<![CDATA[J. Marcelle Corrie

<![CDATA[J. Marcelle Corrie - Blog]]>Sun, 21 Feb 2021 07:23:39 -0500Weebly<![CDATA[My Journey to Publishing]]>Sun, 08 Sep 2019 13:00:00 GMThttp://www.jmarcellecorrie.com/blog/my-journey-to-publishingWhat steps did you take to get into publishing, when it comes to marketing and publicity?

So I know folks who want to work in publishing know that getting in will be a long road ahead. This is true as getting into publishing (and almost every other industry) is about who you know before it's about what you know. But then, you hear about those whose transition into publishing wasn't nearly as slow and arduous as others. My journey is a lot like this.

But I'm going to be frank. My journey into publishing was seamless because of timing and well... luck. Hate to say it, but it's true.

At the end of 2015, I made the decision to move to publishing after working in apparel and home furnishings for four years. The reason I wanted to make the change was because I no longer wanted to work in production (my area of expertise in apparel) and I was passionate about writing. Now, I knew I wouldn't be able to support myself as a writer, so I tried to think of other avenues into publishing aside from authorship.

First, I thought about editorial, but the reason I ultimately decided not to pursue editorial is because I didn't want to be burnt out too quickly. Unfortunately, there's more editors have to do behind the scenes besides edit manuscripts (and most of the time the actual editing happens on the weekends which was not how I wanted to spend my free time). Second, I thought about agenting. Unless I worked as an agency assistant, I may not have a salary until I start selling books, so I wasn't sure if this was the right avenue for me. But I still wanted to learn anyway, so I applied for internships at literary agencies. After a few weeks I landed one.

Because I only had to be in the office once a week for this internship, I had room for another. I continued to search for other internships, this time my eye on marketing or publicity. Funny how I didn't think of marketing or publicity as an option until I started searching for internships. This happens a lot to folks who are looking to work in publishing. Usually their eye is on becoming an author or editor, but there are so many other departments to consider! Anyway, I applied for a marketing/publicity internship as well and a few weeks later, I landed one.

Now here's where the timing and luck really come in:

While I was working as a marketing/publicity intern, a full time Marketing Assistant position opened up. And well, you can guess where this is going.

While it was definitely helpful to have prior business experience, to have graduated as a Marketing major with a B.S. in Management, and to possess sharp interviewing and networking skills that were ingrained in me from business school, I also lucked out because of timing.

This all happened in a span of a few months. I still work at the same place I held my marketing/publicity internship (Lee & Low Books) and I'm now a Marketing Associate. My three-year anniversary just passed a couple months ago.

My Advice:

If you're looking for different ways to break into marketing and/or publicity, I'd highly recommend going on as many informational interviews as possible. If you aren't local to NYC, I'd reach out and ask marketing/publicity professionals for 20-minute phone calls or video interviews to answer any questions you might have. This will show initiative and will help folks keep you in mind when positions open up.

]]><![CDATA[My ARC of A Phoenix First Must Burn Has Arrived!]]>Mon, 19 Aug 2019 12:00:00 GMThttp://www.jmarcellecorrie.com/blog/my-arc-of-a-phoenix-first-must-burn-has-arrivedTruthfully, I received my advance reading copy of A Phoenix First Must Burn a few weeks ago, but y'know... life happens.

So this is the first time I’ve ever seen my words in print. Surreal can't even sum up how I felt as I saw the words that I've typed on my computer and written in my notebook were staring back at me. MY WORDS ARE IN AN ACTUAL BOOK. And let me just say, it’s humbling to have a story alongside such talent, and an honor for my short story to close the anthology. I'll write more details about my story 'Sequence' in another post (I mean I have to leave y'all in suspense), but for now, here's more information about A Phoenix First Must Burn. Make sure to pre-order your copy!

A Phoenix First Must Burn: Sixteen Stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope
Edited by Patrice Caldwell

March 10, 2020 | Viking imprint of Penguin Random House | ISBN: 978-1-98483-565-9 | Hardcover, $18.99 | Young Adult

Evoking Beyoncé’s Lemonade for a teen audience, these authors who are truly Octavia Butler’s heirs have woven worlds to create a stunning narrative that centers Black women and gender nonconforming individuals. Filled with stories of love and betrayal, strength and resistance, this collection contains an array of complex and true-to-life characters in which you cannot help but see yourself reflected. Witches and scientists, sisters and lovers, priestesses and rebels: the heroines of A Phoenix First Must Burn shine brightly. You will never forget them.

