August 2025 Book Marketing Challenge Update

| C.E. Flores

Sales were… brutal. Like, curl-up-under-the-desk-and-question-everything brutal. 

Honestly, August hit me hard. I discovered halfway through the month that I’d completely forgotten to reset my Amazon ad end date. Yep… ads off, visibility tanked, sales plummeted. OMG! From now on, those ads are staying ON, no excuses.

I did decide to be a little more strategic, though, keeping active ads only on the Lupita book and my herb series. And once I fixed the end date, things picked up a tiny bit… but let’s be real: it was still one of the lowest months of my author career. That stings.

Now, here’s the small silver lining: I’ve been testing out some revamped social media content, and there’s been a noticeable bump in engagement, mostly on Bluesky and Instagram. More follows, more likes, more conversations. Will that translate into better book sales? Well… let’s just say I’m cautiously optimistic, but not holding my breath.

I’ll be honest and let you know that the discouragement is real. I’ve been putting in extra hours this year, pushing harder than ever with marketing, and yet my royalties barely register anymore. And of course, the questions swirl:

  • Is it my material?
  • Has my work stopped resonating?
  • Or is it just… the economy?

My main market is still the U.S., where so many people are struggling just to survive. When disposable income disappears, books are often the first luxury to go. 

But here’s the thing, I’m not giving up. Writing is what I do, what I love. And even if the road feels bumpy right now, I have to believe this is just one rough chapter, not the whole book.

What keeps you going when you feel like you are screaming into the void as a writer?

***

Book Hawking: A Beginner’s Guide to Marketing Your Self-Published Book is your roadmap to turning your hidden gem into a must-read!

August 2025 WIP Challenge Update

| C.E. Flores

¡Híjole! Where did August go? Seriously, it flew by so fast I’m not even sure it actually happened! The whole month feels like a blur, a whirlwind of life, projects, and probably way too much coffee and chocolate.

I think I managed to sneak in a draft for the herb study, did a little tinkering on the healthcare book, and maybe even squeezed out a chapter or two for La Yacata Insurrection. But honestly? Don’t ask me for proof. August came, August went, and I’m still standing here wondering what just happened.

How did your writing go this month?

Your Passport to HMT: 3 Pillars of a Great Life by Prakash Shah

| C.E. Flores

Prakash Shah’s Your Passport to HMT sets out to be a motivational guidebook designed to help readers achieve balance and success by mastering the three pillars of a fulfilling life: Health, Money, and Time. With a focus on intentional living, better habits, and actionable strategies, the book promises to help readers create a life of stability, growth, and purpose.

The premise is strong. Shah emphasizes the importance of achieving all three pillars together, rather than chasing health, wealth, or time individually. He offers frameworks meant to inspire self-motivation, discipline, and smart decision-making. The book encourages readers to think ahead, develop systems for success, and cultivate habits that sustain long-term growth.

However, the target audience feels a bit unclear. At times, the book speaks directly to students, guiding them toward self-driven achievement. In other sections, Shah addresses parents and teachers, offering insights into shaping the next generation’s mindset. While the advice is generally sound, choosing a more specific audience could make the message more focused and impactful.

Additionally, Shah’s British Indian background comes through in his phrasing, sayings, and examples, which may feel unfamiliar or slightly “off” to American readers. For example, health tips like avoiding “cold drinks” or the concept of “welcoming pains” as a pathway to future rewards may require some cultural interpretation. Phrases like “appreciation is what a child cries for and an adult dies for” are intriguing but may leave some readers unsure of their meaning.

That said, there’s a lot of value here for readers willing to engage with the book’s perspective. The advice is actionable and well-intentioned, and Shah’s passion for helping others create better lives is evident throughout. If you’re open to exploring new frameworks for success and don’t mind a blend of cultural influences, you may find practical takeaways within these pages.

Get it now

August 2025 Book Marketing Challenge

| C.E. Flores

Refresh Your Content Strategy: Make It Relevant, Real, and Rooted

When was the last time you took a step back and asked: Is my content still connecting? If it feels like you’re posting just to keep up, without sparking engagement or joy, it might be time to refresh your content strategy.

