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

Interview With “The Way Out” Director Barry Jay & Actor Mike Manning!

There are levels to the craft, something fitness mogul and songwriter-turned filmmaker Barry Jay and Emmy-winning television and film professional Mike Manning understand well. The two recently appeared on So Booking Cool to promote their new multi-award-winning film The Way Out, which is now available on digital, demand, and DVD.

With The Way Out being his third film, Jay decided to take a bit of a different approach. “People … 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 “Soul Beneficiary” Author & Entrepreneur Jessi Park!

The past can be painful, but it can also motivate. Entrepreneur and author of the bestseller Soul Beneficiary: The Good, Better, Best Guide to Success in Selling Insurance Jessi Park faced hardships during her childhood and later as a single parent. “I feel like whenever you experience choosing between paying a bill or eating, that you find yourself saying to yourself ‘I will never be in this position again,’” … Read the rest

Interview With “Another Christmas” Actress Sheena Faust!

Sometimes actors will seek books for craft, sometimes they will seek it for perseverance. Sheena Faust, star of the feel-good Another Christmas (Stacie Davis Films) and creator of the upcoming series WAISS (Why Am I Still Single?) can relate. “I really enjoy personal development books,” she tells SBC. “I think that this craft can be difficult at times. It is a journey. Actors, whenever we start … Read the rest

Interview With The Black Fairy Godmother Simone Gordon!

Many are familiar with Whitney Houston’s timeless role as the fairy godmother in Cinderella. In real life, there is Simone Gordon, whose generous deeds around the world earned her the moniker Black Fairy Godmother, which spawned her award-winning nonprofit foundation of the same name. The New Jersey-based organization is holding its 3rd annual Purple Diamond Awards on November 5 at the Newark Museum of Art, which will honor 8 … Read the rest

Interview With Journalist & “Tune in Tomorrow” Author Randee Dawn!

Journalist and Tune in Tomorrow (August 18, 2022, Solaris Books/Simon & Schuster) novelist Randee Dawn is a writer and storyteller through and through. As a youth, she wrote stories about her stuffed animals, and on the rare occasion she skipped school, it was to visit the library. Teachers assumed she was writing notes when she was writing fiction. Her love for literacy carried into fanfiction—Law & Order fanfiction (she … Read the rest

Interview With Entrepreneur & “I Can’t Wait to Vote” Author Tiffany Lanier!

The relationship that young people have with books and reading help shape who they become. Entrepreneur, speaker, and debut author Tiffany Lanier reflects on how her beginnings with literature made her the woman she is today. The defining moment arrived when she was in the third grade at one of her parent-teacher conferences.

“The teacher told my mom she felt like I was illiterate,” The Morning Shift Co. founder tells … Read the rest

Interview With Actor & Author David Banks!

Many realize they have a talent or skill when someone says so. But as we know, being good at something does not prevent rejection. Actor David Banks (who appears in the new season of the hit Netflix series Never Have I Ever) says in the beginning of his career, there was not much encouragement. “I was hearing more of the ‘What are you thinking? What are you doing? You’re … Read the rest

Interview With “The Anatomy of a Corporate Lynching” Author Charles Ford!

In his gripping memoir The Anatomy of a Corporate Lynching (now updated and available as an audiobook), Charles Ford reveals the retaliation he faced from his job Con Edison after he went to the media and pursued legal action over them pirating his slogan. As one may imagine, things became rocky at work, so much so that he began tape-recording his exchanges. He writes that he felt dissed, disregarded, and Read the rest