Lesson learned…more to come.

So.

I’ve been writing full-time and professionally now for 8 years. I’ve had to learn stuff I never in a million years thought I’d need to learn back when I got my first publishing contract in 2014.

Book formatting. Branding. Marketing. On-spec writing. Copyright law. Book design.

That’s only the tip of the iceberg.

I joined Twitter ( back when it was called that and not whatever the hell it’s called now) Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook ( and multiple FB groups), Goodreads, Bookbub, LinkedIn – again, just to name a few.

I’ve done more marketing than I ever in my entire life thought I’d ever want to do. Which is a lot considering I never wanted to do any.

And now I’m on TikTok, hawking my books to booktokers.

Here’s the lesson I just this week learned: none of the people on these platforms is my target audience.

None.

Tiktok? 18-24 year olds. I write 35+ age characters.

Instagram – same demographic

TwtX – I don’t even know what the demographic is there, other than the people on it are mean and grumpy and feel they can bully you anonymously

Bookbub – okay, here I may have some traction, same as GoodReads, because…readers! Of all ages.

Facebook – my professional page barely gets any traction/views other than my near and dear friends ( who also see the same content on my personal page because I’m a redundancy idiot). I don’t garner new readers to the professional page at all.

Now, I could PAY for ads for all these places to try and get new readers, but 2 things: I have no money, and the ROI is never comparable.

So my target audience is females, romance readers who like 35+ age romances, everything from sweet with heat to steamy, smalltown, romcoms and romantic suspense lite.

Now, I have my target audience. Does anyone know where I can find them so I can tell them about my books?? Because I need to sell some books.

My online holiday webstore has been open for 19 days and I’ve publicized the heck out of it.

1 sale.

KDP tells me I have no sales and no KU reads at all for the past 10 days.

Forget KOBO, Nook, and all the other sites where some of my books are widely distributed. If I get .25 cents a month in total sale royalties combined from these sites that’s saying something.

So, where can I find new readers? Where can I find readers who enjoy non-smutty, non-dark, non-erotic books, but love stories about regular people?

Recently, I wrote and posted this for a TikTok to try and find my demographic there:

If you’re looking for spicy, dark, romantasy…I’m not your writer.

If you’re looking for gritty, brought and tumble love them and leave them alphamales…I’m not your writer.

If you’re looking for historical, time travel fantasy or paranormal…I’m not your writer.

But…

If you’re looking for rom coms, small towns, and familycentric stories…I may be your writer.

If you like female billionaires who had it all, lost it, then got it back again all on their own, finding love along the way…I may be your writer.

If you like romance books about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them…I’m definitely your writer.

And if you like to cry on one page and come out of it with laughter on the next…I am your writer.

So…if you like what you see here, and haven’t read anything by me, then please consider doing so.

And if anyone knows where I can find readers who do like the kinds of stories I write…please let me know.

Thanks, Peg