Pre-Order Here

From Bustle: The New Sci-Fi and Fantasy Anthology 'A Phoenix First Must Burn' Puts Spotlight on Black Girls and Gender Nonconforming Teens

Add to your TBR on Goodreads.

More updates to come!

]]><![CDATA[Denver Publishing Institute: Diversity in Publishing Lecture]]>Mon, 05 Aug 2019 12:00:00 GMThttp://www.jmarcellecorrie.com/blog/denver-publishing-institute-diversity-in-publishing-lectureOn Thursday, August 1, 2019, I had the honor of delivering my first ever lecture at Denver Publishing Institute. Now, I've done plenty of public speaking engagements before like book buzzes, panel discussions, and webinars, but this time I had the opportunity to speak in front of this year's class of almost 100 students at the University of Denver. There's something invigorating about talking to the students at this institute who were all eager, energetic, and so willing to learn as much as they could about the business. While I was there, I talked to students about their hopes, their fears, what they expect, and what they were surprised to hear about the world of publishing.

Honestly, this lecture reminded me of why I wanted to work in publishing in the first place. And I'm honored I was invited to speak, because I learned so much from what the students also had to say.

First, let me share a little more about Denver Publishing Institute (DPI). From the University of Denver website:

The Denver Publishing Institute is the ideal launching pad for your career in book publishing. During four weeks, it will introduce you to the exciting and ever-changing world of book publishing. The course will provide a solid educational foundation and an excellent network for your subsequent job search.

The Institute is taught by industry professionals who work at trade, university, textbook, and small independent publishers throughout the country as well as in New York.

Needless to say, this program is great crash course in publishing for college graduates who are looking for their first job in publishing, someone who's looking to shift careers, or someone who wants to learn more about the publishing industry. Publishing professionals are invited to speak on a specific topic. For me, that was Diversity in Publishing.

Now, that is a huge area to cover. At the beginning of my lecture, I advised that unpacking privilege, implicit bias, and undoing racism is a lifelong process that everyone would have to be invested in if we wanted to see any change. I noted my socioeconomic privilege that allowed me to work in publishing, I discussed barriers into publishing for writers of color and people of color who want to work in publishing, I described how institutional racism manifests in publishing, I talked about the diversity gap in children's book publishing, and what it looks like to work towards not only racial equity in publishing but also LGBTQIA+ and disability equity as well.

Many questions were asked: How do we improve representation? What do you say to those who are not receptive to diversity issues within publishing? When will the fight for accurate disability representation be at the forefront of diversity conversations? What advice do you have for a person of color who would like to work in publishing?

I'm thankful for the chance to be able to discuss these issues with future publishing professionals in this setting. It's clear that they're paying attention to conversations surrounding diversity and representation, and they're looking at publishing as a whole to engage. I know that's a rough road ahead, considering some houses still see diversity as a trend (nope, I'm not even joking about that). But to have more folks entering publishing that will continue to discuss these issues alongside those who've been doing the work for years means that this conversation isn't going away any time soon.

To the future graduates of DPI, keep learning, keep researching, and keep fighting the good fight!

]]><![CDATA[Book News!]]>Sat, 02 Mar 2019 20:58:22 GMThttp://www.jmarcellecorrie.com/blog/book-newsIt's been a loooong time since I've posted anything on here, but I can finally share some great book news...

I'm proud to announce that I'm one of the contributors to the YA speculative fiction anthology A Phoenix First Must Burn edited by Patrice Caldwell! Forthcoming in Spring 2020, this title features an array of talented contributors including Elizabeth Acevedo, Amerie, Dhonielle Clayton, Somaiya Daud, Charlotte Davis, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Justina Ireland, Danny Lore, L.L. McKinney, Danielle Paige, Rebecca Roanhorse, Karen Strong, Ashley Woodfolk, and Ibi Zoboi. A Phoenix First Must Burn will be published by Viking imprint at Penguin Random House.

