On episode 70 of the podcast, we’re finishing the Your Famous Author Era season. For the last three months, we’ve  talked about how to promote your work, build an author platform, and find the fans who will buy, read and support your work over time. And now it’s time for me to wrap up and for YOU to make a plan to truly lean into Your Famous Author Era. 

• During the episode, you’ll be reminded of four key takeaways from the season that will help you move forward with a manageable book marketing plan. 
• You’ll also get a great tip from comedian Josh Johnson, and you’ll hear how I am putting all of these strategies into practice myself. 
• Stick around to the end of the episode to hear what’s coming next on the Your BIPoC Writing Coach podcast.

Lit Links to Learn More

If you want to watch the What Now episode with Josh Johnson, you can do that here. But it is two hours long. Be warned. 

If you're looking for more creative writing inspiration, and useful resources for your literary life, visit the reed write and create website at REEDWriteandcreate.com. 

For literary inspiration and opportunities delivered right to your inbox, sign up for the Reed, Write, & Create monthly newsletter

Follow Lori on YouTube at LiteraryLori

Please feel free to show your love and support for this podcast by making a small donation via Buy Me A Coffee.

On episode 69, which is our final guest interview for the Your Famous Author Era season, my guest is Jen dePaula, a veteran in the book marketing space who is going to share her tips and strategies for long-term book marketing success that does not require selling your soul to the social media algorithms.

Jenn is a marketing and social media expert who has been working with authors, musicians, and other creatives for over 24 years. She’s worked with every type of author - from New York Times best selling authors to self-publishing authors starting from scratch. Her zone of genius is helping overwhelmed fiction and nonfiction authors clearly and confidently market their books.

During our conversation, Jenn and I talk about:

• When an author should start their book marketing plan.
• The three different phases of book marketing every author should know.
• How social media should be incorporated into your book marketing plans, and why it absolutely should NOT be the main component of your marketing efforts.
• How to hook your reader with emotional triggers.
• The three things every author should have to successfully market their book.
  
  

LIT LINKS to Learn More

For more information about Jen dePaula and her work, visit her website, where you’ll find information about her YouTube channel, podcast and all of her resources for Authors. 

If you're looking for more creative writing inspiration, and useful resources for your literary life, visit the reed write and create website at REEDWriteandcreate.com. 

For literary inspiration and opportunities delivered right to your inbox, sign up for the Reed, Write, & Create monthly newsletter

Follow Lori on YouTube at LiteraryLori

Please feel free to show your love and support for this podcast by making a small donation via Buy Me A Coffee.

THE DOORS TO THE REED, WRITE, & CREATE SANCTUARY ARE OFFICIALLY OPEN: NOV. 21 - 28, 2025. GET ON THE LIST TO GET AN APPLICATION.

On episode 68, get ready to go behind the scenes of the world of book influencing. 

My guest is one of my favorite BIPOC book influencers, Jananie K. Velu, YouTube star and literary tastemaker. I invited Jananie on the show to share everything she’s learned from the influencing world about getting strangers to get excited about a book. 

Jananie has built a massive following of over 100,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel, “This Story Ain’t Over,” and she runs her own publishing imprint, Boundless Press, which is a part of the new start-up publishing company, Bindery Books. 

During our conversation, Jananie shares:

• How she built her audience of BIPoC book lovers.
• How she selects the books she’s going to feature on her social channels.
• How authors should approach influencers to get their books on their radar.
• How she runs her publishing imprint at Bindery Books and who should submit their work.
• Why stickers are part of her community building strategy.

LIT LINKS to Learn More

You can follow Jananie on YouTube, and across all of her social platforms at ThisStoryAin’tOver. You can also buy her bookish merch at her store This Story Ain’t Over.com. 

Jananie’s imprint Boundless Press is part of Bindery Books

Some of Jananie’s Favorite BIPOC authors:

Alexis Henderson

Sylvia Moreno Garcia

Olivie Blake

Visit the website, to learn more about The Reed, Write, & Create Sanctuary, and add your name to the Tell Me More List to get an application. Remember doors to the Sanctuary are open from November 21 - 28, 2025. After that, they stay closed until May 2026. Stop waiting on your writing life. 

