From Fear to Confidence: My 2026 Novel Marketing Conference Experience

I walked into the conference afraid:

  • will I be able to talk to people?

  • will I ever learn everything I need to know to market my book?

  • will I be able to execute the things I learn?

The first speaker inspired us, do it afraid! Targeted, appropriate advice 😄

Here’s how the conference addressed each of my fears.

First, will I be able to talk to people? It is easier to talk to people who already love the same thing you love. WRITING! But this conference takes it one step further. It is designed to connect writers who have specific things in common. When I wove my way through the tables on the first morning and found my assigned group, the first two people I met were not merely fellow writers, but fellow middle-aged Christian homeschool moms who use their experience to write educational material. That is very narrow! And we met within the first ten minutes because we had been placed at the same table. I know similar meet-ups were happening at other tables with different sets of demographics. And we had multiple chances to blend and meet other types of writers too.

Second, will I ever learn everything I need to know to market my book? I can always learn more (Glory to God!) but I learned enough to feel good about getting started. From Branding to Book Covers to Podcasts to Book Tables. I’m a control freak, so I appreciated learning the substeps and guidelines of these marketing tools so that I can trust other people to help me.

Third, will I be able to execute the things I learn? Here’s where the Novel Marketing Conference gave me confidence! After most of the talks, we had a chance to put the content into practice with our table groups. Almost an hour dedicated to fleshing out an idea in a way that applied specifically to each one of us. We struggled through brand questions. We helped each other see our blind spots and find what we needed. We practiced a podcast, interviewing each other.

I will recommend this conference to everyone in my writing communities, and I hope to return for the other cycle of talks next year. The price is a challenge for a one-income homeschool family, but I believe it is worth it.