Kwame Alexander: Business Tips for Writers

Newbery winning author Kwame Alexander answered business questions along with his agent Arielle Eckstut. 

Some generated tips

• Build relationships with your local independent bookstore even before you sell a book. 
• Have a plan that has reach. 
• Know what you don't know and surround yourself with people who know.
• When you are searching for an agent, you need to identify all that you want in an agent.
• You've got to make the hard decisions that are going to impact your career positively. 
• With his books, Kwame never mentions poetry. 
• Consider putting some money aside from an advance for promotion or travel to help promote your book. 
• Make connections with librarians and booksellers. 
• Marketing energy should all depend on your book, and you know your book better than anyone else. 
• Figure out a desired mechanism to engage with your audience when presenting your book. Do it in a way that is you. 
• To get love, you have to give love. To give love you have to have it. 
• If you don't have the passion driving you, it makes the challenges harder to sustain.