If you're looking for more creative writing inspiration, and useful resources for your literary life, visit the Reed, Write, & Create website at ReedWriteandcreate.com. 

For literary inspiration and opportunities delivered right to your inbox, sign up for the Reed, Write, & Create monthly newsletter

Follow Lori on YouTube at LiteraryLori

Please feel free to show your love and support for this podcast by making a small donation via Buy Me A Coffee.

On episode 67, get ready for a pep talk about the importance of community when it comes to stepping into your Famous Author Era. 

Tune in to learn:

• Why you need a community of fellow authors to really help you thrive and survive in your famous author era.
• The proven benefits of having a community to help you achieve your book promotion and audience building goals.
• How and where to find the perfect author community.
• The pitfalls of achieving literary success alone. 
  
  

LIT LINKS to LEARN MORE

To learn more about Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, read this article.

Review the episodes of the podcast featuring Robin Davis and Nadia Alexis to hear how these two debut authors successfully leaned into community when launching their books. 

To learn more about The Reed, Write, & Create Sanctuary, add your name to the Tell Me More List. Remember doors to the Sanctuary will open on November 21 - 28, 2025. After that, they stay closed until May 2026. If you want an application, you must be on the list. 

If you're looking for more creative writing inspiration, and useful resources for your literary life, visit the reed write and create website at REEDWriteandcreate.com. 

For literary inspiration and opportunities delivered right to your inbox, sign up for the Reed, Write, & Create monthly newsletter

Follow Lori on YouTube at LiteraryLori

Please feel free to show your love and support for this podcast by making a small donation via Buy Me A Coffee.

On episode 66, we're talking about how to use the power of community, connection, and conscious marketing to sell more books and have a more successful and satisfying career as an author. My guest on the show is Tamela J. Gordon.

Tamela Gordon is a literary activist, the author of the critically acclaimed 2024 memoir, Hood Wellness, and she is an acquisitions editor at Row House Books. She is also a book critic, self-care coach, and performer. Online, she uses the handle, She Writes to Live to share her wisdom and advice for writers. 

This isn’t a conversation about algorithms and social media. Expensive publicists and bestseller lists aren’t part of the discussion. You are going to hear about a paradigm-shifting way to view book selling, book marketing, and finding the readers who will support you and read your books. 

Get ready to lean in and learn. Welcome to Your Famous Author Era.

Lit Links to Learn More

Follow Tamela Gordon at She Writes to Live on Instagram and Threads.

Buy Tamela’s book, Hood Wellness at the Reed, Write, & Create bookshop. 

WE’RE OPENING THE DOORS TO The Sanctuary at the end of November. If you’ve been looking for a supportive writing community to join, and you are a BIPoC woman who takes your writing seriously, then make sure you’re on the Tell Me More Wait List so you’ll be the first to know when the applications go live. Inside The Sanctuary we provide everything writers need to succeed and thrive in their writing life. Check out the website for more details on all of the resources and activities we offer inside The Sanctuary.

If you're looking for more creative writing inspiration, and useful resources for your literary life, check out the Reed, Write, & Create website at ReedWriteandCreate.com. 

For literary inspiration and opportunities delivered right to your inbox, sign up for the Reed, Write, & Create monthly newsletter

Follow Lori on YouTube at LiteraryLori

Please feel free to show your love and support for this podcast by making a small donation via Buy Me A Coffee.

On episode 65, I am giving you a pep talk about finding your 1000 true reader fans. This is a term that is often thrown about in entrepreneur spaces when it comes to sales and marketing, but it’s something authors need to think about as well. 

Therefore, in this episode we’re going to talk about:

• Why authors should be searching for fans not audiences or followers.
• How to figure out who your real fans are.
• Where to find your fans.
• How to nurture your fans once you find them.

This isn’t going to be a theoretical pep talk.  I’m sharing facts and figures from the publishing industry to support why having 1000 true reader fans would significantly move the needle on your career and longevity as an author. 

Grab a pencil and get ready to take notes. This is a good one.

LINKS TO LEARN MORE

If you want to start your own book club and/or find your readers online try:

Fable: A Social App for readers

The Storygraph: An alternative to Goodreads created by a Black woman. 

