The Smutlancers

Author: Kayla Lords

presentation notes from 2018 Eroticon session 0

Making Money / Sex Bloggers/Sex Toy Reviewers

2018 Eroticon Presentation Notes: How to Make Money From Your Blog

If you were able to attend my session at Eroticon, I hope you enjoyed it and got something out of it. If you couldn’t go this year, hopefully you’ll be able to go in the future. Either way, feel free to use my notes and resources from my Saturday morning session. How to Make Money From Your Blog Without Losing Your Soul or Your Audience A lot of people worry that monetizing their blog means they’re inherently corrupt or that the money will become more important than the content. They don’t want it to change them. Everyone should feel free...

always be yourself 2

Smutlancer Life

When In Doubt, Be Who You Are

I’m writing this the Sunday before I head to Eroticon 2018. My to-do list for client work and blogging is nearly done. A trip I’ve been thinking about since my return flight after Eroticon 2017 is about to become a reality. This time, my husband (that’s still fun to say/type!) John Brownstone will be with me. It won’t be my first international trip, my first time in London, or my first time living and working for a weekend as “Kayla Lords.” Those firsts are done. But there are still firsts to be had… My first time presenting as “Kayla Lords”...

making my to-do list more productive 0

Smutlancer Life

Hacking My To-Do List to Get More Done

It’s the Friday before Eroticon 2018, and I’ve worked (and am still working) hard to get as much done before I leave as possible. Between client work, blogging, and podcasting, it’s more than I anticipated. Although why I told myself 15 hour workdays were a thing I could just keep doing, I don’t know. I’ve survived though — with help. Think lots of caffeine, pretending to work while I watch TV, and procrastination on Twitter. So. Much. Procrastination. But I’m nearly done, and it’s thanks in part to finding a system that kept me organized and moving forward. Having an...

episode 11 of smutlancer podcast discusses reasons why you should publish anyway 0

Episodes

Deciding Whether to Hit Publish or Not SL011

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:37 — 21.3MB)

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Sometimes writing a blog or making a thing is easy. We almost feel a compulsion to do it or we’re “on brand” so of course we’ll put it out there. But what happens when you want to (or do) write or make a thing, but you wonder if you “should” publish it? This week I’m sharing three reasons why you should hit publish most of the time. In this episode: I’m going on a two week hiatus for Eroticon and travel so no new podcast until March 28. The next episode should be (barring problems) the recording of the podcast...

one piece advice for a new writer 0

Ask the Smutlancer / Erotic Authors / Freelancers / Sex Bloggers/Sex Toy Reviewers / Writing

Ask the Smutlancer: One Thing a New Writer Needs to Know

There are a lot of things new (and established) writers need to know. Thanks to a questioned submitted to Ask the Smutlancer, we’re discussing just one of those things…the one that (to me) is most important. If you can do this, you’ll be farther ahead than most other sex writers and sex bloggers. The Question NortyNinja asks… If you were to offer one piece of advice to a newbie writer what would that be? The Answer… The amount of advice and information out there for a new writer could drown a person. Frankly, I get overwhelmed by it all, and...

post on setting boundaries in your professional life 0

Freelancers / Smutlancer Life

5 Tips for Setting Boundaries With Your Clients

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not great at setting boundaries, professional or personal. I say yes too often, and I don’t speak up when things get overwhelming. In personal relationships, I hate to disappoint my friends or let them down. In professional relationships, it’s a bit of the same but with the fear that a client won’t want to work with me anymore. Over time I’ve learned to get over that on a professional level. The best clients understand and respect boundaries, as long as the work gets done. The worst clients ignore boundaries or decide to move...

smutlancer podcast episode 10 discusses giving advice 1

Episodes

Advice from an Advice-Giver on Giving Advice

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:49 — 27.4MB)

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Not everyone who creates content wants to give advice, and frankly not everyone even should. But if you’re interested in offering your perspective on the world in a way that might help others, I have some, well, advice. Ultimately, you have to find what works for you. As someone who used to think there was nothing I could say to help others, I’ve found a way that builds connections and an audience while letting me sleep at night. Take as little or as much as you want from this episode. Ultimately, we all have to find the path that works...

on the care and feeding of a smutlancer 0

Smutlancer Life

On the Care and Feeding of Your Smutlancer

I’m not exactly young anymore (but I’m definitely not old!), and I’ve finally had to admit to myself that I’m not the same person I was in college. That chick could write until 2am, sleep until 6am, go to an 8am class and stay up until 3am studying the next night. (Yeah, I know that was nearly 20 years ago…) These days if I’m not getting at least six hours of sleep, I can barely function. But sometimes you just don’t have a choice. You’ve got a deadline – self-imposed or from a client. You work long hours and get...

an alternative to call-out culture as a smutlancer 0

Smutlancer Life

An Alternative to Calling Out an Adult Company

I’ve said before that call-out culture (on any social media platform) isn’t my thing. My personality isn’t built for it, and from observation, it doesn’t work most of the time. Typically, several people yell (in all caps), feelings get hurt and tempers flare on both sides, and there is no dialogue. People dig their heels in because they think they’re right and/or they feel persecuted. Sides are taken, lines are drawn, and both sides go back to what they were doing in a few days but now with hard feelings and little willingness to work together or build an understanding...

episode 9 of smutlancer podcast discusses keeping your website operational 2

Episodes

3 Things You Need for Your Website SL009

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:05 — 14.7MB)

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As someone trying to earn money and build a career off of the sexy, smutty stuff you make, your website must work. While you can’t prevent crashes (or most of them), there are things and people you can have to help you survive them. When my own website crashed this week, I was reminded of this in a big way. In this episode: All my websites went down this week. After the first fix, KaylaLords.com was still down. I hadn’t run a back-up recently, even though I knew they were important. Thankfully I had help because I don’t really know...