Check out the announcement in Publishers Weekly:

Read more about each short story here, and make sure to add to Goodreads!

Can't wait for everyone to read it!

]]><![CDATA[Summer ARC Giveaways!]]>Thu, 13 Jul 2017 01:55:17 GMThttp://www.jmarcellecorrie.com/blog/summer-arc-giveawaysSummertime is the perfect season for reading and since I’ve accumulated quite a few ARCs from BEA and ALA, it’s the perfect time to give them away! See below for the summer giveaway schedule. Click the button below to enter for a chance to win an ARC. All giveaways are US only.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Giveaway closed! Scroll down for more giveaways!

Love, Hate and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed

Giveaway open until 7/22. Enter before it's too late!

Click Here to Enter

Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi

Giveaway open: 7/24 - 7/29

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Giveaway open: 7/31 - 8/5

Good luck and happy reading!

]]><![CDATA[Middle Grade or Young Adult]]>Sun, 18 Jun 2017 13:00:00 GMThttp://www.jmarcellecorrie.com/blog/middle-grade-or-young-adultCan you give guidelines on what constitutes MG versus YA? Do publishers look at work and think "older MG" and "younger YA" , which seems to be happening in writing now and should we mention that in a query? And is it true that a 13 year old MC is a confusing age to categorize? Thanks!!!

I wouldn’t say that a book with a 13-year-old main character is confusing to categorize. A 13-year-old MC is too young for young adult and would more likely be categorized as middle grade.

Generally speaking, protagonists in young adult fiction start at age fourteen and end at age eighteen. So when publishers look at work with a 13-year-old MC then they probably already have the middle grade audience in mind.

If you have a 13-year-old MC, read middle grade books with 13-year-old protagonists to observe the voice of each character, the themes within each book, and the content. Know which elements will or won’t work for the middle grade audience. What language won’t fly in middle grade? What would be considered too graphic? The best way to figure all this out is to read, read, read.

Regarding what to mention in your query letter: make sure to mention the category and the genre. You don’t have to write “older MG.” Middle grade plus the genre works just fine.

Any questions?

]]><![CDATA[Should Writers Have a Marketing Plan?]]>Sun, 11 Jun 2017 13:00:00 GMThttp://www.jmarcellecorrie.com/blog/should-writers-have-a-marketing-planDoes it help when submitting to either an agent or a publisher to have your own marketing plan? Especially for a niche market or subject specific book? And at what point do you mention this plan? In the query. After an agent has already shown interest?

For nonfiction, a marketing plan is necessary to submit to an agent or publisher. But for fiction, it isn’t necessary. Now it’s great to have a marketing plan ready. And it’s pretty ambitious to even have one! I wouldn’t, however, submit it with your query letter.

Only submit the materials that the agent or publisher requests i.e. follow the submission guidelines. Once you have a book deal, hold on to your marketing plan for when you’re in touch with the marketing team (which will probably be a few months before your book is released depending on the publisher). After they present their plan to you and ask if you have any questions/comments, then you can chime in with your marketing ideas.

Let me be real for a sec: Your publisher may not be able to do everything you’d like them to. Their marketing plan will heavily depend on the marketing budget, your book, and a plethora of other factors.

With that being said, there’s nothing wrong with asking or trying. Expect the worst, hope for the best. And don’t get discouraged in case you hear “no.”

Keep planning ahead.

Any questions?

]]><![CDATA[Publicity: What’s an Author to Do?]]>Sun, 04 Jun 2017 13:00:00 GMThttp://www.jmarcellecorrie.com/blog/publicity-whats-an-author-to-doI'd be interested in seeing an example or case studies of what the author's responsibilities are for marketing after a book is published. Will the publisher set up local radio interviews and the author has to show up? Or provide the author with certain tasks that the author has to follow through with?

Well, I’m not sure about any case studies, but I can tell you that your publisher will (or at least should) be publicizing your book months before it’s even released.

