Revitalizing a Six-Book Indie Series with Strategic Marketing

Promoting an ongoing, independently published series—especially one with a five-book backlist—is no small feat. Mel Harrison’s “Alex Boyd” spy series, however, proves that with good storytelling and smart, targeted marketing strategies, indie authors can build momentum and attract new readers, even mid-series.

Partnering with Books Forward, Mel sought to boost sales for his latest installment, Crescent City Carnage (Book 6), while reigniting interest in earlier titles of the series.

Optimizing Long-Term Discoverability and Sales

To drive sales, our team organized a newsletter promotion for the most recently published novel in the series, Spies Among Us (Book 5), with remarkable results. The book soared to #50 in War & Military Action Fiction and #58 in Political Thrillers, underscoring the potential of reader-focused marketing campaigns.

Simultaneously, we optimized each book’s Amazon listing by refining categories, adding bold hooks and enhancing the Editorial Reviews section with new accolades, making the entire series more appealing to new readers who were now discovering it.

Building Excitement for the Next Book’s Release

With the backlist now receiving new attention, our promotion of Mel’s forthcoming “Alex Boyd” book, Crescent City Carnage (Book 6) picked up speed. We coordinated strategic media features to highlight Mel’s unique background, the series’ engaging themes and the latest exciting release. We intentionally targeted diverse coverage, securing opportunities like cover reveals, excerpts, Q&As, podcast interviews, book listings, guest posts and spotlights.

Boosting a Backlist to Promote Series Success

The results were significant. Media and influencer coverage elevated the visibility of the series, and the newsletter promotion delivered immediate sales growth. More importantly, the campaign laid a strong foundation for long-term success by enhancing discoverability and building momentum for future books in the series.

With the right strategy, an ongoing book series can find fresh success and reach new readers.

Reflecting on the campaign, Mel shared: “The Books Forward campaign produced a dramatic increase in my book sales. Without a doubt, many more potential readers were exposed to my work and are now familiar with my writing. The team demonstrated flexibility and creativity every step of the way.”