Insecure Writers Want to Know
If I could live in any book world, it would be in the elegance of an Agatha Christie story. I love a good pot of British tea, complete with sandwiches and sweets. I wouldn’t be the victim or the murderer, of course. And I wouldn’t be a servant because I know what it’s like to cook and clean and do laundry and wait on people. Five kids, remember? I want to be the rich person living in a beautiful home, with gardeners and maids, and have the detective as a friend. Miss Marple or Tommy and Tuppence Beresford.
Marketing Memoir: To move forward on marketing preparation with my college memoir, I’m working on the themes presented in the story and how I can write guest posts or articles, or create presentations, by zoom or in person, to groups that would be my readers.
I’m considering the following groups and/or blogs:
Parenting blogs or magazines or ezines
Local schools
PTA’s
Parent Groups
Local CHADD meetings or blogs [Children and Adults with Attention Deficient Disorder, my daughter has ADHD]
County/Community Colleges [where I started my college journey] or four-year colleges
Women’s groups
Here are the themes in my memoir. I’m being specific so you can offer advice.
Parenting:
Parents are the first teachers of their children.
Parents can lock children in belief they’re not good enough to attain goal. Like a college degree.
Parents, teachers, or the school system should not hold children back with labels.
How to parent [5 kids] while attending college
Education:
Education should be a partnership, parent and school.
Dealing with the school system as a parent; you are the advocate for child.
There are many different teaching strategies to present a subject.
Non-traditional students in college; how to cope in the classroom, at home, or at work
Never too late to start a dream
Point of Memoir:
Determination and hard work make success happen, not how fast you learn.
I only have my personal experience to draw on in these topics. I can do recent research, depending upon what the group is looking for.
Do you have any suggestions for me as to where I can share essays or posts on these topics? Any tips on what to do for marketing this parenting and education-driven memoir would be greatly appreciated.
I’m not afraid to make presentations. I’ve offered writing workshops at local assisted living facilities, libraries, teen writers’ groups, as well as adult writing groups before the pandemic. Now I’m offering them again.
June’s presentation on memoir went well last month. My next in-person Workshop Event will be at the Maple Shade Library in New Jersey. If you are in the area, please stop by. I’d love to meet you. This is a free writing event for participants.
Here are the details:
Thursday, July 21, 2022, at 2 p.m.
“Conflict: Primary Ingredient in Story”
Maple Shade Library
200 Stiles Ave.
Maple Shade, New Jersey 08052
(856) 779-9767, ext. 311
Please register for the event at the Burlington County Library System.
Now I’m off to see how you’ve tackled this month’s question. It’s wonderful having a topic to share our thoughts on each month. I am extremely thankful for all of you for being my sounding board and advisors on this writing and publishing journey.
Thanks for stopping by my little spot on the web. Please come again!
This post was written for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. I’d like to thank our co-hosts for July: are J Lenni Dorner, Janet Alcorn, PJ Colando, Jenni Enzor, and Diane Burton! 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.
You’ve got a good list – doubt I could contribute anything. Book has a good message. Anyone from anywhere can achieve their goals if they work for them.
Thank you for your thoughts on my tentative marketing plans for the college memoir. And I truly appreciate your kind words, Alex. You are correct. Someone who works hard to accomplish goals, can do it.
Thanks for commenting here at Adventures in Writing. Happy IWSG day!
It sounds like you’ve got a good list of topics. That’s great your June presentation went well.
Thank you, Natalie. It’s always a pleasure seeing you here at Adventures in Writing. Thanks so much for your note. Enjoy your week!
There are book tour blog spots that feature such books. If it’s a debut (or the first book you’ve written in this genre), I can interview you at Operation Awesome. Private message me on Twitter, if you like, when you know your publication date. Spots books several months in advance (I have about 6 openings left this year).
For the IWSG July prompt asking which book world I would live in, I narrowed it down to three choices.
One is a short-story I published. One is from a popular series. And one is better known from television, but there are books. It’s all on my blog.
Today’s Google Doodle g.co/doodle/5m9rrry This is a tribute to Charlie Hill of the Oneida Nation, the first Native American stand-up comedian to be on a nationally broadcast television show.
Over at Operation Awesome, our Pass or Pages query contest is open this week with July’s family saga genre. Know any writers who might want to enter?
J Lenni Dorner (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge, OperationAwesome6 Debut Author Interviewer, Reference& Speculative Fiction Author
Thank you for the invitation to be interviewed by you. I’ll let you know when I have a publication date. Yes. This is my first book.
Thanks for your comment on Adventures in Writing. Have a good day!
Love your list of themes. Glad you’re working with libraries–that was going to be my suggestion. Good luck! It sounds like you have an important message for both parents and kids.
Thank you for your kind words, Janet. I truly appreciate them. Yes, I love helping out libraries. Thanks for your comment here at Adventures in Writing. Happy IWSG day!
Best wishes in your marketing. Seems like you’ve given it a lot of thought. I’d visit your choice of place, too.
