We all come into this world with a story, the familial past imprinted on our lives before we’ve taken our first breath. The same goes for business. As kids, we’re often asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” I once mistakenly told my third grade teacher I wanted to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. She laughed. I didn’t really want to be one, but I thought it sounded like a cool thing to say – and I’d seen them on TV and they were so pretty! It wasn’t until sixth grade that I knew with certainty that I wanted to be a writer and started voraciously writing to make that happen. I’ve gotten in my 10,000 hours Malcolm Gladwell talks about in Outliers.
Every brand has a story, whether it’s one they control or not. As a brand strategist, my job is to stir emotion, shape perception and trigger action. Those three things made up my tagline back when I co-owned an ad agency starting in 2001, Brainworks. It’s not unlike telling fictional stories for my characters.
So what do you do when you’re brand new, taking your first breath? You decide who you want to be and go for it. Certainly they are baby steps and you’ll fall many times, but you do it because you believe in yourself and your product. You keep getting up and going for it.
In 2006, I started my own branding and creative services firm, Athena Institute, named after the goddess of wisdom, Athena. You may remember from Greek mythology that she sprung from her father Zeus’ head, fully grown and wearing a helmet and armor. A smart and tough girl all the way. Her pet symbol is the owl. To be sure, I was fully grown and knew my strengths and weaknesses. I’d been doing creative – marketing, branding, writing, producing – in some form since 1989, still in high school. I was nervous to go it alone, but clients still believed in me and my work. Only, I can’t be fully satisfied with writing ad copy or web content. I’m an author. I’m a storyteller. Sure, I write stories for brands, but my first love is writing fictional ones.
I’ve been published with two different houses (2006 and 2008) when the cluck began that chick lit isn’t selling, the market was over saturated. I wrote Young Adult paranormal stories, only to hear that goddesses weren’t selling and then, angels were no longer selling. The big houses had enough angels. The fad had changed. The tide turned. It’s probably changed again while I was sleeping.
Along came a new year, 2011, and with it, the bee. The bee buzzed into my life unlike a lot of “flitting creative ideas.” The bee didn’t leave. I paid attention to the bee because I had attempted my second new year’s fast as I’d done the year before. Only I didn’t make it 21 days, just seven. The bee came from a deeper place. I had all the tools in my life kit to create an indie publishing brand, but just like I tell my clients, you have to be strategic and know what you’re doing before you tell the whole world about it. I needed practice. I needed to experiment. That’s why I started releasing my own stories – Fixer Upper and then my first novella Life’s a Beach, before attempting my first multi-author project, Sleigh Ride. It was stressful. It was exhilarating. The two often go hand in hand. You keep the iron hot, because there will always be issues that need to be ironed out, even after you are “established.”
Buzz Books USA, a division of Athena Institute, launched on Valentine’s Day – a day I could remember, and very appropriate because it’s something I love to do more than anything. Do I know everything about publishing after a year? Certainly not. But who does? I’m starting small and building carefully. Buzz Books is a division of a creative services firm because I believe it’s great creative, content and marketing that drive entertainment sales, period. Sure, if I had a big budget I’d get there faster, but I’m fine with incremental growth and bringing team members and authors along for the ride when the time is right for each party.
Next week Buzz Books will be making some exciting announcements about two new team members – a publicist and an editor! – as well as new authors we’re signing and the launch of our story-focused podcast, The Hive. Each week this blog will be the home for the buzz – new titles, new covers, promotions, et al. If you find what we’re doing interesting, I hope you’ll consider following.
If you’re a writer looking for a publishing home, but are wary that it appears we’ve only been around a year, remember that I’ve been published since 2006. I’ve been a writer/producer/marketer for 20 years. I’ve been managing brand stories since 2001. Growing brands is what I do. If you’re a reader, I hope you’ll give our stories a chance.
The bee is small, but has a stinger. It can make a lot of noise. Make a lot of honey. The owl will still be there, perched on the branch above the hive, watching over, using wisdom to guide the brand.
It’s going to be a great year.
Tags: athena, bee, branding, buzz books, fixer upper, indie publishing, life's a beach, malena lott, marketing, owl, sleigh ride
