What was the hardest part of completing this project?
The hardest part as an indie author is ensuring that distributors had the manuscript in the format they each needed without compromising the quality of the product.
Describe the process of getting published.
I took two routes for this book and ultimately landed with self-publishing … for now. If someone picks it up then fine. If not, that’s fine too. But the traditional route had me on planes to New York City three times [to see a] Big 5 publisher. … It came down to my book and another business book by a Black author, I was told. Our books were completely different, so it felt like an apples-to-oranges comparison. I didn’t have a traditional literary agent at the time, and the book had a completely different title and approach to it, but I did secure a literary editor to assist with developing a book proposal. I also developed a full marketing deck. When that deal didn’t happen, I began a search for an agent. I was referred to a few, followed up with one that ultimately didn’t work out after a year of “discovery.” By then the pandemic was in full swing, and it dawned on me that this was just the moment to release the book. I prayed over it and began to assemble the book which was just about written at this point, but just didn’t have a home. I decided then that my company would also own an imprint, and I self-published on Aug. 10, 2020.
