Surviving Mexico

July 13, 2021 · 6:24 am

Book Launch and Advertising Learning Curve

So this week the ebook version of A Woman’s Guide to Making a Living in Rural Mexico: How to Find A Job and Create the Life You Want will be delivered via international wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet for those that pre-ordered it. Meanwhile, the paperback version is already available. I’ve ordered my author copy and Amazon says it will be here next week. SQUEAL!

Meanwhile, the ARC reviews are starting to trickle in from those women who scored a pre-release copy. Here’s one from Goodreads:

So often women who live in rural Mexico are completely left out of all or not acknowledged to exist in any information you might find online or in facebook groups. This book remedies that! It was very practical and not at all “misty eyed”, but very realistic yet hopeful. It addresses the unique challenges foreigner women who live in rural Mexico face, like bad internet, and acknowledges that often they might be the main source of income for their Mexican family. Great book!

I even briefly held the coveted position of #1 New Release in Mexican Travel until being knocked down a few notches by more recently published books. There’s a lot of competition on Amazon!

Since this is the sixth book in the series A Woman’s Survival Guide to Living in Mexico, I thought I’d try a little advertising this month. Let me tell you, it’s a nerve wracking experience! I completed a course on Kindlepreneur about Amazon Ads and went ahead and made a project targeted ad for the month of July. That means that my book will appear as a recommendation when people are looking at other books that are chart-toppers in Mexican Travel.

I am currently doing an Amazon Ad challenge and so have added a second live ad for the book, this time targeting the category of Mexican Travel rather than individual books. I know, my book is meant for women living in Mexico, not just traveling through, but there isn’t a category for that. Sigh. Maybe someday.

I also thought I’d take a stab at Facebook Ads while I was feeling frisky (or risky). That was a complicated process. Facebook allowed me to target Female Expats Living in Mexico specifically, which means more of my target audience will see my ad in their feed. I know that not every woman living in Mexico needs my particular sort of book, but there’s a better chance that women who do will see it this way. If you’ve seen the ad, I’d love to hear about it!

Being pragmatic, I don’t expect to become rich and famous any time soon, even with a bit of paid advertising. There’s quite a learning curve to book marketing after all. So after I’ve worked a bit more on this aspect, I’m aiming to get back to writing the next book which I hope to have out by the end of the year. Maybe I’ll even do some Christmas ads–whoot! The sky’s the limit! At least today! We’ll see how I feel when it comes time to pay for the ads.

Inspiring Women Writers in Mexico–Kate Evans

Whether someone has changed because of moving to Mexico or whether the change occurs that inspires the move, there is no doubt that Mexico is pivotal in many women writers’ lives. Today I hope you enjoy a brief look into Kate Evans life and times.

I’m from California. I live a nomadic life, while spending several months a year at our house in Mexico. My husband Dave and I left jobs and home eight years ago to travel and live home-free. A year in, we bought the casita near Cerritos Beach in Baja California Sur…sight unseen. My sister lived next door and told us about the place being for sale. We intuited we’d love the area—and we were right.

Whenever we return to Baja and are driving down the bumpy dirt road to our place, a sense of peace sweeps over me. Mexico has taught me to relax with what the moment brings. I love Mexico’s rich culture, history, and beauty (both natural and human-made). We’ve driven up and down Baja several times, and I find the desert/sea combination unique and awe-inspiring. I’ve also very much enjoyed Oaxaca, Mexico City, and Tepoztlán. Mexico is a huge country that I want to explore more.

Two months into living nomadically, I had a seizure and discovered I had a brain tumor. As I write about in my memoir Call It Wonder: An Odyssey of Love, Sex, Spirit and Travel, this challenge set into motion a life transformation. It also reinforced how grateful I was to be living the life I love

I’ve faced other challenges, including another major surgery two years ago, falling in love with and marrying a woman midlife, then dealing with a brutal divorce after 15 years together, and losing my beloved parents to prolonged illnesses. These are not singular to me. We all face challenges, change, and loss. “Overcoming” means allowing life’s lessons to help my heart grow. And, truly, life is transformation.

The love and support of friends and family keeps me going. Also, reading has always helped me understand how others live this life, make it through tough times, and keep their creativity alive. I’m proud of how many lives I touched in all my years of teaching. I’m also proud that my memoir won the Bisexual Book Award. But honestly what I’m most proud of is that I’ve learned to make friends with myself.

