July 2026 Amazon Results
July has been an interesting month. I had been putting off writing Sandys story because I need a big chunk of time to be emersed in it, but then I was like - maybe I’ll just write something different? I knew I would be getting Sophie’s Audio to beta listen to and the mastered files for The Secret Proposal which I did and they take time. So, I started writing The Last Chance Hotel, a stand alone part of my Kink Hotels Series. I wrote for a whole week but it didn’t go in the direction I was intending. After 20k words, my mood changed and I went and took the beginning and then changed everything else. But all was not wasted. I got some good ideas down on the page which I will skill keep and use, just in a different way. I did manage to write nearly the whole book, scraping in at 60k words which is not a bad feat considering I had to redo the start, I still have my ‘day job’ and I was still packing and sending orders from my closed down side hustle.
I did indeed get Sophie’s story to beta listen to. And it was INCREDIBLE. My narrators were even better then I could have hoped. I still had my struggle to sit still but after a huge week of the continued closure of my business (day job) and packing many hundreds of orders, I was fine to sit down and listen. I still find it hard knowing I made actors say the words that I wrote because they are incredibly explicit. So I did still cringe and die, but I also swoonded. And I may have listened to Mack say ‘Good Girl’ 5 times when he said it just right…… And my Sophie, oh golly, she can act. Her moans made me envious it wasn’t me in that story. I hid behind my hands when the stalker did his stalking. I melted at my irish Rory speaking. I gasped when Sean Masters did his cameo. I have been incredibly blessed to work with so much amazing talent. Just little me, here writing crazy smut in my spare time on my sofa with my dog Tess keeping me company.
Ok, so, a few things happened in July (an after ‘release month’ which I expected to be semi quiet). My goodreads competition ended and my page reads and book sales seemed to spike. I also moved one of my amazon Categories over from just standard erotica, to erotic thrillers (for The Secret Club). On the day I did that my sales plummeted. But then they balanced out. It could have been a coincidence maybe? Or maybe no one was reading much those few days. But since then and after the goodreads giveaway, my page reads have been up and also my book sales. I will never know. But next time I have a standalone book coming out, I will give the goodreads giveaway another go.
I have been thinking about my next books and how I will market them. I think I will stick to what seems to work: PR ARC launch and the goodreads giveaway. I think I will ask Lovenotes for my Christmas novel, The Smuthood for Sandys story and if I manage my next lactation book by the end of the year, I will just do that myself inhouse. The Hucow hotel does well considering I never gave it any PR whatsoever. Oh and if I manage to pull off a half decent kink hotel novel, I will see who is available to take it on.
Going back to Sandy’s story, I don’t know if I will have the audio ready for the ebook launch. I am wondering if I hold it over or not do the audio or do the audio at a later date. I think it would be a shame not to do the audio. But if I go with an expensive ARC/ALC company, I will want to do both together. Wouldn’t I?! I haven’t even seen the sales for my first audiobook yet. But let’s just say I will do the audio, I will need Richard, Mateo, two other owners plus a Sandy. I did have a sandy narrator in mind but I’m really worried she sounds too young. And then I’m worried I won’t find someone willing to take on her story because its going to be as wild as Rosies……. Hmm. Maybe I need to stop thinking about all this and finish her story first.
A few other things happened in terms of my audios. I moved The Secret Job from InAudio to Authors Republic and by some miracle it loaded in two days. I waited almost two months with InAudio, lost all the momentom of marketing I had lined up and to be honest it sucked so bad. I also listened to the final masters of The Secret Proposal and again loaded them on Authors Republic and again, it loaded in two days. I was gobsmacked. Sadly there were some bumps when I listened to my Sophies story and they need to be fixed and therefore the release for that one is still a few weeks away.
Can I tell you a hope I have? Actually two BIG hopes I have, OK here goes: 1, That The Last Chance Hotel is half decent and sells well so I can have it made into an audio. And 2, That one of my two entered audios makes it into the final of the Audie Awards. I actually think about it almost every day. I am currently MANIFESTING that The Secret Club or The Secret Stalker make it. Gosh I have never wanted anything more. A dream I’d never dreamt was even possible to dream.
Ok, now for the July results. Surprisenly better then I was expecting.
Orders: 616 (thanks to putting up the novellas for free plus 100 goodreads winners)
KENP: 1,389,638
Amazon Reviews: 1,336 (4.3) - Based on Book One: The Secret Club in the US
Amazon Followers: 1,322
Preorders Book #5: 34
Julys achievement: I would say listening to the masters of The Secret Proposal, and beta listening to Sophies story, closing down my business and still managing to write 60k words is a massive achievement. Lets hope they’re good words……
Julys lesson: After release months can be good too. Audios take time (and then more time) to create. But my biggest one is, not everyone wants to be your friend. I was triggered by a post I saw and in a haze of empathy reached out and shared too much of myself, and then I didn’t hear back. I then made a similar mistake reaching out to someone to ease their mind and say thank you for such an amazing job. And again I didn’t hear back. I need to not be so nice. I know that, but how can I not be or try to be?
What will August bring?
Editing The Last Chance Hotel
Masters for Sophies audio and then the release with Hambright
Jump back into Sandys story (with more plotting this time!) and finish it!!
Load The Secret Proposal onto Spotify and hopefully The Secret Stalker
A half decent month in sales?