Your publisher should have a marketing plan for your book. To be clear, this marketing plan probably won’t be available as soon as your book is acquired, but there should be one available for you months before your release (the timeline varies depending on the publisher). What the plan entails will of course depend on your book, the marketing budget, and of course you as an author. Publishers will likely invest more in authors that have impressive sales records than debuts who have no record (though there are definitely exceptions). And of course the more they invest, the more likely it is for them to set up appearances, interviews, and events for you. Some events include conferences like ALA, TLA, BEA; book tours (especially for high-profile authors); radio or even television interviews; and school visits just to name a few. The publisher will set these events up for you and will give you guidance on what you need to do and what is required of you.

Now let me be completely clear: not every author will be given the same opportunities. As I said above, it all depends on the marketing budget.

Does this mean that publishers won’t do anything for you if you have a quieter book, a more modest sales record, or an unknown name? Let’s hope not.* But if you’re able to coordinate school visits, blog hops, interviews etc. then by all means go for it! Just make sure to let your publisher know. And if you need any additional guidance, reach out to your publisher. Hopefully they’ll already have an author outreach package for you to use as a resource.

Any questions?

*And if your publisher isn’t doing anything to market your book…

]]><![CDATA[Social Media Channels: Can’t We Just Pick One?]]>Sun, 28 May 2017 13:00:00 GMThttp://www.jmarcellecorrie.com/blog/social-media-channels-cant-we-just-pick-oneIn this age of so many social media platforms, can you just pick one that you're on and ignore the rest? How important is it to "be everywhere"?

With the amount of social media channels out there, it seems impossible to be on all of them AND spare time to, you know, write. It may seem like you HAVE to be on every single social media channel in existence, but let’s be honest, no one has time for that.

If there’s a particular social media channel that you’re comfortable with, stick with that one. For some it’s Facebook, for others it’s Twitter, many would even prefer Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Tumblr, or Snapchat. But what matters is how comfortable you are with social media and where your audience is. Because social media done poorly is worse than not having it at all.

Now if you don’t have a preference, then choose the social media channel(s) where you’d find your audience. Is your book more education-based? Then use the channel where you’d find teachers, librarians, and educators. Do you write for teens? Then use the one that teen readers use. Finding the right channel will of course require some research if you aren’t familiar with each one, but you wouldn’t want to invest your time building a platform only to realize that your primary audience isn’t there.

Another thing to note is that you can always crosspost your content across your social media channels. If you primarily use Instagram, you can adjust your settings to crosspost to Facebook, Twitter, and other channels at the same time. This feature allows you to be on more than one platform (wider audience reach) without having to individually update your channels (which can get pretty time consuming). It goes without saying, but crossposting is a HUGE time saver. And there are many other methods out there to help you cut down on social media time, which I’ll save for another post.

If you want to be on all social media channels, by all means do what you’d prefer! But is it absolutely necessary? Not at all.

Choose the channel(s) you’d prefer. Keep them updated. And remember, it’s better to have at least one platform that you use well (and regularly) than several platforms that are rarely ever updated.

Any questions?

]]><![CDATA[Online Presence when Unagented]]>Sun, 21 May 2017 13:00:00 GMThttp://www.jmarcellecorrie.com/blog/online-presence-when-unagentedI have a number of manuscripts that I am polishing, ready in the wings for when I am asked for more work. I hope to submit to agents this month. How much of an online presence should a writer have in the beginning? Is it expected (by agents or authors) to have an "author" web site at this pre-published stage? Or a strong social media established? I spend ALL my time writing, revising, or researching/reading books on craft I haven't made time for this. I also have a blog idea, that's still an idea at this point. I'm on FB and started twitter (for the writing world only) in Feb. Thanks!

If you are writing fiction, it is not required for you to have an online presence to land an agent or publishing contract. If you’re writing nonfiction, having a platform is a requirement and would be included in your proposal to an agent or publisher.

For the sake of this post, I’ll assume you’re writing fiction.

Even though it isn’t required, I HIGHLY recommend building your web presence as soon as possible. It’s something that takes time, and it’ll definitely serve as an advantage when you’re looking for an agent or publisher since web presence is something they’ll look at. With that being said, an absent web presence will not work against you in any way. At this stage it isn’t a requirement, so you don’t need to worry about it too much.

At least not just yet.

Any questions?

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