Looking Back at the Past 10 Years

Hey there reader, Peter here!

Colleen has done a wonderful job over the past couple of weeks reintroducing Your Literary Prose to the world. I know I speak for myself and Colleen when I say that we're excited to put ourselves back out there to help authors share the stories that matter most to them. So today, I wanted to also take some time to re-introduce myself to you and let you know what I've been working on recently.

From Music Educator to Author Supporter and Educator -

I can't believe it myself but I joined Colleen over 10 years ago! I started off knowing about as much as dirt about publishing and business but over the last 10 years my capabilities in both fields has grown. If you were to ask me 10 years ago if I would be a professional editor, I would have laughed in your face. But now I've worked on numerous books ranging from business to children's book, from memoirs to history books, and more! Today, editing has been one of my favorite parts of working with authors. I truly enjoy seeing stories transition from a few small ideas to a full-fledged book.

One of the major reasons we haven't been as active with Your Literary Prose is that we partnered with our friend, colleague, and now business partner CaZ to create The Author's Voice, which Colleen talked about more in depth in her latest blog. The Author's Voice is a great way for me to blend in my past life with with current life. Years ago (16 years to be exact) I was finishing up my life in high school to embark upon my journey to Morehead State as I trained to become a music teacher.

While I no longer have the aspirations to teach music professionally, The Author's Voice is a perfect platform for me to use my skills and expertise as a teacher and apply that to helping authors and other publishing industry specialists grow in their knowledge; everything from writing, publishing, marketing, and business. These educational trainings and certification courses are the perfect blend with Your Literary Prose as we now have an easy way to help authors like you learn and grow in specific areas of the industry.

With The Author's Voice I knew there were a few areas that I wanted to focus on. I am not one of those podcast bros but I knew that one of the best ways we could share our story with others in the writing and publishing world was through a podcast. So just about two-and-half years ago, we launched the Blank Page to Best Seller podcast and it just so happens that we recently released our 100th episode! Each week, I host a discussion with CaZ and Colleen centered on a topic in the publishing industry. We talk about tips and tricks on writing, or a deeper dive into a specific area of publishing like ghost categories, or we cover a particularly important news item in the Biz Buzz segment. We have also had numerous guests on the show from authors to publishing professionals.

While this isn't directly a show from Your Literary Prose, being as Colleen and I both are hosts on the show, we might share a few shows that are particularly important to authors. And I would not be doing my job as a host if I didn't tell you to like and subscribe to the show on whatever podcast platform you listen!

The other area I knew I wanted to focus on when I started working was a professional organization of some kind. There are a number of organizations around the industry for authors and publishers and other specific jobs within the industry but there was still something we saw was missing. With the boom in publishing over the past 15+ years there came a boom of professionals (or those who called themselves professionals) who served authors. While we know there are many people out there who truly have the author's best interest at heart, here at Your Literary Prose we came across more than our fair share of authors who were taken advantage of or just poorly served by others. So we created a professional organization:The Author's Voice Association. The Association members are all vetted and we continue to have professional development and networking in our monthly meetings so you can trust that members in the association will treat you and your project with the dedication, determination, and respect it deserves. We always say that we have a dedicated team of professionals behind us at Your Literary Prose and you can trust that with members of The Author's Voice Association.

So over the coming days, weeks, and months, you'll see more of both Colleen and myself. We have a great connection with The Author's Voice and are excited to share some of those projects with you when relevant but we're looking forward to getting back in touch with everyone here. We have a few new things coming your way too so be on the lookout for them!

Until next time,

Peter