Tues. March 17, 2026: Marketing Stats, Creative Feedback, and Art
image courtesy of Kev from PixabayTuesday, March 17, 2026
Dark Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Snowy and cold
Happy new week!
Pull up a chair and a beverage, this is a long post.
If you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, I hope you have a good one. Between living/working in NYC, where St. Patrick’s Day is even more of an excuse for people to behave badly than New Year’s Eve, and living on the Cape, where people were usually drunk by 10 AM – not a fan.
Friday, I did the laundry early, hauled it back, got it folded and put away. I headed up to the library to drop/off pick up books. There weren’t many to pick up, and I only dropped off those that were due, so I didn’t need the rolly cart. Swung by the post office to mail thank you notes from the birthday stuff. Ran two more errands on the way home. Was worn out, although I managed to get them done in good time, even on foot.
A Marketing Tangent
I got my royalties from the past few months (so I don’t have to have a Come to Jesus talk with D2D – we’re all caught up). The months I steadily marketed saw sales 10X the months I let it slide. I’m only spending about 15 minutes a day on weekdays marketing, but it made sales jump 10X.
Those sales cover a couple of bills. If I can maintain and then grow those sales, I am in good shape. Not that one can count on royalties, and they fluctuate, but if I can get back to steady and growing sales, it helps a lot.
The Nina Bell Mysteries are steadily growing their audience. If I can keep writing/releasing on a steady schedule and keep marketing steadily, we should be in good shape. Layering in the ANGEL HUNT series is a solid plan, because urban fantasy usually does well, and ANGEL HUNT was the most popular of the serials. There’s a lot of interest in the Coventina Circle series again, so getting those in the print editions and then finishing out the series is a good idea. 4 of the 9 planned books are out (I’ve got book 5 halfway written). After that’s complete, working on the spinoff series that goes deeper into urban fantasy rather than paranormal romantic suspense should work. Those spinoff characters introduced in RELICS AND REQUIEM, who show up now and again and even crossed over into the Gwen Finnegan series, are very popular. And getting back on the Topic Workbooks and prepping more for release should also help. The Topic Workbooks have always been steady sellers.
The trick is to find the sweet spot, both of creative energy to create the work, and to know when to release it. Every series has a different sweet spot. Wait too long between releases, and you lose audience. Release too much too quickly (in spite of the current binge desires many have), and people feel overwhelmed or as though if they miss one release, there will always be another. I find that especially true of the shorts, although sales of holiday-themed shorts bump up when promoted around their holiday.
It needs to first be about serving the work, or it can’t connect. But then, it also needs to look at the metrics of the business side of it, which are constantly shifting.
I’m getting questions about when LEGERDEMAIN will release in novel form from people who loved that world. The answer to that is that I’m not sure. The first arc of the serial (41 episodes) is pretty solid, but the rest sprawled too much, and it needs a lot of work to go in and tighten it as I adapt. I’ll have to pull out some of the shorter arcs and put them in separate stories, instead of trying to weave so many multiple plot lines at once. I need to have the main plot for each book, then a B subplot that gets resolved, then an over-reaching series arc that goes on for several books. Once in a while I can weave in maybe one more strand, but not the half dozen or so that were going on past episode 41. It will take a lot of work, and I need to have at least three volumes in solid shape before releasing anything. Plus, there were requests for spin-offs, especially when it came to the adventures of the all-female crew of the dirigible the Nervy Molls, and more built around the Fathomless Library. I’m so glad people connected to all of this, but it takes time and planning to make it all work, and I’m not sure I can do any of it this year.
Because I can’t drop the ball on the stage plays, either, and I have to get at least one-full length in shape for submission by the end of August, per a request. I can’t re-submit to this venue, so it needs to be something new.
I’d also love to get back to work on REP (the theatre company in space comedy) as a novel, but I can’t see fitting that in this year, either.
