Ep. 19: How to Win Book Awards & Get a Traditional Publishing Deal with Dr. Sharma Taylor

How does one win book/writing awards and get a traditional publishing deal? Dr. Sharma Taylor is a multiple award-winning Jamaican writer and a corporate attorney. She breaks down the process and tells us how she was able to bag a 2-book traditional deal. Sharma has been the recipient of the 2020 Wasafiri Queen Mary New Writing Prize, the 2020 Frank Collymore Literary Endowment Award and the 2019 Bocas Lit Fest’s Johnson and Amoy Achong Caribbean Writers Prize. Her debut novel What A Mother’s Love Don’t Teach You is scheduled to be published by Virago (part of Little Brown) in the UK in summer 2022. Sharma was shortlisted for the Commonwealth short story prize in 2021, 2018 and 2020. She is also a creative writing coach helping Caribbean authors to write page turning book. Find out more about her upcoming coaching program here at https://bit.ly/DSTCreativeWriting Connect with Sharma at: Email: [email protected] https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharma-taylor-1252741bb/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/IAmSharmaTaylor Gems from the Interview · Research is your best friend (Google prizes, competitions, agents and publishers) · Know your genre, read it and study it. · Get training to refine your skills · Hone your craft, let go the work/story · Separate yourself and identity from the story and the results Get the Book Mentioned: The Rocket-Writer: How to Write a Non-Fiction Book in 24 Hours https://extramileja.com/Ruth’s Authorpreneurship Ventures Ruth’s Publishing Starter Kit (Free) https://bit.ly/publishingstarterkit C. Ruth Taylor’s Contact Get the expert publishing guidance you need to publish your book. Visit https://extramileja.com/coaching/ to see what Ruth has to offer. Podcast Website: www.authorpreneursecrets.com Show Sponsor Visit Frame Art Jamaica Limited at http://www.frameartjamaica.com/ About the Host C. Ruth is an Authorpreneurship Specialist and Publishing Coach from the beautiful island of Jamaica. She is also the best-selling author of over 20 books and an international speaker. She has spoken in at least 14 countries, empowering people to win in their personal, spiritual and professional lives. Ruth works with authors to write and publish books without breaking the bank, and teaches them how to leverage books to transform lives, achieve their goals and create sustainable income. She is also the creator of the Authorpreneur Secret$ Academy.