Today we’d like to introduce you to Stefanie Newell.
Stefanie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
About 12 years ago, while working in corporate America as a treasury analyst, I made the decision to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming an author.
I’d been writing in some capacity since I was a little girl, so writing a book was just a natural progression in a long line of other creative writing experiences I’d had. At the time, I was freelancing for an entertainment magazine, and that experience sparked the idea for my first book The Buzz: When Celebrity Gossip Goes Wrong.
Initially, I just saw a writing career in my future. I had no idea that making the decision to publish my book in 2008 would turn into me becoming a writing coach. But as I started to share my experiences online through my blog and later through my YouTube channel, aspiring writers began asking me to assist them in their writing journeys.
The decision to start my coaching business was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I’ve since left corporate America and now have a career that I absolutely love in assisting first-time authors to write and publish their books.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, it definitely wasn’t a smooth road.
First, I had to make the transition from corporate America to entrepreneurship, which was a challenge in itself. This required a shift in mindset from what is perceived as a more “stable” career choice to one that was more unpredictable.
I also had to adjust in going from a corporate structure to defining the structure of my own business (and the services I would offer), which is something that I continually work on. And then there were the challenges that most first time entrepreneurs face, such as branding, marketing, and getting exposure for my business.
With that being said, the obstacles that I faced early on have helped me immensely. Not only have I personally grown from those experiences, but it’s also helped me to be a better writing coach. Because many of the writers that I work with are entrepreneurs as well, my own personal experiences have helped me to understand and provide a strategy for their journeys.
Please tell us about Write One Publications.
As a writing coach, I work with authors and assist them in writing, publishing and marketing their first books. I offer a variety of services including:
• Coaching
• Manuscript Critiques
• Book Title and Book Description assessments
• Book Marketing and Social Media Consultations
• Amazon SEO
• Book publishing and more!
Writing and publishing can be extremely overwhelming for first-time authors! So I’m most known for coaching in a simplistic and easy to understand manner so that writers can publish a book that actually makes money.
There are so many aspects of my business that makes me proud. Personally, I’ve had the opportunity to speak at many conferences including Blogging While Brown, the Los Angeles Black Book Expo, and the National Black Book Festival to share my own experiences as a professional writer.
But what makes me most proud are my clients like Hollywood film and television producer Madison Jones who secured a traditional publishing deal. Or my clients Sharon Beason and Nikki J. whose books both hit #1 within their genre on the first day of their book’s release. Or my client Bernice Harris whose book was featured on the morning news, in magazines and other media outlets.
What sets me apart aside from providing my clients with the fundamentals of the publishing industry. I also provide them with a strategic plan to help ensure their success. It takes so much time and effort to publish a book, so it’s important that writers know the right steps to take in order to be successful. I walk my clients through the entire process!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
It’s so hard to say what I would do differently because all of the missteps helped me to get where I am now. With that being said, if I had to start over, I would have put more effort into my YouTube channel and less into starting a blog and the other forms of marketing that I initially started with.
My business exploded and gained so much exposure once I expanded over to YouTube. By posting short videos on a weekly basis and providing tips for first-time authors, it has helped me to gain a steady stream of aspiring authors who continually find my videos.
I have videos that I posted back in 2011 that are still being found currently and help me to gain new clients. Had I known this when I first launched my business, I would have definitely put more focus into developing a marketing plan around YouTube.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://howtowriteabookthatsells.com
- Phone: 877-859-7483
- Email: snewell@writeonepublications.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/thelifeofawriter
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/writeonepublications
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/writeonepub
- Other: http://youtube.com/thelifeofawriter
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