Olivia W. McCoy (they/them) works as marketing manager and author consultant at Smith Publicity and is the host of their All Things Book Marketing podcast. Olivia’s professional background is in book marketing and independent publishing. Their in-depth knowledge of the publishing industry allows them to educate and consult with authors from all genres including business, […]
Archive | Book Craft
Finding Your Author’s Voice
Finding your voice is an answer to the question “Who is your reader?” Is this person looking for something serious, suspenseful, authoritative, humorous, spiritual, entertaining, dark, deep, light-hearted, or something else, that you may find parallels in a category on the booksellers’ shelves? Regardless of the central thread, your voice is uniquely you. It’s ironic how your […]
Building Your Street Team
The phrase street team was a new one for me when I first embarked on the publishing journey. I had to ask a couple of seasoned authors what it meant, and though I received varying definitions, I got the gist. A “street team” is the group of people who act as ambassadors for your book and […]
A Subsidiary Rights Kick-Start
This is a blog birthed from experience. I’ve been on both sides of a contract and have heard quite a few positive and negative experiences about this seemingly confusing section of a publishing agreement. Enough to encourage writers not to ignore the “small print.” All the same, subsidiary rights can be confusing, but the monetizing […]
Writing When You Don’t Want to Write
I laugh when I think about my history with schoolwork. Though I was a decent student, I was never keen on homework. Instead, I would write all sorts of fictional stories and journal entries (I still have many of them). Literally, I would avoid homework to write. But now I write full time for clients […]
Writer’s Corner: 5 Tips For Pre-Publication Book Promotion
You might think a successful book launch starts the day you sign your publishing contract. Actually, it starts much earlier—the day you declare yourself an author. But for this piece, let’s explore some of the promotion steps you can take once you’ve signed a contract with the publisher and you’re ramping up for a book […]
5 Things to Do When Preparing for a Publishing Meeting
Lots of energy and enthusiasm surrounds meetings with you and your publisher and/or agent. Or that should be the case. Whether in person or virtually, these engagements have serious impact on your future as a writer and author. It might be a book contract offer, a strategy meeting, a pitch spot, or project update and […]
Advice From Pros: Allison Felus
Allison Felus is a twenty-year veteran of the publishing industry, with experience managing workflows and creating efficiencies across editorial and production departments. She has edited and/or prepared for print scores of titles in a variety of genres and is currently a proud resident of Chicago. She is a fantastic, and multitalented human being, podcast host, […]
Writer’s Corner: 6 Items Every Author Should Include on Their Resume
Why bother with an author resume? Well, despite what you might have heard, or tried to convince yourself, the resume is still a mandatory document. This is true even for authors. In my former career, I spent over twenty years helping clients excel in their workplace and achieve their professional dreams. While often acceleration occurred […]
Writer’s Corner: Questions to Ask Before Accepting a Preemptive Offer
It’s exciting to get a call from your literary agent (or directly from the publisher) informing you they are interested in your book. You want to celebrate and of course you should. But before you pop the cork on that champagne, make sure you know what you’re signing up for. Just ask the experts in […]