We explore wherever we are. For instance, right now we’re spending six weeks on Kauai and have been snorkeling, hiking, biking, going to farmer’s markets, spending time with friends who are vacationing or live here—and tomorrow we’re taking a boat to the Na Pali coast. We also do the usual things, such as cook, clean, read (we’re book addicts), listen to music, do yoga, surf the internet, take walks, play cards and Yahtzee, zoom with or call friends. I play the ukulele, watch about an hour of YouTube videos in Spanish most every day, and listen to guided meditations. I also work as a writing coach and book editor, and of course I do my own writing.

Our discovery of housesitting has helped make our life slow travel possible because we live for free in wonderful places all over the world. I write about this on my blog here: Living the Journey: Housesitting All Over the World (beingandwriting.blogspot.com)

I retired early (at age 50) from teaching with a small pension but more importantly lifelong medical benefits. My husband is retired and draws social security. When we’re not at our casita, we rent it out. We keep our eyes open for opportunities. For instance, we lived in China for a year, where I taught at a university. I led a writing retreat in Thailand and have developed online creative writing courses. As a writing coach and book editor, I help people write their stories (www.kateevanswriter.com). I’ve also published a number of books (several are available on Audible as well), including:

For the May Queen, a coming-of age novel about a young woman going away to college
Complementary Colors, a novel about a straight woman who falls in love with another woman
Call It Wonder, my aforementioned memoir
Two books of poems and a book about teaching
And most recently, I co-wrote with Mary Janelle Melvin Revolutionary Kiss, a historical romance that takes place during the French Revolution (under the pen name Mary-Kate Summers).

I would consider a defining moment in my life when I read Harriet the Spy as a girl. That set into motion my desire to write, to travel, to be a strong girl, and to live unconventionally. I’m currently working on a book about our house sitting adventures.

Also, after retiring from nursing, my mom became a writer. I remembered reading one of her books in manuscript form, a historical romance taking place during Gold Rush California. After she died of dementia, I figured it was lost. But last year my sister found it in a box! My mom hadn’t spoken the last year of her life, so it was quite moving to see her intelligence and humor come alive again on the page. The book has good bones but needs reworking, so I’m also working on that and will publish it under both of our names.

I plan on meeting these goals by writing one word at a time.

A Woman’s Guide to Making a Living in Rural Mexico: How to Find A Job and Create the Life You Want

If you remember, approximately 40 days ago, give or take a few days, I signed up for Leonie Dawson’s course 40 Days to a Finished Book. Well, guess what? I finished a book!

I’m pleased to announce that A Woman’s Guide to Making a Living in Rural Mexico: How to Find A Job and Create the Life You Want is available for preorder on Amazon! From now until July 14, it is available for $2.99 pre-order. Amazon has mixed things up and you need to click on the “Other sellers & formats” in order to see the sale price. Once you click there, you’ll see “New from $2.99.” Your ebook will be automatically delivered to your Kindle on July 14, after which the price will go up.

The reviews from those lucky ladies who received an advanced review copy are better than I could have dreamed of.

“This is like a primer on Mexico!! It’s a ONE stop guide to being successful/surviving Mexico. It’s an entire course. School is in session!” From Roxana Bangura of the Bangura Institute.

“I haven’t finished yet but so far, I LOVE IT!!! I’m learning some things I didn’t know. I’ve been taking notes.” from Margret Ruiz of Margret Ruiz Photography.

If you weren’t already aware, A Woman’s Guide to Making a Living in Rural Mexico: How to Find A Job and Create the Life You Want is the sixth book in the series A Woman’s Survival Guide to Living in Mexico. I have at least two more books planned in the series.

As you can see from the latest book, my mission continues to be to provide valuable information to women who have moved to Mexico so that they can create a fulfilling life despite the obstacles. So here’s my call to action for you! I’m positive that there is at least one book in this series that would benefit you personally, or a woman you love. If you would share this post (or a direct link to the series) on your social media networks, I would be exceedingly grateful (as will the women who benefit from my humble writing efforts).

Surviving Mexico

Book Launch and Advertising Learning Curve

Share this:

Inspiring Women Writers in Mexico–Kate Evans

Share this:

A Woman’s Guide to Making a Living in Rural Mexico: How to Find A Job and Create the Life You Want

Share this: