“Joy Smith, Author – Tell Me a Story, I’ll Bake You a Cake” Interview by Joan Y. Edwards

Thank you for allowing me to interview you, Joy. It’s exciting that in October, 2016 you published “Tell Me a Story, I’ll Bake You a Cake.”
Joan, you are welcome.
My readers are looking forward to learning more about you and the self-publishing path you chose, so let’s get started.

1. Where were you born?
Richmond, Virginia

2. Did you have a favorite place to read a book as a child? Where and why?
Under the covers at night reading with a flashlight.  It was after my bedtime and my parents wouldn’t know I was still awake.

3. What’s your favorite book that you’ve ever read? Why?
Horton Hatches The Egg, by Dr. Seuss.  It was my first book.  I kept renewing it at the library so many times that my parents finally bought it for me.  I met Dr. Seuss at a book signing in New York in 1986.  I took my beat up, crayon marked Horton book with me and when he signed it he smiled and said,  “Do you know this is a first edition?”  Now I have a SIGNED first edition.  It’s one of my most prized possessions.

4. Why did you decide to write your cook book? How did you decide to tell a story with each recipe?
I wrote a cooking column, “Cooking With Joy,” for the Fort Mill Times for ten years.  My readers urged me to put these columns in a book, which I did.

5. Why do you write? 
I started writing as a kid and I’ve never outgrown it.  I just enjoy it.

6. What is your advice for writers?
Write about what you know.

7. Why did you choose AuthorHouse to publish your book?
After speaking to several publishers I chose AuthorHouse because they were better suited to meet my needs.  I wanted a hardback book with glossy pages and color pictures in it.  Some didn’t give me this option.

8. Did you pay for editing services before you submitted your book to AuthorHouse? 
I hired Beth Crosby to edit it for me before I submitted it to them.

9. Who designed your cover?
Kim Hajas, a friend and well-known graphic designer designed the cover of my book.  Her company Hajas Design is in Fort Mill, SC.

10. In which formats is your book available?
It is available in paperback, hardback, and eBook.

11. Did you pay separately for ISBNs or were these included in a your package?
The ISBNs were included in the package by AuthorHouse.

12. Does AuthorHouse offer a book return agreement with book stores? Or do book stores take your books on consignment?
AuthorHouse has a book return agreement with book sellers.

13. How does AuthorHouse market your book?
They created a website for me, provided a variety of marketing tools such as business cards, postcards, bookmarks, and sent a detailed step-by-step guide to help me join social media.

14. How are you marketing your book?
I am marketing my book by:

• Press releases, book signings, media coverage in newspapers and magazines
• Facebook
• Group emails to high school class, college class, clubs I belong to, and a long list of friends.
• Contacting book stores, gourmet kitchen stores, and gift stores.
• Being a guest speaker at several venues in the Charlotte area
• Word of mouth

15. Did you get to choose the retail price for your book?
No.

16. Is the cost of the book to you as the author low enough that you can make a profit from your sales?
Yes.

Bio

Joy Smith lives in Fort Mill, South Carolina, with her husband and a quirky cat. She loves cooking, entertaining, traveling, playing tennis and bridge, riding horses, gardening when it’s not too hot (which is almost never in South Carolina), and enjoying good wine. Her sense of adventure has taken her to Antarctica on a National Geographic expedition, skydiving, climbing mountains, and searching for the perfect roller coaster.
Joy participated as a sous-chef on the Food Network show “Ready . . . Set . . . Cook”; was a guest chef on the NBC show Charlotte Today; taught a class, “From the Garden to the Table”; and wrote a popular cooking column, “Cooking With Joy,” for ten years. Readers have enjoyed her stories and recipes featured in several magazines and newspapers. Her stories will entertain you as you read Tell Me a Story, I’ll Bake You a Cake.
Buy a copy of her book:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Visit Joy Smith’s website: http://www.cookingwithjoysmith.com

Joy, I know my readers enjoyed learning about you. Thank you again for sharing your publishing path with us.

Thank you for reading. Feel free to ask Joy a question or let her know your favorite recipe in the comment area.

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Copyright © 2017 Joan Y. Edwards
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