Overwhelm, Inconsistency, and the Myth of “Going Viral”

Photo by Berke Citak on Unsplash

Does marketing ever feel overwhelming and inconsistent — like you’re always starting over?

You post in bursts. You try a strategy. You fizzle out. You tell yourself you’ll “get serious” about marketing next month… and somehow, it’s six months later and you’re still winging it.

Yup. Same. That stop-and-start cycle is exhausting. I think most authors don’t struggle with marketing itself. They struggle with consistency.

The Viral Trap

I have never gone viral on social media… at least not for the right reasons. 😂

And that’s okay. Because viral posts alone don’t build careers — consistency does.

I may not be the author with millions of views, but I am the author who’s held readers’ attention long enough for them to click that like, follow, or buy button. My audience grows steadily, predictably, and sustainably.

My secret is that I’ve built a structure.

✨ I set all my marketing tasks on a calendar.
✨ I don’t worry about them again until they pop up on the date they’re due.
✨ When it’s time, I show up, follow the plan, and work the system.

That’s it. No panic. No guilt. Just showing up when it’s time to show up.

When you have a system, you can stop thinking about marketing all the time and start doing it when it matters most.

How I Handle My Marketing Now

Full disclosure: right now, I’m manually posting every day on TikTok and Instagram because I’m focused on growth in this season of my business. But it’s a season, not chaos.

Everything else in my marketing is on autopilot.

• Paid ads? Scheduled once a month. (Looked at once a week)

• Newsletters? Written, loaded, and ready to send.

• Cross-promo campaigns or launches? Plugged into my planner so they’re handled ahead of time.

That’s the power of having a plan — you can experiment with new strategies without losing control of your core systems.

Turning Chaos into Consistency

If you’ve ever felt like you’re spinning your wheels — posting, boosting, emailing, but not seeing consistent results — I promise there’s a better way.

It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing enough, consistently.

That’s why Page Turner Planning gives you a year-long marketing roadmap. It includes a marketing focus where you’ll learn how to:

• Batch tasks so marketing doesn’t eat into your writing time

• Track what’s actually working (and stop guessing)

• Build steady reader engagement instead of chasing trends

• Schedule content, ads, and newsletters in a way that feels manageable

By this time next year, you’ll look back and realize you didn’t just do marketing — you built momentum.

Set It, Forget It, and Get Back to Writing

It’s my opinion that marketing shouldn’t feel like a full-time job. It should feel like a system that supports your writing career, not competes with it.

That’s the heart of Page Turner Planning. It’s not about forcing you into rigid rules. It’s about giving you a roadmap so you can spend more time creating stories and less time stressing about what to post.

I can’t promise you’ll go viral. But I can promise that with consistent effort, small steps, and clear structure, your author brand will grow in a way that’s sustainable — and profitable.

What’s your biggest marketing struggle right now — consistency, ideas, or time? Drop your answer in the comments.

And if you’re ready for 52 weeks of structure to help you market smarter (not harder), check out the Page Turner Planning Kickstarter. It’s your roadmap for writing, marketing, and building a sustainable author business.