Have you been enjoying AT HER WILL? I surely hope so. My first month of working purely on marketing was slow off the starting block due to a couple of planned trips, one to Elizabeth City with my husband, and one to Atlanta with my sister-in-law, plus some family stuff. However, now I'm gaining traction on creating ads, doing ad testing, reaching out to reviewers and reader groups, and studying the marketing strategies that have worked for comparable authors.

Marketing my work was something I used to dread. While I'd still rather be writing, I've learned enough about book marketing to find it a reasonably fun challenge to apply those skills, and see what the results will be. For instance, right now I'm testing the two following ads on Bookbub, to see which one is "clickier" or has more "conversion" (clicks leading to increased sales). Once I get an idea of which one is the winner, I'll up my budget and see if it continues to pay for itself. Or, if the conversion isn't high enough, I'll test more variables and/or go back to the drawing board to create a different design.

The interesting part about ad testing is that sometimes the ad you think will be the most popular with the target readership isn't, and one you were lukewarm about becomes the star. Or they'll be equally ineffective or successful.

So far, these are in the no clear winner category. Both are doing decently well for my ad budget, so I've added more target authors (authors who write FemDomme) to expand my audience and see if that gives me a clear winner and better percentages. Fun fact: I pulled new names for that target pool from a jpg of favorite FemDomme authors an avid reader posted on a FB group. A big part of book marketing is paying attention to things like that and thinking: "Hey, I write that genre. How can I use that to reach new readers?"

I give major kudos to author Skye Warren, because a few years back I took her Ad Intensive and Mastermind classes, and it gave me a whole new grasp/approach to my marketing. I am still by far not the best at it, but I don't feel like I'm floundering or just throwing something at the wall to see if it sticks. In retrospect, that was the main source of my "dread." I didn't hate doing marketing; I hated feeling like I had no idea what I was doing, or that I was tossing money away on efforts with no real chance of converting into sales. If I'm spending valuable time away from my writing, I need to feel I'm pursing strategies that help my sales and overall career direction, not going off to spin my wheels in a mud bog. If that's all I'm doing, I'd rather literally go ATVing in a mud bog, lol. Me and Gretchen Wilson (Redneck Woman video - hell, yeah!). 🚗🚗🚗

So we'll see. Hope you all enjoyed this little high-level glimpse into how the engine works when it comes to driving the "business" side of increasing sales (aka paying my light bill this month).

SPECIAL REVIEWS FOR AT HER WILL

Several reviews of AT HER WILL echo the sentiments Crimson expressed in the graphic below, and they're bringing me joy every time I see them. I've often said my characters drive my stories, but since my heart and soul are part of the process, I'm sure the hopes I carry there are picked up by them. It deeply moved me that one of my reviewers found this reassurance in Vera and Rev's book. Thank you, Crimson, and all my other readers who have echoed these feelings. Here's the full review at her blog if you'd like to read it in its entirety.

IF YOU HAVEN'T READ AT HER WILL YET BUT WANT TO, HERE ARE ALL THE LINKS!

Universal Vendor Link * Amazon US * Kobo * iBooks * Nook * Google * Print

HAVE YOU READ ALL THE MBR BOOKS? There are FOUR other standalone Mistresses of the Board Room stories. Whichever one (or more) you decide to try, I hope you have a blast reading them!

At Her Command * At Her Service * At Her Call * At Her Pleasure * At Her Will

[Note: If you are a reviewer or blogger who uses BookSirens, AT HER WILL is available there for your download, as well as several other releases of mine.]

A GRAPHIC TO SHARE - AND BRING A SMILE!

Another thing I've been enjoying about marketing work is creating new teaser and promo graphics. I have so much to learn about Affinity, and this is another opportunity to increase that skill set. Scott is VERY adept at using it, so he can help me when I end up in graphic quicksand, lol. Btw, readers are ALWAYS welcome to share any of my promo stuff - in fact, I hope for and encourage you to do so!!

Note: The marvelous image above is credited to "nutriaaa" on Deposit Photos. His or her work is amazing. [I bought the licensing to use the graphic for promo purposes.]

THANK YOU...

THANK YOU for the many ways you all support my work, not only by purchasing my books, but by spreading the love to other readers, through reviews, participating in book discussions in online groups, doing posts about them on your social media platforms, or recommending my work to friends and family. It is the best kind of marketing any author can have.

Let's check out THIS MONTH'S FEATURED EBOOKS, right after you see my carpet bugle plants. Their spring blooms are spectacular, and they're a perfect match for the Mistresses covers, aren't they? Their nickname is the "chocolate chip" plant, because they have spotty leaves during the non-bloom months. Since I LOVE good chocolate chip cookies, when I found them at the nursery some years ago, they were definitely coming home with me. All right, enough of that - now drop down below all the purple to check out the featured EBOOKS!

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