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.

Welcome to Season Six of the Your BIPoC Writing Coach podcast. On this short intro episode, we’re sharing why we changed the name of the podcast, what you can expect this season on the show (Think, Famous Author Era!), and a quick pep talk for the moment we’re in right now.

Press play to get inspired and get ready for another season of your favorite literary 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.

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.

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.

Episode 58 is the final episode of our special Behind the Book season. And we're going out with an inspirational bang.

In order to inspire you to rise up in defense of the book, we're sharing two exciting examples of literary activists from history.

We're going from Civil War era Spain, to the island of Puerto Rico. We're going from wartime, to story time, to showcase how many different ways we can all support a thriving literary ecosystem.

Tune in to get educated and inspired by Spain's Alliance of Anti-Fascist Intellectuals, and by New York city librarian, Pura Belpré.

*Also, hear Lori's literary updates for the summer.

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Mora about the Antifascists Intellectuals in Spain and Langston Hughes

Read more about librarian Pura Belpré from the New York Public Library

MORE FROM REED WRITE & CREATE

We need new equipment for the show. Please feel free to show your love and support for this podcast by making a small donation to help Lori buy a new microphone and headphones via Buy Me A Coffee.

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.

Follow Reed, Write, & Create on Instagram at ReedWriteandCre8

Sign up for the Reed, Write, & Create monthly newsletter.

Follow Lori on YouTube at LiteraryLori