no idea why I decided to do it that way (probably influenced by Lord Of The Rings) but as soon as it was out there in the Kindle charts I had a gut feeling that I had got it wrong. This was backed up by some advice that indirectly made me consider how books are consumed these days and also made me ponder just how long it might take me to get the next book out if it’s a two parts in one 140,000 epic. So instead of publishing the Survive The Universe books in batches of two as planned they will now be written and released singularly. This means I can get the next part of the story to you lovely readers quicker and for those who love physical copies it means you wont have to carry a book-brick in your back pack next time.
In a month or two’s time, the original Survive The Universe will get a bit of formatting upgrade and a second pressing re-launch. For those of you who’ve mentioned to me that you want a copy of the book but want to use a retail outlet other than Amazon there’s a rod in the fire for that. For those of you into audiobooks there’s a rod in the fire for that. Like I say, there’s lots of rods in various fires but I’m just waiting for the prefect time to line them all up for a good thorough re-launch. To clarify the new branding, the first two books will be still be available in one novel but the two parts will be officially re-titled:
SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE – Book 1: Distracted In Vastrid
SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE – Book 2: The New Sentry
So when’s SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE – Book 3: The Reality Race out? Not for while BUT to satisfy STU fans I’ve been working on a Novella to satisfy those eagerly awaiting the further adventures of the crew of the Salvatore that will be FREE to everyone on my mailing list and at a reasonable price for those that aren’t. Stay tuned for more details on that.
AND THAT’S NOT ALL, those that follow my updates on social media will know that the main reason STU Book 3 isn’t on the way yet is because I’ve been writing a 90’s Darkly Comedic Teen Horror book thing! It’s nostalgic. It’s bloody. It’s funny. It’s violent. It’s lewd. It’s a little odd in places. It’s nearly done, just a few chapters left. I love it to death, and think many other people will too, early buzz and interest is good too - there’s already talk about a band writing a song for it (maybe even a concept album!). I was hoping to get it done and out by Halloween but a few life admin delays knocked me off course a little – no matter the story is set during the Spring/Summer so maybe that’d be a better time to share it anyhow. I’d love to tell you all so much about it but I also want to appear from nowhere so I’ll keep you hanging for a while longer I think.
So all things being well, I should have two books ready for release sometime soon ready for your reading pleasure.
I hope all of you lovely people have had a happy and restful holiday and wish you all the most splendid 2024.
Much love,
Phoenix Phil Morley
SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE is available here: https://mybook.to/Survivetheuniverse
GOODBYE 2023!
On a personal level 2023 was a bit of an odd one. Nothing too nasty but an odd, topsy turvsey, twisty wisty one. A running between spinning plates (some expected, others not so) year, a hard to make plans and stick to them kinda year. A very TRANSISTIONAL YEAR I feel which as I think about isn’t that much of a surprise – all of my *3 years in previous decades have been transitional, hard to wrangle eras that have ultimately lead to unexpectedly better things. So while I face a 2024 that feels a little daunting and challenging in some respects, I will approach the next 12 months as if they are a fire to forge a stronger blade, one that I will hold aloft in glory when more certain days arrive. Yes, I have been on the Amaretto tonight. Apologies.
On a creative level 2023 was also a transitional one but in a splendid way. My first novel SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE escaped what is known in the trade as the ’30 Day Cliff Drop’ and went off into the world to have a relatively successful year – certainly WAY more successful than I could have presumed. I expected only a handful of people I knew to give it a go but it’s thrilling to see a year later that it’s had hundreds of readers (nearing a thousand!). I know this is small fry compared to the sales many authors achieve but this has happened without marketing budgets, an established readership, connections in the blog world or the kinda of face that’s appealing on TikTok so I’m chuffed! And then there are the FIVE STAR reviews, kind messages and wonderful advice I’ve received from those already in the Independent Author biz. I couldn’t be more grateful and happy with how things have gone.
HELLO 2024!
So what’s next? WELL…
There are a few rods already in the fire regarding SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE and how to take it to the next level. The first of these is to rectify the branding and the titles of the book(s). When I launched the novel, my initial plan was that it was going to be a series of three volumes with each novel consisting of two books. I have no idea why I decided to do it that way (probably influenced by Lord Of The Rings) but as soon as it was out there in the Kindle charts I had a gut feeling that I had got it wrong. This was backed up by some advice that indirectly made me consider how books are consumed these days and also made me ponder just how long it might take me to get the next book out if it’s a two parts in one 140,000 epic. So instead of publishing the Survive The Universe books in batches of two as planned they will now be written and released singularly. This means I can get the next part of the story to you lovely readers quicker and for those who love physical copies it means you wont have to carry a book-brick in your back pack next time.
In a month or two’s time, the original Survive The Universe will get a bit of formatting upgrade and a second pressing re-launch. For those of you who’ve mentioned to me that you want a copy of the book but want to use a retail outlet other than Amazon there’s a rod in the fire for that. For those of you into audiobooks there’s a rod in the fire for that. Like I say, there’s lots of rods in various fires but I’m just waiting for the prefect time to line them all up for a good thorough re-launch. To clarify the new branding, the first two books will be still be available in one novel but the two parts will be officially re-titled:
SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE – Book 1: Distracted In Vastrid
SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE – Book 2: The New Sentry
So when’s SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE – Book 3: The Reality Race out? Not for while BUT to satisfy STU fans I’ve been working on a Novella to satisfy those eagerly awaiting the further adventures of the crew of the Salvatore that will be FREE to everyone on my mailing list and at a reasonable price for those that aren’t. Stay tuned for more details on that.
AND THAT’S NOT ALL, those that follow my updates on social media will know that the main reason STU Book 3 isn’t on the way yet is because I’ve been writing a 90’s Darkly Comedic Teen Horror book thing! It’s nostalgic. It’s bloody. It’s funny. It’s violent. It’s lewd. It’s a little odd in places. It’s nearly done, just a few chapters left. I love it to death, and think many other people will too, early buzz and interest is good too - there’s already talk about a band writing a song for it (maybe even a concept album!). I was hoping to get it done and out by Halloween but a few life admin delays knocked me off course a little – no matter the story is set during the Spring/Summer so maybe that’d be a better time to share it anyhow. I’d love to tell you all so much about it but I also want to appear from nowhere so I’ll keep you hanging for a while longer I think.
So all things being well, I should have two books ready for release sometime soon ready for your reading pleasure.
I hope all of you lovely people have had a happy and restful holiday and wish you all the most splendid 2024.
Much love,
Phoenix Phil Morley
SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE is available here: https://mybook.to/Survivetheuniverse
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