I won’t ask where May went. Truly, I wasn’t sure it would ever end. We had really amazing highs and then really insane lows, but overall the month was good. I was busy, but not in the way I want to be – writing, podcasting, and just creating more content. No, this month, I was organizing (my website), managing (Masturbation Monday/Month), and planning (for my kinky career). And if that wasn’t enough, on May 4, John Brownstone proposed and we’re officially engaged! Which now means I have a wedding to plan – and I really need to sell more books. Ha!
All that being said, let’s take a look at how May went. Remember, y’all, this is the behind-the-curtain view of one blogger. Some will have better numbers, and others will have worse. As long as you love what you’re doing and you connect with people, that’s all that really matters.
A Sexual Being
Total views: 16,127
Total posts: 24
Top post of the month: 10 Signs He’s an Asshole, Not a Dominant – proving your content never dies: I wrote this back in 2015
I didn’t write as much on the blog in May, but for good reason. Take a look around – do you like what you see? This is my latest web design, and the one I like the best of all the different iterations of the website over the past few years. It’s mobile responsive, has more features, and let’s me customize in a million different ways.
You can even buy my books through my website now. Soon I may add a forum feature. Plus, I reorganized things a bit and added new pages. Go ahead, have a look.
Masturbation Monday
Total views: 16,870
Total posts shared: 111
May was Masturbation Month, and I expected more traffic because of the giveaways that were hosted each week. As of the publish date for this post (June 1), the last giveaway is still live if you want to enter (and it’s open to everyone, not just in the U.S.). Thanks to all the writers who participated, Masturbation Monday got a lot more attention than normal. A huge thanks and shout-out to F. Leonora who interviewed me for Kinkly specifically to talk about Masturbation Monday. Gotta love that!
Erotic Author
Amazon: 25
Barnes & Noble: 5
Paperback: 1
Want to know how well I promoted myself as an author in a given month? Watch the sales. Not as good as last month and still not my worst month ever. My hope is that by adding a sales portal on my own website (with links to Amazon, iBooks, Nook, etc.), I can focus my promotion on one site and one link in a tweet or on Facebook and increase my sales. Of course, now that my website is part store, I need to start advertising myself better here, too.
Sex Writing
Where was I in May? Here and there…
For Masturbation Month, I talked about how masturbation led me down the sexual path I’m on today at Kinkly. I wrote about the softer side of BDSM for Fetish.com. At Submissive Guide, I answered questions about introducing kink into a relationship and not being able to handle pain. And for Fuck.com, I was all over the place – SFW videos about sex, fucking when we’re old, raising sex positive kids, and the awkward sex positions that sound sexy (at first).
Loving BDSM Podcast
Total podcast downloads in May: 5688
Top episode in May: Masturbation as Part of a D/s Relationship
We might be leveling out in terms of podcast growth. May’s numbers were only 48 more than April’s, but I’m not unhappy. People reach out to me and let me know that the ramblings of John Brownstone and myself help them, and that matters – a lot. Listeners seem to love it when we’re together, and frankly, the shows are more fun that way for us, too. Expect to hear more of us in the coming weeks and months.
Earning a Living as a Sex Writer
Affiliate Earnings: $0
Patreon Support: $71.59 (thank you to my kinky patrons!!)
Writing Jobs: $52.34
Book Sales: $15.88 (some places pay monthly and some quarterly)
Sponsored Posts: $100.00
Banner Ad: $50
Expenses:
Monthly Graphics Subscription: $4.95
Podcast hosting: $17.75 (this fluctuates monthly depending on downloads and will go up over time which is a great problem to have)
Monthly Newsletter Hosting: $9.98 (this will increase as my newsletter subscriptions grow – not a bad problem to have, either)
Amazon Gift Card giveaway: $5.00
Podcast Microphone: $159.99
Website Theme: $59.40
Website Extension: $49
Website Hosting Upgrade: $8.83 (I’ll pay the full upgrade this summer when I renew my website hosting)
Post Office Box Rental: $48 (I feel like an actual businesswoman now, lol)
Well, no profit this month. I actually went into the “hole” by $25.09. Part of it is because I’ve written several articles but haven’t been paid yet. Part of it is that John Brownstone and I decided to invest in me, Kayla Lords and this kinky corner of the world, as a business entity. We sat down and had an “investor meeting” – he’s the investor, in case you wondered. I presented a business plan, facts, figures, and lots of research. Slowly but surely I’m adding new features and doing more things.
For the record, though, I could never have gotten the microphone without the help of some amazing podcast listeners. My kinky patrons got me halfway to the goal, and we got ourselves the rest of the way – although my credit card is crying a little.
Now that I’m committing money (as well as time) to this website, my creative processes, and a few ideas in my head, it’s time to spend more time thinking about the business side of things and focusing on how to bring in revenue – while still being who I am, sharing my views on BDSM, writing kinky fuckery, and doing what I’ve always done. That, truly, is the balancing act that I won’t learn until I jump in with both feet – so here I go!
