Despite being a bit under the weather at the beginning of the week, things are still coming together nicely. It's probably not a good idea to work on projects while fighting a fever and such, but I'm tired of letting things slow me down every week. Besides, I didn't get nearly as sick as everyone else in the house - so, I'd call that a win.
In fact, I'm on track to have one of the best months I've had since 2017. Considering the sheer amount of personal and professional issues I've had to address since then, April has been a nice reprieve from the higher levels of chaos.
Getting a Flow for the Videos
Theoretically, WriterSanctuary's YouTube channel should have three VODs (video-on-demand), two writing sprints, and one live After Hours episode each week. Now that I write it out, that's quite a bit. Luckily, the only videos that really take time to make are the VODs. That's because I consider the After Hours shows as more of socializing and the writing sprint videos coincide with the blocks of time I set aside for writing my books anyway.
Currently, the live videos make up three of the top 10 videos for watch time during any given week. That's not a bad thing, necessarily. I just wish some of the VODs would perform as well. But the only videos that really gain a lot of exposure on YouTube are the ones where I am reviewing a writing app or showing how to use it. I guess I'll need to keep looking for more apps to try...when I have time.
In any case, the channel has gained a total of 10 hours of watch time over the past month. It's not enough to trigger the YouTube Partner Program, but it's significantly better than this time last year. Since showing the apps I use and why I like them, the views have gone up quite a bit. Well, especially since I started moving on from Textbroker content.
Lining Up More Authors for Interviews
Speaking of After Hours, I have a few authors lined up and am looking forward to having more guests. Thanks to Laura E. Thompson, who promotes the interviews a bit on Facebook, I've collected a handful of guests. So far, they've all been very interesting and the live interviews have been a lot of fun.
Currently, I do the interviews bi-weekly. I wasn't sure if they were going to be something worthwhile for the channel, but they've been a nice surprise compared to the other types of video content. Right now, I have guests scheduled through June and am debating on installing a calendar on the blog to show who is going to be on and when.
That's all I need...something else for the Google algorithm to hate me for. Still, it might be helpful for blog readers to know when I'll be live on YouTube and with whom.
Writing Sprints Have Been Effective
The writing sprints have been a whole lot of fun. These are the live sessions I create on YouTube with background ambient sound for relaxing and writing. I haven't had a lot of viewers, but I've been quite productive during the sessions. The bottom line is that I'm going to write whether someone watches the stream or not.
Just the idea that someone could stumble into the video at any time keeps me motivated.
As I said, the live writing sprints make up a good chunk of the time I need for getting monetized, so I'll keep them going for now. Plus, I find that I tend to work harder on my book when I think someone is watching. That's how it is with all jobs, though. It's a whole different experience when others hold you accountable for being productive.
Had to Postpone Shadows Again
Because life keeps derailing my efforts, I've had to postpone the deadline for Shadows of Atlantic City yet again. This time, I'm aiming for May 10th. However, if I keep up the progress I've made this week, it'll be done far before then. At a rate of 8,000 words per week, I still might hit the April 22nd deadline regardless.
The reason I moved it out a bit further is that I am taking into consideration the chaotic nature of my day. At any given time, a client could need something, or a neighbor could wreck into my car again. Or, another major family emergency could happen.
I'm telling ya, it's been a very rough five years.
In any case, I'm looking forward to wrapping up Shadows soon and then getting back into finishing Fury, the sequel to Kingmaker. I have a lot of publishing plans this year, and so far, things are going quite nicely overall.
Still Trying to Figure Out Google's Issue
I still can't figure out why Google decimated half of my traffic. This is a prime example of how you can do everything Google suggests and still get the short end of the stick crammed right up your analytics.
I managed to make a nice commission this month from affiliates, so at least that is making up for ad revenue losses. Nonetheless, it would be nice if I knew what the hell happened and why the algorithm views me as such a freakin' threat.
I'm seriously considering forking over a couple hundred dollars to Semrush or something so that I can get some help. I'm obviously doing something wrong, and I just don't have the time to dive further into the research of why. I suppose I can call it an investment, especially if a service can help reclaim that traffic every month.
Shaping Up to Be a Pretty Good Month
Aside from blog issues, everything else has been panning out quite well. The YouTube channel is growing quickly, I've met some amazing authors, and I've been quite productive with writing my books. If this keeps up, April will be the record-breaking month I was hoping for.
Of course, that all depends on whether I can stay the course and not get sidetracked. Some days, I feel like a drunken goldfish.