The most sales come from people who find me on Mastodon, with Instagram a close second. Bluesky is a distant third, with Tumblr and Threads trailing behind them. It took several years to build the audience on Mastodon and it’s a slower process than on other social media channels, but by posting/interacting regularly, marketing regularly, and taking part is games such as Writers Coffee Club, I’ve built connections there and am finding a growing audience. If all one does is post promos on a channel, sales don’t happen. There has to be interaction that has nothing to do with promotion, and that takes time and thought, which needs to be built into the workday.
I no longer promote on FB, and my sales have improved. TikTok was somewhat useful for serials, but hasn’t been for my books. I don’t do the kind of BookTok videos that work, nor am I willing to do them, and I’m not dealing with TikTok considering who owns it now.
Good to know.
I seriously would like to dump the FB accounts completely. Every time I open it, the first things that show up on my feed make me want to throw up. Blocking those accounts does nothing. For every block, 5 more of the gross things show up. The only reason I keep FB is because that’s how the city sends out information on emergencies. And birthday reminders, so I don’t miss anyone’s birthday (although I’m starting to add those to my paper datebook again).
The marketing that works (at the moment) is not brain surgery. It’s not spending a lot of money. It’s consistency.
It’s also looking at data over a period of months, and then tweaking one thing at a time, so you can see what kind of changes actually make a difference. I’m grateful to the Assets4Artists workshop and the local chamber workshop that gave me those tools to analyze this kind of data.
Now I have to figure out how to build on that, while continuing to have enough time and energy to keep feeding eager readers AND doing the more lucrative freelance writing work. I do that, knowing that I will have to look at the data every few months, and make changes. It’s not a career path on a highway, it’s more like floating down a river. Sometimes, there are rapids, and sometimes you get caught in the shallows.
The reason it takes me only 15 minutes a day is because I put in plenty of prep work. I have a content calendar for the month that I do about mid-month the previous month. (In other words, I better sit down and do April’s this week). It has the social media slots for each weekday, and what promo goes in each slot. I only promo one project per social media channel each day (except if I’ve dropped a day), so that I don’t saturate the channel and get annoying.
The only time I have the same ad on all channels on the same day is release day. Otherwise, I have them rotate through the channels: series ad, series video, single book ad for each book (one per day), single book video (ibid), and so forth. That way, it doesn’t come across as spam, even though content is repeated more than once in a month. Although I don’t do separate videos for each Topic Workbook. I have one for the group, and then flat ads for each book. For instance, February had a Nina Bell release (VICIOUS CRITIC), so all the promos in February were for various Nina Bell books. March has Nina, Topic workbooks, anthologies. April will include “Plot Bunnies” the short Twinkle Tavern mystery that happens near Easter, along with Nina, Workbooks, anthologies. And so forth.
As each book is going through the final production process, I work on the ad and the video. Or I edit/add to the series ad/video. That way, it’s all set up when it’s time to go. I’ve got the graphics, I’ve got the copy, I’ve got the links, I just follow the day’s schedule for the content calendar, and it takes 15 minutes to post through the channels. Each ad takes about an hour or so to create, but is designed to be evergreen and easily updatable if links or prices change. The videos take between 2-4 hours, depending how complicated they are. Longer, when the software I use updates claiming improvements that are actually detriments. As I explore new software, I might find something that helps me streamline that.
I treat myself like my own client. That was the biggest factor in making it work. It’s the same way I prepare materials for small business launches, and what I used to do for clients when I handled their social media promotions.
When I handled promos back in Twitter’s heyday, I could schedule an entire month’s worth of promos on Tweetdeck in about two hours. Under their current ownership and new name, I won’t deal with them. Hootsuite was useful to a point (not all the channels I need within my budget, but useful for some clients), but now they contract with the frozen water thugs, so I will not use them. Buffer doesn’t have enough of the channels I need within my budget.
Again, this is all about systems and information and tracking that then is used to support the creative work so the creative work can continue. It’s often difficult to face the reality of the business side of things, but it’s imperative if you want it to support the creative. They are the yin and yang of working in the arts.
Those who try to talk you out of paying attention to the business side of it are trying to exploit you and get your work for free, so watch out.
