Insecure Writers Want to Know
Happy New Year, dear Insecure Writers Support Group friends. I hope you enjoyed your holiday. May your 2026 be filled with exciting new reads. And may you receive reviews for your own books. At least that is what I am hoping for my memoir, Determination: A Mother of Five Conquers College.
Reviews.
If you read my college memoir, please leave a short review on Amazon and Goodreads. You may use the same review at both sites. This truly helps a writer be found in all the noise on the internet. Thank you!
What I couldn’t get accomplished in 2025 was some serious marketing for my college memoir. All my time was spent preparing the book for a May launch. I attempted to create social media posts on Facebook and Instagram and LinkedIn, but received only small engagement. I created articles and essays and sold some to Business insider. You can find links to the articles in my Media Kit.
Presently, I truly need to learn about Amazon and or Facebook advertising. Can you, my fellow IWSG friends, recommend any online courses or books to help me navigate online ads? I am technology challenged, remember. How do you, successful indie and small press writers, market your books? I am open to any suggestions.
So, my dear IWSG friends, what could you not finish in 2025 that you need to accomplish in 2026? I can’t wait to read about it.
Thank you for stopping by my little spot on the web. Please come again! And please sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter to find tips on writing and camping. It’s greatly appreciated.
May your New Year be healthy and peaceful this year. And may you have many successes to cherish.
This post was written for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. I’d like to thank our co-hosts for January: Shannon Lawrence, Olga Godim, Jean Davis, and Jacqui Murray! Please visit them if you can.
Our group posts on the first Wednesday of every month. To join us, or learn more about the group, click HERE.
Ask Elizabeth S. Craig. I am sure she has done both successfully and can guide you in the right direction.
Ooo…thanks, Alex. I will visit/contact her today. Thank you so much. Always a pleasure seeing you here at Adventures in Writing. Have a healthy 2026!
Alex’s suggestion is a good one. Also, find other authors who’ve written memoirs who might be open to giving you advice on marketing one because marketing a memoir may be different than promoting fiction.
For sure, Natalie. Selling memoir is truly different from selling fiction, even though narrative memoir is a story. It is a true story.
It’s a pleasure seeing you, always, at Adventures in Writing. Stay strong, dear friend.
I second Alex’s suggestion. This is an area I still struggle with also. I hope your 2026 is productive.
Thank you, Nick. I struggle immensely with marketing. I simply want to be a writer and not have to do marketing. But, alas! I am living in the 21st century. NOT back when writers only had to write and create. Now we need to be expert marketers. Which, I’m afraid, may not be possible for me.
Happy New Year, sir. May it be a healthy one for you.
Wishing you continued success. Don’t give up!
Thank you, Liza, for your good wishes. I need to remember. Determination got me through college. Hopefully, it can help me never give up on marketing this college memoir.
Thank you for your note. Have a successful 2026.
Marketing is a hard job, much harder than writing, in my opinion. I wish you luck marketing your book.
I agree, Olga! Marketing–for me–is much more difficult than writing and creating stories and essays. Thank you for your good wishes. I need them! May you have a successful 2026.
I don’t have any personal experience, but I’ve been reading up a lot on marketing lately. So far, the most helpful books have been by Derek Murphy (Book Marketing is Dead) and David Gaughran. I know a lot of their stuff is free.
As for social media, I think it does take a while to build an audience.