When asked how she thinks her book, Soul Vagina: In Between Sex and God, Who Am I? will be received for years and generations to come, Nomxolisi Ndlangana carefully considers the question before answering, “Depending on which part of the world we’re talking about…this is a book that might be banned. And if that is the case, then I have done something very right.” Ndlangana, known as Nono The Poet, … Read the rest
When Alessandra Balzer was fresh out of Colgate University, where she majored in French Literature and minored in English, she took her first job at HarperCollins as an editorial assistant. Years later she would become co-publisher of her own imprint at the same company. Balzer and Donna Bray, a fellow HarperCollins colleague, were both experienced and eager to become entrepreneurs. In 2008, they launched Balzer + Bray.
Dumplin’ by … Read the rest
As a child, Deborah Gregory‘s life circumstances required her to utilize her reading and writing skills for the benefit of her illiterate foster mother. It is the reason she says she became a writer and author. “If she had told me ‘make me laugh,’ I’d be a comedian. There’s no question about it. She controlled my every thought and movement,” she told So Booking Cool. This is just one … Read the rest
“Society is the thermostat. It sets the temperature. Artists are thermometers. We reflect what the temperature is.” This is among the many potent quotes that emerged from So Booking Cool‘s interview with Grammy award-winning musician, songwriter, activist, and radio personality, James Mtume. His timeless hit song, “Juicy Fruit” (the heavily sampled cut for numerous artists including the late Notorious B.I.G.’s smash hit “Juicy… Read the rest
When Emma Dryden was among the many publishing professionals who got laid off in 2009, she allowed herself time to regroup and ultimately took matters into her own hands. Just a year later, the praised drydenbks was launched. Dryden utilized her expertise and connections as a longtime publisher at Simon and Schuster and founded her own consultancy service for children’s books, in which she supports authors, illustrators, publishers, and agents. Her … Read the rest
Teri Coaxum, professor, business coach, and founder and CEO of Coaxum Connects wrote her debut book Peaceful Pondering: A Busy Woman’s Guide to Inner Peace in hopes that people will allow themselves to become a priority in their lives. “The book is about finding that off button,” the motivational speaker told So Booking Cool. The self-help guide, published by Xlibris, discusses the important distinction between integration and balance when … Read the rest
Mathew Knowles, Ph.D, music mogul, professor, speaker, and author chatted with So Booking Cool about an array of topics including the parallels between music and book publishing, his thoughts on the digital age, being a writer, and his coined term “social courage,” something he hopes readers will get out of his memoir Racism From the Eyes of a Child. He also dished on his first book, The … Read the rest
Even before amassing a 20-year career in book publishing, Carrie Thornton, editorial director at Dey Street Books (HarperCollins) had a fondness for editing. The English Language and Literature graduate was a literary magazine, newspaper, and peer editor at school. “I realized I was probably a better editor than writer,” Thornton says. A part of her job, she tells So Booking Cool, is paying attention to what is going … Read the rest
As a children’s publishing professional and author, among Andrea Davis Pinkney‘s creative processes is directly conversing with that audience–children– about books. “They tell me they like stories with heart,” she says. Heart, in fact, is definitely Pinkney’s approach to her craft. The Vice President, Executive Editor of Trade Books at Scholastic has worked in publishing for more than 30 years. “Time flies when you’re having fun,” Pinkney cheerfully remarks.
She … Read the rest
Dr. Ashley Denmark wrote and published her first book Olivia’s Doctor Adventures, illustrated by Mike Motz, to help introduce youth to medicine and hopefully inspire them to pursue a career in the field. Her own inspiration for the picture book is her 6-year-old daughter, Olivia. In fact, it was Olivia who suggested her mother write it in the first place.
In addition to being a mother (she has … Read the rest
