IWSG: Finding An Audience

 

Apologies for missing the June post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. We were on a family trip, and by the time I remembered, it was too late to post. There's always another month, right? Anyway, welcome to the second half of 2026. Links to the IWSG website and Facebook group are here.

Our hosts for this month are Rebecca M. Douglass, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Cathrina Constantine, and Jacqui Murray.

Here's our question for July: Is there anything you'd like to see changed, added, and/or rearranged about the book publishing industry?

I haven't indie published anything for a few years, and it's been even longer since I've had a short story published in an anthology, so I'm not current in the industry at the moment. For me, the hardest part has always been finding the right audience for my work. I'm not a fast writer or one who writes to market, which makes promotion difficult. There are lots of books chasing fewer and fewer readers. I'm not sure if this is something that can be changed; certainly, I'd love to see reading more encouraged. Perhaps there are better ways of describing books to entice readers. Some readers actively look for specific tropes that they like, but I think it's also helpful to include the unique details that make make a particular book resonate for a particular reader. 

How would you change the publishing industry? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.