About Lainey

I'm an award-winning author of women's fiction, a book marketing expert, and host of The Best of Book Marketing Podcast— and I'm probably the only person you'll meet who finds the writing journey scarier than riding a blow-up banana boat through a storm in Croatia.

That's a true story, by the way. So are the time I went hunting with stoned-out-of-their-minds tribesmen in Tanzania, and the time I sat on an Indonesian beach when the tsunami alert went off. I've visited fifty-plus countries, and I can tell you with confidence: none of it compared to the terror of sharing my writing with the world for the first time.

My debut novel, The Exit Strategy, won fifteen book awards — including the American Fiction Awards, the Chanticleer Somerset Award for Literary & Contemporary Fiction, and National Indie Excellence — and became an Amazon #1 bestseller in feminist books. It drew from a decade of being the only woman in the corporate boardroom, in VP and CMO roles in San Francisco. My second novel, Erasing Grace, is planned for 2027.

Originally from Scotland, I have a soft spot for kilts, good single malt, donkeys, and rooftop bars. I completed a few sprint triathlons a decade ago, which surprised no one more than me, given that I spent most of my life as a committed non-athlete.

When I'm not writing, you'll find me walking my adopted husky, Kenai, introducing guests to San Miguel, or hunting down new rooftop bars (I have a popular blog post about the Rooftops Bars of San Miguel).

How I got here

In 2016, I made the bold decision — or crazy, fearless, or privileged, depending on your perspective — to quit my career in San Francisco and start writing novels.

I started the first draft knowing I wasn't skilled enough, or industry-savvy enough, to know where the story would end. I took a leap of faith that the journey itself would teach me what I needed to know.

And then I did the worst thing any new writer can do. I read every craft book I could lay my hands on. And froze.

(Did you know that almost all writing advice ultimately contradicts itself?)

So I sought help. I joined the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and found my community. I took editing classes with Margie Lawson’s writing academy, signed up for weekly book coaching with the remarkable Kemlo Aki at Jennie Nash’s Author Accelerator, and spent another year in revisions with developmental editor Tiffany Yates Martin.

Then I queried and collected over 130 rejections, including 30+ on the full manuscript, before finding my first publisher, The Wild Rose Press, without an agent.

Was it worth it? Every time a reader or author tells me I helped them, I know it was.

What I've learned

A few years into this journey, here's what I wish someone had told me earlier.

The hardest part isn't the craft. It's your own demons.

Guilt over wasting time. Guilt over walking away from a well-paying career. Fear that you lack the necessary talent. Shame over being privileged enough to try. Fear that no one will ever read what you write — or worse, that they will and hate it. And the deepest challenge of all—why am I, of all people, deserving of success?

Yes, you need to improve your skills — join the writers' group, attend the conference, take the classes. But for me, the hardest work was developing the confidence to know when I was good enough to share my work with the world. The first time my writing was read aloud in public, to a tiny group at Margie Lawson's immersion masterclass, I’d have preferred for the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

So here's my advice, hard-won:

Find ways to bolster confidence in your own talent. The first award helped me enormously, but beta readers who love your book, who believe it deserves to be in the world, can do exactly the same thing.

Find your community and show up for it. It's a cliché because it's true. Whether it's a regional writers' forum, a genre-specific organization like WFWA, or a local library group, the key is to get involved. It's only by bonding with other writers, all of whom face the same obstacles, that you'll overcome the rejection, guilt, and doubt long enough to see your work make it into the world.

Learn enough about marketing to protect your creative energy. When I launched my debut, I set out to learn everything I could about book marketing — and realized how much unnecessary stress authors take on because no one has shown them what actually works. That became a mission. I now teach book marketing at conferences and in my frequently sold-out program, 12 Weeks to Book Launch Success, so other authors can spend less time anxious about the business side and more time writing the next book.

One last thing: stop calling yourself an aspiring writer. It saps your confidence before you've even begun. See my blog post on Why I’m Begging You to Stop Calling Yourself an Aspiring Writer.

Let's connect

Find me on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. Or join my author newsletter or our Substack for The Best of Book Marketing Podcast.

Longer (200 words)

Lainey Cameron is an award-winning author, a book marketing expert, and host of the Best of Book Marketing Podcast. A recovering tech industry executive, her first novel, The Exit Strategy, was inspired by a decade of being the only woman in the corporate boardroom. It’s been called a “rallying call for women to believe in themselves and join together” and tells the story of a Silicon Valley investor who first meets her husband’s mistress across the negotiating table.

The Exit Strategy won fifteen book awards including the American Fiction Awards, Chanticleer Somerset Award for Literary & Contemporary fiction, National Indie Excellence, Readers' Favorite, and became an #1 Amazon bestseller in feminist books. Her second novel is planned for release in 2027.

When she’s not writing, Lainey teaches book marketing to authors on her podcast, The Best of Book Marketing, at conferences and through her frequently sold-out group program, 12 Weeks to Book Launch Success.

A digital nomad for a decade, she recently settled full-time in San Miguel de Allende in Mexico.

She’s originally from Scotland, and has a soft spot for donkeys, kilts, good single malt, and rooftop bars.

Connect with her at www.laineycameron.com

Short (125 words):

Lainey Cameron is an author of women’s fiction and recovering tech industry executive. Her award-winning novel, The Exit Strategy, was inspired by a decade of being the only woman in the corporate boardroom.

The Exit Strategy won fifteen book awards and became an Amazon #1 bestseller in feminist books. Her second novel is planned for release in 2027.

When she’s not writing, Lainey teaches book marketing to authors on her podcast, The Best of Book Marketing, and her frequently sold-out group program, 12 Weeks to Book Launch Success. 

A digital nomad for a decade, she recently settled full-time in San Miguel de Allende in Mexico.

She’s originally from Scotland, and has a soft spot for donkeys, kilts, good single malt, and rooftop bars.

Extra Short (50 words):

Lainey Cameron is an award-winning author, a book marketing expert, and host of the Best of Book Marketing Podcast. A recovering tech industry executive, her novel, The Exit Strategy, was an Amazon #1 bestseller in feminist books, and won fifteen book awards.

She lives in San Miguel de Allende in Mexico.