📈 9,000 Views and a Near Disaster
By D.C. Salmon ⏱️ Reading Time: 5 minutes
- In this post: Smashing records with over 9,000 blog views in September, diagnosing the "Blogger conversion" headache, the horrifying template car crash that nearly broke my site, and the publishing schedule leading up to late October.
This month on the blog has been almost beyond words.
I genuinely look forward to sitting down week in, week out to write these behind-the-scenes posts. When August wrapped up, I honestly thought hitting 5,416 views was a milestone that would take me months to rival, let alone surpass.
Yet as of today—Wednesday, 30 September 2026 at 7:00 am—we have smashed clean through that ceiling, hitting 9231 views!
A massive, heartfelt thank you to everyone who stops by to read my updates. I appreciate every single visit more than you know.
🚨 The Conundrum: 9,000 Views... But Where Is Everyone?
As fantastic as seeing those raw analytics climb feels, there is an elephant in the room that has been niggling at me all week.
I’ve had over 9,000 views this month, yet I have seen 0 comments, 0 new blog follows, and I doubt a single direct book order has originated from this site over the past four weeks.
In the online marketing world, they call this a conversion problem.
How many of those thousands of visits were genuine book lovers settling down with a cup of tea to read my articles? Were they simply fleeting passers-by who stumbled onto the link, skimmed for ten seconds, and vanished into the digital ether? With a blog called Swimming Upstream, half of them probably thought they were clicking on a fly-fishing website! 😂
Digging deeper, I’ve come to the conclusion that the platform itself isn't doing me any favours.
The native themes on Blogger are showing their age; the system rarely gets major layout overhauls. My current layout lacks an intuitive, modern sidebar to house essential widgets: an eye-catching "About the Author" bio, social links, newsletter sign-up boxes, and, most crucially, prominent, click-worthy covers linking straight to Cedric and Daniela's adventures on Amazon.
I did try moving the blog over to my official author domain (dcsalmonbooks.com) in the past, but the organic traffic dropped to near-zero, which brought me straight back to Blogger. Clearly, the traffic is here—I just need a digital shopfront that doesn't hide my books in the shadows.
💥 The Great Template Disaster of 2026
Naturally, being someone who likes to roll up his sleeves, I decided to fix the problem myself.
A bit of research revealed that you can download modern, custom third-party themes and upload them directly into Blogger. Perfect, I thought. I scoured the web, tracked down a couple of slick-looking free templates, and eagerly uploaded the code.
What followed can only be described as a complete and utter digital car crash.
Instead of the glossy, professional magazine layout advertised in the demo, my site transformed into an unrecognizable mess. Navigation menus disappeared, text overlapping images, fonts exploded in bizarre sizes, and the entire layout looked like a construction site after a gale. For twenty terrifying minutes, I genuinely thought I had wiped out years of blog archives and ruined my site beyond repair.
Thankfully, after a frantic scramble through Blogger’s theme settings, I managed to revert to the old template, re-upload my custom banner, wrestle the sidebar widgets back into place, and breathe a monumental sigh of relief.
It will definitely need a professional refresh down the line, but for now, I am stepping slowly away from the template editor and leaving well alone! If I’d paid good money for a premium theme only to break my site, it would have driven me completely barmy.
⏳ The Waiting Game: Dates for the Diary
Why did I find myself meddling with Blogger code in the first place? Simply because I cannot sit still while waiting on other people!
Right now, everything in my publishing schedule is stacked up behind the calendar:
- 14th October: Peter at Bespoke Book Covers begins work on the cover resizing for Books 1 and 2, as well as the brand-new wrap for Book 3 (An Atlantic Shadow).
- Late October: With the revised files back in hand, I will officially publish the new B-format cream paperbacks for An Irish Mystery and An American Treasure to Amazon.
- ISBN Housekeeping: Both titles will be registered with fresh paperback ISBNs, and I’ll be updating Nielsen BookData to mark the outdated 6×9 white-paper editions as officially out of print.
- Selling Direct: As soon as those files are pristine, I will be setting them up on Bookvault right here in Peterborough, laying the groundwork for our direct-to-reader shop.
As for An Atlantic Shadow, we remain firmly on track for a late 2026 release (fingers tightly crossed for December!).
If you want to be the very first to see Peter’s cover design for Book 3 the moment it lands on my desk, make sure you are subscribed to my newsletter, Against the Current. As a welcoming thank you, you’ll also receive the opening chapter to my upcoming pre-war historical thriller, Before the Swastika Flew.
🎒 We’re Going on a Sales Adventure!
If you are looking to top up your autumn reading pile with some fantastic independent fiction, I’m delighted to share that I am taking part in the "We’re Going on a Sales Adventure!" BookFunnel promo. Along with 44 other indie authors, we have banded together to showcase 45 thrilling indie books all gathered in one easy-to-browse spot. Whether you fancy gripping mysteries, action-packed escapades, or epic fantasy sagas, there is plenty here to dive into—and as the banner says, don’t just look, grab yourself a great read! Head over, support some brilliant independent storytellers, and discover your next favourite adventure.
👉 Browse All 45 Books on BookFunnel Here
💬 Over to You!
If you regularly visit Swimming Upstream, I’d love to break the comment drought! Do you read on a phone, tablet, or PC? And what is the one feature you wish every book blog had—a clear book showcase, clean search, or simple navigation? Let me know in the comments below!
📚 What I’m Reading...
Invitation from a Dictator by Rory Clements
Well, what an ending that was!
Rory Clements juggled a whole host of different subplots throughout the story, but by the final chapters, every single thread was woven together brilliantly. One twist near the end felt perhaps a little far-fetched on the surface, yet it completely worked—and knowing Clements's meticulous eye for detail, I’m certain the historical groundwork was rock solid to pull it off.
Evil in High Places was a fantastic read, but I think I actually enjoyed Invitation from a Dictator even more. If you love historical thrillers—especially tense mysteries set against the dark backdrop of Nazi Germany—do not miss out on this one. It's a cracking finish to the trilogy.
👉 View Invitation from a Dictator on Amazon
💌 Want More?
If you enjoy these behind-the-scenes posts, don’t miss out on my newsletters, join Against The Current where I share research rabbit holes, sneak peeks at upcoming books, and exclusive extras.
📚 The Newman Adventures
An Irish Mystery A fast-paced historical adventure about stolen treasures, hidden histories, and the cost of obsession. The story that started it all.
An American Treasure The journey continues! Cedric Newman returns in a high-stakes hunt for the lost riches of Mosby's Rangers. Action, mystery, and a new enemy await.
Available in Ebook, Kindle Unlimited, Paperback & Hardcover
📱 Let’s Connect
You can also find me on Instagram, Bluesky, X, and Facebook, where I share writing updates, research snippets, and behind-the-scenes moments from the school building and the writing desk.
So, what a month September was for this blog. we actually eneded with a total of 9778 views on the blog. Thank you if you did actuallly read and enjoy this article. Comment below if you did.
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