Interview With Book Publicist, Marketing Associate & Smith Publicity’s All Things Book Marketing Host Olivia McCoy!

With departments like publicity and marketing, how common is it for authors to pitch their own promotional ideas? Book publicist and marketing associate, as well as host of Smith Publicity’s All Things Book Marketing Podcast, Olivia McCoy, says it is not only common, but encouraged. 

“We really lean on authors coming to us for ideas,” the publishing professional tells So Booking Cool. “We know the book space, we … Read the rest

Author Spotlight: “Love Among The Ruins” Piece by “Come November” Author Scott Lord!

Scott Lord‘s Come November (Greenleaf Publishing, July 18, 2023) is garnering praise for its execution and story. The historical fiction thriller, romance is about two newspaper journalists who reconnect five decades later and discover whether their love has stood the test of time. In honor of the book’s release, check out Lord’s compelling take on romance and the underrepresentation of older romantics.

Love Among The Ruins

By Scott Lord… Read the rest

Author Spotlight: “A Key to Home” Author Vanessa Rodriguez!

In the return of SBC’s Author Spotlight, we welcome debut children’s book author Vanessa Rodriguez, who shares what led her to writing a book and her journey as an author thus far. Get comfy and read her piece below!

My name is Vanessa Rodriguez and I’m the author of the up-and-coming children’s book A Key to Home: Unlatch the Adventure,  publishing on October 31, 2023. 

The journey I’ve … Read the rest

Interview With “Dream Big Young One” Author Cheyenne Gadsden!

Often, when people share that they have written a book, they are met with congratulatory responses. While the reason may seem obvious, let us unpack an author’s perspective on why this is common. New York-based entrepreneur, educator, and debut author Cheyenne Gadsden recently appeared on SBC in support of her children’s book Dream Big Young One: Believe it and It Will Come True.

“That is a milestone,” she says. … Read the rest

Interview With “By Grace Through Faith” Author & Educator Jared McPhoy!

We often discuss the process of writing a book, but how does one protect (or sustain) that process? 24-year-old educator and author Jared McPhoy shares his approach for when he penned his debut page-turning memoir By Grace Through Faith: A Journey of Self-Discovery (Priceless Publishing). 

“The truth is no one I knew knew I was writing a book,” he tells SBC. “I kept it a secret for a very long … Read the rest

Interview With “The Christmas Clash!” Author Suzanne Park!

Once upon a time, adult and young adult novelist Suzanne Park swore by the technique of writing every day. Now, after five published books and counting, The Christmas Clash (October 4, Sourcebooks Fire) author has an evolved take. “The idea at the time was if you write every day, if you write a page a day—it doesn’t have to be every single day—just means five days out of the seven … Read the rest

Interview With “L.A. Weather” Novelist María Amparo Escandòn!

People will read for different reasons, but what does it mean to read well? Author María Amparo Escandòn of the instant New York Times bestselling and International Latino Book Award winning novel L.A. Weather (Flatiron Books, which is newly released in paperback) answers our question on the topic. “Most books have layers,” she tells So Booking Cool. “If you don’t read well, you stay on the top layer. But … Read the rest

Interview With “The Hidden Opponent” Founder & Resource in “Geese Are Never Swans” by Kobe Bryant & Eva Clark!

victoria garrick and kobe bryantWhen former Division 1 player and PAC-12 champion, Victoria Garrick, met with Kobe Bryant to discuss her organization, The Hidden Opponent, an advocacy group for student-athlete mental health, she learned he was developing a project that aligned with her passion. That project was the new book, Geese Are Never Swans (Granity Studios, July 21, 2020), a multi-category #1 New Release on Amazon. “After that, I received an alert from … Read the rest

Interview With “Black Boy, Black Boy” Author Crown Shepherd!

crown and bookFor some of us, books are more than words on a page; they do more than tell stories. When emerging author and entrepreneur, Crown Shepherd, aka Crown the Writer, found black authors, her writing soared. Her love for reading and writing, which had gone dormant for about ten years, was resurrected thanks to Octavia Butler and Jesmyn Ward, who is among the black authors of Shepherd’s book club … Read the rest

Interview With Yahdon Israel, Writer and Creator of Literaryswag!

yahdon

An important goal for Yahdon Israel, the creator of the Literaryswag and Lit Platform movement and book club, is to bring more fans to the art, not more artists. Many writers and other industry-related professionals attend book events, whereas at a Beyoncé concert, most of the attendees are not singers but fans, he noted. “If the only reason you enjoy something is just because you’re doing it, then you’re really … Read the rest