Refreshing doesn’t mean starting over. It means getting clear on what matters, aligning your message with your mission, and delivering content that’s both helpful and authentic. For those of us who work with traditional wisdom, like herbalism, it’s especially important that our content reflects the depth and richness of what we carry.

Audiences today crave depth over polish. They want connection, not perfection. And that means your content should teach, inspire, or transform. Whether it’s a story about your abuela’s remedy for a sore throat or a step-by-step guide to building your own herbal apothecary, each post is an opportunity to build trust and share something meaningful.

Here’s the key: don’t just create content for content’s sake. Create experiences. Give your audience something they can use, something they’ll remember, and something they’ll come back for.

How I’m Refreshing My Content Strategy This Month

This month, I’m anchoring my content around something practical, beautiful, and deeply rooted in Mexican tradition: Cold & Flu Herbal Medicine. Each week, I’ll explore one theme: immune boosters, cough & congestion soothers, herbal steams, etc., using native plants and traditional knowledge.

I’ll be sharing herbal profiles, recipes, and personal reflections across Threads, Bluesky, and Pinterest. By grounding this content in culture and care, I hope to offer not just information, but connection.

How are you going to freshen up your content this month?

***

Book Hawking: A Beginner’s Guide to Marketing Your Self-Published Book is your roadmap to turning your hidden gem into a must-read!

July 2025 Book Marketing Challenge Update

| C.E. Flores

When Ads Stop Working (and Trying Something New)

I’ve dabbled in Facebook ads before, but they’re just not for me. Instagram ads? Same story since my following there isn’t large enough to make a noticeable dent in sales.

Amazon ads, on the other hand, have historically been worth the investment. With the tracking tools Amazon provides, I could see they were bringing in results. But earlier this year, Amazon made some changes that threw a wrench into my progress.

In January, proposed tariffs put a halt to shipping print books from the U.S. (where mine are printed) to other countries. This completely shut down the small but steady stream of sales I had in Mexico. The trickle went dry. Worse still, I can’t even order author copies to Mexico, where I live, which is an issue I’ll have to find a workaround for.

Then in June, Amazon raised print prices and changed its royalty structure so that only books priced above $9.99 qualified for the 70% royalty rate. That meant I had to raise my print book prices. But knowing this would push some readers out of the market, I made nearly all of my titles available as Kindle ebooks for KU reads.

The results? Immediate, but not encouraging. KU page reads shot up, but print sales plummeted. I had my worst sales month ever.

Because of this, I’ve decided to reduce my overall ad budget. I’m keeping my Amazon ads for now, but they’re not pulling their weight. And given that Amazon reported a 41% drop in sales during July’s Prime Day compared to last year, it’s clear I’m not the only one seeing a slowdown.

So, I decided to try something different.

In July, Ultimate Bundles was running their Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle, and I just managed to get my submission in before the deadline. I offered my book The Mexican Apothecary: Traditional Cold and Flu Herbal Remedies as an ebook, which is one of my books that isn’t available in ebook form on Amazon.

I didn’t expect to sell many bundles (and I didn’t), but that wasn’t my main goal. My real aim was to introduce my work to a new audience, people interested in healthy living and herbs, who might not otherwise have discovered me. My hope is that some of them will enjoy the book enough to check out my main series, Exploring Traditional Herbal Remedies in Mexico.

The writing life is full of experiments, and this was one of them. Here’s hoping August brings more traction.

****

Book Hawking: A Beginner’s Guide to Marketing Your Self-Published Book is your roadmap to turning your hidden gem into a must-read!

July 2025 WIP Challenge Update

| C.E. Flores

I wrote some chapters of La Yacata Insurrection, drafts, mind you, since things are moving so fast these days that I can barely get one event written when another has begun. I have notes for other sections of the book that I’ll need to wait to see the results before I can write those up. And of course, since things were so busy, I didn’t get much other writing done.

I did get some editing done at the beginning of July on the revised healthcare book. It would be nice if I could get that finished up to republish in September, but we shall see. Here it is already the 10th, and I’m just getting the WIP challenge update up. 