Bindery is a start-up publisher relying on author fandoms to drive publishing decisions. 

The Black British Book Festival recently announced their new partnership with Pan MacMillan. 

WE’RE OPENING THE DOORS TO The Sanctuary at the end of November. If you’ve been looking for a supportive writing community to join, and you are a BIPoC woman who takes your writing seriously, then make sure you’re on the Tell Me More Wait List so you’ll be the first to know when the applications go live. Inside The Sanctuary we provide everything writers need to succeed and thrive in their writing life. Check out the website for more details on what we offer.

If you're looking for more creative writing inspiration, and useful resources for your literary life, check out the Reed, Write, & Create website at ReedWriteandCreate.com. 

For literary inspiration and opportunities delivered right to your inbox, sign up for the Reed, Write, & Create monthly newsletter

Follow Lori on YouTube at LiteraryLori

Please feel free to show your love and support for this podcast by making a small donation via Buy Me A Coffee.

On episode 64 of the podcast, you’re going to learn how to successfully strategize, plan and execute a book tour for your first (...second, or third) book that will set you on the road to literary success. 

My guest on the show, Nadia Alexis, is a poet and writer who created a launch plan and book tour that is still going strong ten months after her debut poetry collection hit the market in March 2025.

Nadia Alexis is a poet, writer, and photographer born to Haitian immigrants in Harlem. She is the author of the hybrid poetry and photography collection Beyond the Watershed, which was a finalist for the Ghost Peach Press Prize.

You don’t have to be a poet to use the ideas, resources and strategies Nadia shares during this exciting episode. But you do have to be willing to do the work if you want to see the unbelievable results Nadia has seen and continues to see, including getting a second print run on her book before the launch date, and finding her book in the most incredible places that even her publisher couldn’t believe. 

Press play, get ready to learn, and lean into your Famous Author Era.

LIT LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Check out Nadia’s comprehensive website  ByNadiaAlexis.com

Find Nadia on Instagram and Threads at NadiaLovestoCreate

The Publicity Incubator Nadia attended is hosted by Poets & Writers.

Author Patrice Gopo’s website was an inspiration for Nadia when making her own author website.

DOORS ARE OPENING TO THE SANCTUARY AT THE END OF NOVEMBER 2025. Join the Tell Me More email list to be the first to know when we start taking new applicants to the most amazing private community for BIPoC women writers who take their writing seriously.

If you're looking for more creative writing inspiration, and useful resources for your literary life, check out the Reed, Write, & Create website at ReedWriteandCreate.com. 

For literary inspiration and opportunities delivered right to your inbox, sign up for the Reed, Write, & Create monthly newsletter

Follow Lori on YouTube at LiteraryLori

Please feel free to show your love and support for this podcast by making a small donation via Buy Me A Coffee.

Statistically speaking, a book’s chance of making The New York Times bestseller list is less than one percent. But that’s the list most authors want to be on. Well, on today’s episode of the podcast, I’m going to offer a different, better measure for success. And this isn’t just my opinion, this is what agents, publishers and savvy authors know is true. The backlist is where you want to be if you want a long career as an author.

Tune in to hear:

• Why it doesn’t make mathematical sense to aim for a bestseller's list.
• The difference between the front list and the backlist.
• The truth about how many authors actually earn out their advance.
• The lifetime financial benefits of being on a publisher’s backlist.

LINKS to get LIT

If you're looking for more creative writing inspiration, and useful resources for your literary life, check out the Reed, Write, & Create website at ReedWriteandCreate.com. 

For literary inspiration and opportunities delivered right to your inbox, sign up for the Reed, Write, & Create monthly newsletter

Join the Tell Me More email list to be the first to know when we start taking new applicants to the Reed, Write, & Create Sanctuary, our private membership community for BIPOC women who take their writing seriously. 

Follow Lori on YouTube at LiteraryLori

Please feel free to show your love and support for this podcast by making a small donation via Buy Me A Coffee.

On episode 62, we’re talking about how to launch a debut memoir in two different countries with journalist and author, Robin Allison Davis. Robin candidly shares everything - from finances to fashion - about how she managed her launch.

