I recently finished writing my first book, A Seemingly Unfillable Heart: An Adoption Journey. It is my adoption placement story from the minute I found out I was pregnant to being reunited with my daughter. Writing this book has been a dream of mine for some time now, and completing it was a huge feat. I’m proud of the work I did, and I realized the best part about writing a book is the actual writing. There is something romantic about sitting at a coffee shop, laptop in front of me, and hours behind me of creating. I am fortunate to know the beauty of that space.

Things got less romantic as I started looking into publishing and marketing my book. I’m a writer. I’m not a marketing expert or a publisher. The publishing part I figured out, to some extent, but marketing myself and the book has been the most frustrating. It takes time to learn the in’s and out’s of marketing, and selling a product is one thing, but marketing yourself can be difficult. If I review my book on Amazon, do you think people will heed my advice on reading my book? I wrote the book, I’m going to tell you to buy it! If someone else leaves a review, someone not tied to my story, what review will bring in more sales?

As adoptive parents, you must market yourself. Calling it marketing makes it feel like a transaction, but its the honest truth. You must put your best foot forward and convince birth parents why you are the “right” couple for their child. The popularity of running your own social media and marketing to adopt a child has had some traction. However, most adoptive couples who have found success in doing so had skills in marketing and sales before they started. Not everyone is a social media expert who knows how the algorithm works for each platform or how to get birth parents to see your profile.

I am reaching the third month since my book launched and I am seeing the downfall of not having a professional to run my marketing, including social media, bio, and website. Many times others see qualities in us that we do not see. They have more experience and know-how to get certain jobs done. Working at CAIRS has shown me the value of having a knowledgeable team behind your desire to adopt. Highlight what you do best and apply it to your adoption journey, what you don’t know, turn to the experts to help you reach your desire in a more positive and efficient way.