Thanks, Matt! Much of what you said resonated with me. My new book, Dismazed and Driven - My Look at Family Homelessness in America (https://bit.ly/2ITtkZz), is a memoir/social narrative, and reflects my 15 years of solo travel across the backroads chronicling stories from invisible homeless families.
It's been quite a journey, and having been harassed by friends to write a book, I was able to finally come up with the combo book, which from initial feedback really works.
The self- promotion thing is the bite, as Ivan also mentioned. I don't want to complain, but politics and pandemics seem to take a lot of the air out of the media, public and social.
I've been lucky--getting a great review in the esteemed Los Angeles Book Review (https://bit.ly/3mI20LD) and some other good press. But it takes a constant effort, and I've flagged for the past couple months.
I guess we will continue to do what we do, and hopefully share the worthwhile parts in books and blogs. Figuring out the promotion aspect will be a lifelong quest!