Sunday, August 1, 2010

Lessons From the Phantom of the Opera - What Now?

Lessons From the Phantom of the Opera - What Now? That is a question I have been asking myself for some time. Where does this blog go from here?

This blog was first created in January of 2008 and currently has over 100 posts. I have thoroughly dissected The Phantom of the Opera story from Leroux and Webber, and put my two cents worth in about Love Never Dies after seeing it myself in March of 2010. As most of you know already, all of the posts on this blog through May of 2009 are now in book form, but I have quite a few posts after that I hope to put into a second edition.

How are sales on this blog? The book version, Lessons From the Phantom of the Opera, is still my strongest selling publication. I am somewhat surprised, but perhaps I shouldn't be. As stated before, it's a timeless story and the interest in all things Phantom continues from generation to generation.

I am seriously trying to focus on expanding this work, and if I do so, I will make it available in eBook format too. As far as this blog, I'm not quite sure what to focus upon next. I have quite a few people who subscribe on a regular basis, so I would hate to see this die on the vine. I might consider taking this blog to a new level, or starting another one entitled All Things Phantom and spin it off of our radio show by conducting and posting interviews of individuals in the Phantom community. If you like that idea, leave a comment and I will seriously consider doing so in the future. I think it will help to keep alive communication for those who are actively involved in the Phantom community. I'll keep it on the same format of show, only put it in print form.

As far as All Things Phantom on BlogTalkRadio.com, that show has a life of its own. This week we rolled over 13,400 downloads of 30 shows. From July 5 through July 30, we had 1,272 downloads alone and we're not even broadcasting! That tells me there are a bunch of hungry fans out there, and perhaps doing the same in blog format will continue to feed the frenzy, but also help other Phantom authors, artists, productions, etc.

In the meantime, I am still your "obedient servant" in serving the Phantom community. If you have thoughts about this direction, drop them my way. My gut feeling is I will probably lean toward this idea and will make a decision very soon.

Regards,
The Phantom's Student aka Vicki Hopkins

Update: All Things Phantom has now rolled over to 16,400 downloads as of October 22, 2010. We are in the process of thinking about resurrecting it in January of 2011 in a different format. Stay tuned for more information!

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