Back to the Life/Writing Stuff
On a completely different note, I did not get a slot in a 7-year residency for playwrighting. I knew it was a long shot, and they had 799 applicants. I had decided not to even apply, but then figured what the hell, nothing ventured and all that. But 7 years would mean I was in my early 70’s when we were done, and that’s not practical in my life right now. I’m glad I applied, and actually a little relieved I didn’t get it. Commuting to NYC at least once a month for 7 years would have been a lot, especially since they couldn’t guarantee the level of funding for the duration, just for the coming year. So why did I even apply? Because I felt there was possibility in the opportunity, and if I landed it, I was determined to find a way to make it work and grow in my playwrighting.
I am curious to see how many of the playwrights chosen actually stay in the residency program for the full seven years. I will follow along to keep track, and see how they blossom in the program (once they’re chosen).
Friday afternoon, I sorted out some practicalities with the ghostwriting client, and then go to work on the assignment due this Friday. I didn’t make as much progress as I hoped, but I have some ideas on how to fix that.
It started snowing around 3:30 or so. Sigh.
Got some research reading done for the May Morris project in the evening.
Didn’t sleep well Friday into Saturday. Up around the usual time, with Tessa shouting down the house because she wanted her breakfast. The morning routine was fine, although the 15-minute free write was more on the practical side than the creative side. But it sorted things out in my brain a bit, so it served its purpose.
It was supposed to snow from 9 AM – 1 PM, but started before 8.
After breakfast, I did some housework. I gesso’d my canvas for the collage. Tessa “helped” which means I now have to work a figure of a black cat into the collage to explain any cat hair I couldn’t wipe off. No, there isn’t any place in this house I can work where the cats can’t wander in.
Thankfully, Willa watched from a safe distance. Charlotte was asleep on the freshly made bed, and Bea was busy in the living room.
I got caught up doing more admin work than I hoped. I also re-read the first eight episodes I wrote of REP, and it’s funnier than I remembered, which is good. It plays a lot with tropes in theatre and science fiction.
I wrote myself into a corner on the latest chapter of BETTING MAN, and tried to get myself out of it, which was a chore. Not quite there yet.
I layered up and went out into the snow to pick up my mom’s prescription. They had two ready, which was nice. Usually, I go to pick up one, and the minute I get back home, there’s the notification for another one. Because making anything easier for their customers is beyond them. CVS = Corporate Vicious Hassle.
But there wasn’t hassle today, thank goodness. I stomped across town in the snow and into the wind, picked up the prescriptions, and picked up Chinese food on the way home. As I waited for my order, I read one of the local print publications, and there was an article by a colleague! I was so pleased for her, and it was very well done.
Trekked home, this time with the wind at my back, and we had an early lunch. It was yummy.
On the way back, as I trudged through the snow and wind, I had a breakthrough for something where I was stuck on the play CONSEQUENCE. It means going back and rewriting what I have of it so far, changing it a bit structurally, but still keeping it at three characters on stage. So that was good.
Then, I unpacked the 16 lb. bag of dry cat food and put it into smaller glass jars, which keeps it fresher and is easier to use. I set up the next couple of weeks’ worth of wet food on the shelf. I did some research. I finished reading the next book for review. It snowed on and off all afternoon, and there was a lot of wind. I started the spring cleaning, and got most of Tessa’s room done, although I still have to decide what I’m putting on the walls and how I’m hanging it. Cleaned all the lampshades, which always is more of a task than I remember.
Cooked dinner at night, read some more. Had busy dreams of working on various things all night with people I knew well in the dreamscape, but don’t recognize out of it. I felt like I put in a full day already when I woke up.
Good morning sessions of yoga and meditation. I figured out, in more detail, what to sort out in CONSEQUENCE during the morning free write, and also did some figuring out work on the sculpture.
After breakfast, I sat down and wrote a little over 1K on BETTING MAN, which was good. I’m still way behind where I hoped I’d be at this point, but I’m getting there. I wrote myself out of the corner, and had to remove a character from a previous chapter. But I made forward progress, which is important.
