Ep. 53 Building The Table For Diverse Authors with Julia Royston 7-8-20

When they think about the publishing industry, many readers can immediately call to mind the big outfits: HarperCollins, Random House, and MacMillan. But there are many small publishing companies scattered all across the country, and even locally.

Our guest today, Julia Royston, is a former school librarian who began her first publishing company as a way to publish her own books in the exact way she wanted them. She jokes that she has “control issues”. But those issues led her to become an entrepreneur who now owns and operates two publishing companies that have been around for over 12 years, in an age when most businesses are lucky to make it past the 3-5 year mark. BK Royston Publishing and Royal Media and Publishing, located in Southern Indiana, are her two full service imprints that primarily publish black authors; one focusing on children’s, inspirational, and religious books and the other publishing more mainstream fiction such as mysteries, urban fiction, and romance.

In this week’s episode, she talks to us about why it’s so important to have more diverse books in libraries and schools, what the biggest challenge was to starting her publishing company, and how she looks for creative ways such as virtual book fairs to try to promote her authors in the COVID era.

Books and Links Discussed in this episode:

1- Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
2- Are You There God, It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume
3- A Bag of Marbles by Joseph Joffo
4- Marianne the Librarian by Julia Royston
5- The Book of David: My East Harlem Love Story by Betty Winston Baye'
6- Terrance the Terrific by Julia Royston
7- Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
8- Traffic Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Filling Your Websites and Funnels with Your Dream Customers by Russell Brunson
9- Grace Over Grind: How Grace Will Take Your Business Where Grinding Can't by Shae Bynes
10- Whiskey and Ribbons by Leesa Cross-Smith

Julia Royston's podcast on BuzzSprout:
Live Your Best Life

YouTube Channel:
BK RoystonPublishing