Thanks, Liza! I need all the good wishes I can get with marketing. Here’s hoping.
Yes, doesn’t a fresh pot of tea and some homemade scones sound delicious? All best to you!
My thoughts have nothing to do with your post but I have to say that I love reading your posts and am enamoured by the fact that we have so much in common, other than I’m a few decades older. You remind me how much fun it was to raise 5 boys, though at the time I didn’t think so. haha. I love hearing about your family and your writing life. Best to you, Victoria.
You are the best, Joylene! I so need to hear your words. Thank you, my dear. Really!
Five boys?! Yikes! I had 3…okay, really just one, but my twins did whatever their older brother did. Fun? Absolutely! Would I do it all again? Yep!
Oh, um…p.s. You are probably not really decades older than I am. Shush! Don’t tell anyone. All best to you, Joylene! You are amazing!
I love mysteries from the Golden Age, like Christie. That would be fun to enjoy the tea sandwiches and a pot of tea. I agree that it’d not be so much to be a servant or a victim.
Marketing ideas: I’m a special ed teacher, so I’d reach out to teachers. Council for Exceptional Children has conferences for teachers. I haven’t gone to one, but many of my co-workers have. It looks like you already have parent groups. What about homeschoolers? Many people homeschool due to ADHD. I’d check Facegroup for homeschooling groups with an ADHD or special needs focus.
Oh. My. Gosh! Thank you so much, Jenni, for these suggestions for marketing my college memoir. I truly appreciate your insight here. Thank you, thank you! I didn’t think of contacting teachers or looking for homeschooling. And I never heard of the Council for Exceptional Children. You are the best!
Have a beautiful weekend!
I have set down some things I’d like for my kids to know, but I’d never try to make a book from my life adventures. First, I don’t know how. Second, I can’t imagine anyone outside of my family being interested in reading about what I did. Third, I can’t share a lot of my escapades with other people. I’d be a nervous wreck.
You are one brave lady, and I wish you the very best.
You are right, C. Lee. Memoirists are always brave, sharing parts of their lives with others in order to help other people. Thank you for sharing your thoughts here at Adventures in Writing. Have a beautiful day!
What a wonderful pick 😀 It would be lovely indeed!
Yes it would, Damyanti. Thank you so much for chiming in on this subject here at Adventures in Writing. Have a beautiful Sunday!
Hi, Victoria! The topics for your memoir are excellent! One place you might be able to give a presentation or workshop is an education/literacy conference. I’m thinking of the CCIRA in my state which is the Colorado Council of the International Reading Association. There are national, state and provincial, and local councils throughout the USA and Canada. You can cross paths with educators, authors, and may even have an opportunity to sell your books in an associated bookstore.
I told many, many parents over the years when I was teaching that they must be advocates for their children. But I also believe and said that teachers must advocate for the children in their classrooms as well. All children have strengths and weaknesses, and all children should learn to build on their strengths and learn strategies to cope with their weaknesses. Most of all they need parents and teachers who encourage them, love them, and support them, and yes advocate for them.
This is wonderful, Louise! Thank you so much! You are right. I’ll need to look into these paths. Thank you so much for sharing your insight here at Adventures in Writing. All best to you!
There is nothing in this world more important than how we raise and care for our children.
Absolutely, positively, Elizabeth! Thank you so much for acknowledging this fact here at Adventures in Writing. Have a beautiful day!
C. S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower. Great sea story in the Napoleonic age.
Hello and welcome to Adventures in Writing, Bill! I’m so glad you stopped by.
Ah, the great sea novel. My husband loves them. I, on the other hand, might get a bit seasick if I spent months or years on a sailing ship.
Thank you so much for your comment. Please stop by again. Have a beautiful Sunday!
You can’t go wrong with British tea, and scones of course. It would be fun helping with the investigation as long as you don’t end up a suspect.
I don’t have anything to add to your list, but I’m glad you’re spreading such an important message.
You are absolutely right, Nick. In a mystery novel, the thing is not to become the victim or a suspect or killer. Gosh! I love scones and jam with a pot of tea!
Thank you for your kind words about my college memoir’s message. All best to you, sir!
What a great question! I struggle with it a lot, because I too just love Agatha Christie! I think the time period of her books and the setting are just too idyllic and elegant to resist . . .
Aren’t they, Jaya? I’ll put on the kettle. Just stop by for some scones and conversation about our beloved Agatha Christie.
Welcome to Adventures in Writing. Please stop by again! Have a beautiful Sunday!
I like the idea of where you’d like to go — I’ll join you!
I honestly don’t know much about marketing memoirs, but if you want to do a guest post on my blog during the release, just DM me on Twitter/Instagram 🙂
I answered your question on Goodreads, thanks for stopping by.
Thank you so much for the offer to guest post on your blog once my college memoir is ready for publication. I truly appreciate this, Ronel.
And thank you. I saw your response on Goodreads. I’ll try to remember that next time I visit your site. Have a beautiful week!