I did the Community Tarot Reading for the Week, which you can read here. I also wrote and submitted the book review, and scheduled the invoice to send on Monday morning.
I worked on some graphics that will be included on the sculpture, and started figuring out the text handout that will go with it.
I did research reading in afternoon and evening. I sort of kept an eye on the Oscars, but didn’t really watch them. I was, however, delighted with Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s win as the first woman to get an Oscar for cinematography. About damn time. I did some prep for Monday night’s Athena Project event (since my play was in it and all).
I did not sleep well, and was awake by 3 AM. When Tessa started complaining at 5, I just got up, without a fuss. Morning routine was fine. I like it when it’s early. It would be so easy to let the yoga or the meditation or the free write slide, but once you let it go for a day, it’s easy to keep letting it go, and the day is so much better when I don’t.
Again, consistency.
I knew Monday was going to be challenging because of all its moving parts.
By 8:30, I’d written a little over 1200 words on BETTING MAN.
I measured out the gesso’d canvas and started painting the background. The collage is satirical, so I’m using bold, bright colors, almost cartoonish. I had to mix the green with some white, to get it to the shade I wanted it, of “young child green grass.” Then I had to prop it and move chairs, etc. away from the kitchen table, so no curious cats would investigate it while it dried.
Bea also spent a good bit of time exploring my bedroom, and trying to figure out how to sneak on the bed without Charlotte noticing.
I received an invitation to join a playwrighting group about an hour and a half away (for a fee). I’d like to be involved with the group, but I am not an “aspiring” playwright. I’m a playwright, it’s part of my profession. I do not pay to work, I am paid to work. I sent a pleasant refusal.
Tried to catch up on some other email, and then switched over to the ghostwriting. I usually ghostwrite in the afternoon, but since my afternoon and evening were about playwrighting, on Monday, after I wrote my Nina quota and painted, I switched over to the ghostwriting. Since tomorrow, with the car repair, everything is a toss-up, I wanted to make sure I caught up yesterday and today, so I would be where I wanted, even if something goes cattywampus tomorrow.
I ran into an obstacle with the ghostwriting, and had to ask some questions, although I tried to work around them while I waited for an answer.
Honor Roll Playwrights session was on ZOOM for two hours, and that was good. We had a nice group. I rewrote/restructured what I have on CONSEQUENCE, and managed to move forward for a few pages. The restructuring didn’t add as much new material as I expected, which is good for pace, and I have a few ideas on raising the stakes.
After that session, I had a snack, then went back to the ghostwriting. They still didn’t answer my questions, which is unusual. So I will solider on in my own way. Whichever of the two roads I take will be the opposite of what they decide, and I will adjust as needed. I am behind where I hoped to be, and I don’t know how much I will get done tomorrow, with the car repair situation, so I will have to make up for it today and Thursday, in order to get it out on Friday on time.
We are having issues with a running toilet, so I had to make arrangements for maintenance to come this morning and take a look.
Cooked dinner and prepped for Athena Project. I gave the cats a snack right before the start of the session, so they settled down and napped, instead of crawling all over the computer and the screen.
It was a good session. Two of my friends who read earlier drafts of the play were there, and I appreciated it. It was a small group, but a good discussion, of both our plays. I appreciated that the readers loved the romance of the play as well as the more challenging elements, and they were all fascinated with the background.
Today, I will update the dramaturgy note at the back of the play to include thanks to Athena Project. It was great to work with the same dramaturg again, too. She really loves my work and gets the play.
It took me a bit of time to settle down and get to sleep. I woke up around 2:30 AM because of the rain. I managed to get to sleep again, and when I woke up a little after 5:30, it had changed over to snow. Sigh.
Today, I will send out thank you emails, update the Pages on Stages site with the play’s new information, deal with maintenance, try to get some work in on Nina, but the bulk of the day has to be about the ghostwriting.
This has been a really long post. Thanks for sticking with it! I hope you have a great day, and a great week.
#art #books #fiction #freelance #marketingStatistics #planning #playwrighting #reading #writing
