What would legendary book editor Maxwell Perkins (F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Thomas Wolfe) tell his great-granddaughter, public relations guru and debut author Jane Owen today? “I think he would say ‘Keep working at it,'” she tells So Booking Cool. “I definitely don’t think that I’ve done my best work yet. I’m very, very proud of the book that I’ve written. I think that it’s great; I actually read … Read the rest
Interview With “Frazzled” Series Author & Illustrator Booki Vivat!
The advice Booki Vivat, author and illustrator of the New York Times bestselling series, Frazzled, has for other authors and illustrators is to not discredit their creative work. “… Doodling, I totally dismissed it as not being creative,” she tells So Booking Cool. “I grew up writing fanfiction, and I thought, ‘Oh, that’s not writing, that’s not really writing.’ But it is. And all of these things people … Read the rest
Interview With “Something to Say” Author Lisa Moore Ramée!
Voice is a common thread in So Booking Cool’s conversation with bestselling, critically acclaimed children’s book author, Lisa Moore Ramée. There’s the beloved ‘Shay’, Ramée’s debut protagonist from A Good Kind of Trouble (which has garnered renewed interest and now an Indie bestseller in paperback), whose voice has been praised and prompted whether it is important for Ramée to create resonant voices within her characters; there’s Ramée sharing the time … Read the rest
Book Report: RIP Publishing Legend Sonny Mehta, Kobe Bryant, Happy belated Langston Hughes; The “Diverse Editions” Backlash; Current reads & more!
We discuss some of the latest news in publishing including the late publishing legend Sonny Mehta (Knopf and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group); we also recognize Kobe Bryant and Langston Hughes; we discuss the backlash Barnes and Noble Fifth Avenue and Penguin Random House received for their Diverse Edition initiative; Jessica Simpson’s new, trending memoir; some of our current and anticipated reads, as well as other bookish tidbits. Check it out! … Read the rest
Interview With Gatekeeper Press Co-Founders Rob Price & Tony Chellini!
Many of us are aware that rejection is often part of the process of trying to get one’s manuscript published. Some aspiring authors give up, some don’t and are eventually published, and some decide to self-publish. As a self-published author (The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training) and publishing professional, Rob Price is intimately aware of these circumstances and was inspired to make a difference. He re-branded his publishing … Read the rest
Interview With Afro-Pop Singer FATi!
Some people prefer to keep their goals private. Recording artist FATi is one of those people. Despite having musical ties in her family (she is related to jazz singer Senabella aka The Bronzeville Diva and her (FATi) great-grandmother was a respected jazz artist during the 1940s), FATi chose not to disclose her musical aspirations. The reason is simple: she wanted to protect her dreams. “When something is dear to your … Read the rest
Interview With Literary Publicist, Lathea Williams!
Lathea Williams might not have initially chosen book publishing as a career, but the driving force for why she chooses to remain in the industry is due to history. “There was a point in time where as a black person, we weren’t even given the opportunity to read. We were chastised for it. So I’m very much aware of my history and that’s one of the main things that keeps … Read the rest
Interview With Angelo Ellerbee, PR Guru & Author of “The Sense of Success”!
Public relations expert Angelo Ellerbee recently visited So Booking Cool in support of his new book The Sense of Success and candle line, Scent of Success, both of which champion the omnipresent phrase: I’m living my best life. “The acceptance of you is success. The movement of you is success. You have to find it in yourself. And sometimes you need to be instructed about how to find the sense … Read the rest