October 2019
A local author has sent two books to the top of Amazon charts this summer – all without help from a publisher.
Rachel Churcher’s Battle Ground series has attracted positive reviews and five-star ratings, and secured the Number One slot in two Amazon categories – twice! The first book, Battle Ground, was published in July and launched at the Young Adult Literature Festival in London. Book Two, False Flag, was published in September, and Book Three, Darkest Hour launched on October 17th. Books One and Two both reached their Number One positions on launch day.
Rachel, a long-time fan of Young Adult dystopian stories, decided to self-publish when an agent told her that publishers have stopped buying dystopian books. As the co-ordinator of a Young Adult book club in Bury St Edmunds, she knew that readers still want to read dystopian fiction, so she decided to publish the books herself. She founded her own publishing house, Taller Books, and set about designing, promoting, and selling the series as an independent author.
Self-publishing is not an easy option, and the last year has been a steep learning curve for the author as she has taken on the roles of editor, production manager, social media manager, cover designer, and promotions co-ordinator for her books.
“There hasn’t been much time for writing since I set up Taller Books in March,” Rachel explains. “Most of my time is spent preparing the books for printing and downloading, and keeping in touch with my readers on social media. I’m hoping to write another novel when all five books in the Battle Ground series have been published, but for now I’m focusing on getting the rest of the books onto Amazon, and into the Number One slot!”
There’s more information on the Battle Ground series at tallerbooks.com/battleground, and readers can download a free novella in the series from freebook.tallerbooks.com.