Robin is an Emmy award-winning producer based in Paris, France. Experienced in all forms of media, she has over 15 years of producing and scriptwriting experience, including a News & Documentary Emmy Award. Her book, Surviving Paris: A Memoir of Healing in the City of Light, was published by HarperCollins/Amistad in September 2025.

During our conversation, we discuss:

• The logistics of how Robin planned book events in France and the USA simultaneously.
• The financial requirements to launch a book in today’s market, including the extra expenses you might not be aware of but really matter.
• How to stand out as a memoirist when you’re not a celebrity.
• The joys and challenges of launching a book with a traditional publisher. 
• And more!

Get ready to take notes because this episode is full of tips and advice that can be used by any author getting ready to launch their first (or second) book!

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Find all of Robin’s information on her website, RobinADavis.com

Follow Robin on Instagram at Robinista.

Check out Robin’s Substack and follow all things Surviving Paris: On the Other Side with Robin Allison Davis

A fellow 2025 memoirist Robin recommends, Rachel Phan. Her promo plan was fire. 

Black Women Writers in Europe

The Reed, Write, & Create Sanctuary for BIPOC Women Writers

Try Rent the Runway for your Book Tour Wardrobe in the United States.

For literary inspiration and opportunities delivered right to your inbox, sign up for the monthly Reed, Write, & Create monthly newsletter

Join the Tell Me More email list to be the first to know when we start taking new applicants to the Reed, Write, & Create Sanctuary. 

Follow Lori on YouTube at LiteraryLori

Please feel free to show your love and support for this podcast by making a small donation via Buy Me A Coffee.

On episode 61 of the podcast, it’s time to learn a thing or two about book promotion from the 19th century Beyoncé of bookselling, Frederick Douglass. 

Forget everything you think you know about Frederick Douglass the historical figure, and get ready to learn about Frederick Douglass the bestselling author who sold over 30,000 copies of his debut memoir in less than five years, and made over $150,000 on his first book tour. 

In this eye-opening episode, you’ll learn how Douglass stood out amongst other authors of the time, and his seven top tips to reach literary super-stardom. 

Grab your pencils and get ready to take notes, because these tips still work in today’s literary world. 

If you want to read the best biography of Frederick Douglass, check out David Blight’s Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom.

If you're looking for more creative writing inspiration, and useful resources for your literary life, check out the Reed, Write, & Create website at ReedWriteandCreate.com. 

For literary inspiration and opportunities delivered right to your inbox, sign up for the Reed, Write, & Create monthly newsletter

Join the Tell Me More email list to be the first to know when we start taking new applicants to the Reed, Write, & Create Sanctuary, our private membership community for BIPOC women who take their writing seriously. 

Follow Lori on YouTube at LiteraryLori

Please feel free to show your love and support for this podcast by making a small donation via Buy Me A Coffee.

When is the right time to start planning your nonfiction book launch? The answer is yesterday, but you can also start today after listening to this masterclass on book promotion with journalist and author, Ernest Owens. 

Ernest Owens is an award-winning journalist and CEO of Ernest Media Empire, LLC. He is the Editor of Eater Philly, Political Writer at Large for Philadelphia Magazine, President of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, and Regional Vice President of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Mid-Atlantic Chapter). He is also the executive producer and host of the hit podcast Ernestly Speaking!

 Ernest’s book, The Case for Cancel Culture was published by St. Martin’s Press in 2023.

On the show, Ernest shares his brilliant strategy for marketing and promoting The Case for Cancel Culture including:

•  Critical mindset tips
•  Strategies any author can use to get their book seen by more people,
•  Who to make friends with to sell more books
• Why your loudest critics can be a boon to book sales
• Why travel is a necessary part of the promotion process
• When to cash in your personal IOUs

(Note: This episode originally aired during Season two of the podcast.)

If you're looking for more creative writing inspiration, and useful resources for your literary life, check out the Reed, Write, & Create website at ReedWriteandCreate.com. 

For literary inspiration and opportunities delivered right to your inbox, sign up for the monthly Reed, Write, & Create monthly newsletter

Join the Tell Me More email list to be the first to know when we start taking new applicants to the Reed, Write, & Create Sanctuary. 

Follow Lori on YouTube at LiteraryLori

Please feel free to show your love and support for this podcast by making a small donation via Buy Me A Coffee.