How have things been in your writing world?

Find Your Wellness Rhythm: Start with a Quiz + Support Your Journey with 20+ Resources

| C.E. Flores

What if wellness didn’t have to feel like pressure or perfection?

What if instead of fighting to fit someone else’s self-care checklist, you could work with your own natural rhythm?

If you’ve ever felt stuck, burned out, or just confused about what kind of wellness routine actually works for you, here’s where I recommend you start:

👉 Take the free “What’s Your Wellness Style?” Quiz by Ultimate Bundles

Take the Quiz

It’s short and insightful — designed to help you understand how you think, heal, and thrive. And it comes with a personalized Wellness Starter Guide that matches your result. Whether you’re a Structured Seeker, a Gentle Flow, or somewhere in between, this quiz honors the way you naturally move through life.

✨ And here’s the exciting part…

Once you’ve discovered your style, you can take your wellness journey even deeper with the brand-new Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle — on sale for just five days (July 14–18, 2025).

Get the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle

Inside this digital bundle are 20+ carefully selected resources, including:

  • eCourses
  • Printables & planners
  • Recipe collections
  • Natural wellness workshops
    All handpicked to help you:
    ✅ Build sustainable, healthy habits
    ✅ Reduce sugar and simplify your meals
    ✅ Reclaim your energy and sleep
    ✅ Care for your mind, body, and spirit
    ✅ And support your whole family’s well-being

🌿 And I’m proud to share that my book — The Mexican Apothecary: Traditional Cold and Flu Herbal Remedies — is included!

This book offers over 140 remedies drawn from traditional Mexican herbalism, including:

  • 32 cough treatments
  • 17 immune-boosting blends
  • 67 plant profiles backed by science
  • And practical tips for herbal healing the natural way

If you’re interested in ancestral knowledge, holistic health, and tried-and-true natural remedies, you’ll love this book.

💚 Bonus for Early Birds:
Order before July 15 and you’ll receive a free $60 microgreen kit from Orta Kitchen Garden (just pay shipping!).

Ready to honor your wellness rhythm and bring balance to your everyday health?

Take the Quiz
Grab the Bundle

June 2025 WIP Challenge Update

| C.E. Flores

So I have to say that no progress was made in June on any of my WIPs. Let’s hope July is a little better????

How did your writing go?

From Rollercoasters to Carousels: An Emotional Support Guide to Healing for NICU, Bereaved, and Special Needs Parents by Gigi Khonyongwa-Fernandez

| C.E. Flores

Gigi Khonyongwa-Fernandez delivers a compassionate, honest, and profoundly healing guide for parents navigating the trauma of NICU stays, infant loss, and raising children with special needs. Drawing from her own story and hundreds of interviews, From Rollercoasters to Carousels is a lifeline I wish I had had earlier.

Using the metaphor of the amusement park, Khonyongwa-Fernandez compares the chaotic emotional ride of trauma to a rollercoaster and gently guides parents toward the more grounded, steady rhythm of the carousel. Her focus on seven core emotions (anger, anxiety, fear, grief, guilt, overwhelm, and shock) creates an accessible framework in workbook format, encouraging self-reflection and intentional healing.

As a parent who once walked the NICU halls myself, I found this book especially resonant. My son, born prematurely at 34 weeks, weighed just 3 pounds 9 ounces. More than 20 years later, I still feel the ripple effects, whether I acknowledge it consciously or not. This book validated emotions I hadn’t fully explored and helped me understand that healing is not about “getting over it,” but rather about finding steadiness within it.

Among my favorite parts are the “Words of Advice” section, which offers authentic and heartfelt wisdom from fellow parents, and the rich resource list organized by country and continent. Additionally, the journal prompts at the end of each chapter encourage parents to uncover the roots of their lingering pain and emotional responses.

From Rollercoasters to Carousels is a must-read for parents grappling with birth trauma, loss, or the ongoing challenges of raising medically fragile or differently-abled children. Khonyongwa-Fernandez doesn’t promise a quick fix. Instead, she offers a way to take control of the emotional rollercoaster. 

I received an ARC from the publisher.