Episode 25
Season 2
Authors Discuss "On The Right Path" Series
Welcome award-winning author, Stacy Padula, and author and former NBA coach, Brett Gunning, to Saturday Soundbites!
These two amazing authors partnered to create a phenomenal children's book series - On The Right Path - to introduce children to the six life-skill pillars: loving others; being unselfish; staying healthy and strong; showing respect; showing forgiveness; and having fun. These are the pillars that can change the trajectory of a child’s life and can create opportunities where none existed before.
Brett and Stacy are committed to showing children the path to achieving their full potential. Both have a passion for helping young adults and believe ins haring wisdom and strategies that can be implemented by children to lead them towards success.
They share with Veronica the process for writing a book, finding the right illustrator, working with a publisher and working with traditional and non-traditional media to spread the message.
If you are ready to start that book that you have been writing in your head, you will want to tune into this episode and learn how Brett and Stacy did it.
You can learn more about the On The Right Path series at https://tinyurl.com/3yr75wrj
Transcripts -
Veronica: [00:00:00] Hello. Hello and welcome to Saturday soundbites. I'm your host Veronica sofa. I am thrilled to be here with you to talk all things, visibility, strategy, branding, marketing, advertising, public relations, and all the elements you need to grow your brand to grow your service and to grow your product. You know, a lot, a lot of you are book authors or aspiring book authors.
And so today I've got some guests that are gonna be able to fill you in on their journey as authors and how they've been able to share their message out there. But before we. Started let's take care of some housekeeping. If you are listening on the podcast, make sure you hit subscribe. We don't want you to miss any episodes of Saturday soundbites.
And if you are watching on Facebook or YouTube, drop us some comments and my guest and I will come back and connect with you. So with that, I'm gonna go ahead and bring everybody on. I've got some fantastic guests today. I have Stacy Padula and Brett gunning with on the right path. Welcome so much to Saturday.
So. Thank you. Great to be here. So tell us a little bit about the book series. It's actually a book [00:01:00] series and I know we have had some great success with the book. You've got some media attention with the first one. Tell us a little bit about it and how the project got started,
Brett: Brett. Sure. Well, you know, my passion is obviously basketball and you know, I, I'm just I have three young children myself and, and I just By the, by the grace of God, he, he put in my spirit and idea of, of trying to U use the game of basketball to impact younger kids.
And you know, I, I felt, you know, there, there's some simple, basic life skills that it's probably never too, too early to start to get instilled in younger children. And That that's kind of where the, the, the project began as, as tied in with my nonprofit, I have a nonprofit organization called on the right path.
And I, I was very fortunate to connect with Stacy and an award-winning writer and You know, we partnered up to, to begin a book series that is gonna be six books altogether. We just completed book number three. And maybe I'll send it, [00:02:00] I'll hand it to Stacy here. Let her talk a little bit more about it.
Stacy: Yeah, no, here's the third book that just came out last week and it's been amazing to get to collaborate on this. It was two years ago, just about, I think when Brett and I were put in touch and, you know, he shared his idea, his vision for this series to go along with his awesome nonprofit and just the idea of being able to instill these life.
Pillars, these lessons and kids, but through an entertaining book with a variety of different characters it's like, I feel like every kid can find themselves in the story it's set in New York. So it's very diverse setting and each book focuses on a different main character as they go to a basketball camp where their coach, coach, Pete shares a lesson of the day and what we did with.
Stories is they're written in a way that the kids learn [00:03:00] the lesson at the camp, but then it also shows, you know, afterwards where they can apply that to their own everyday life. So it's these, aren't just basketball lessons. These are life skill lessons. Mm-hmm things like being unselfish or, you know, the importance of eating healthier or steaming others.
More highly than yourself or inclusion, which is a really important one. That's in our first book which I feel is such a hot topic now and so, so needed. So you know, things like that, where we feel like you're just not too young to learn those skills and the importance of them. And the thing is the kids won't feel like they're being preached to when they're, they're just reading a story, you know, they're reading a basketball story, but these messages are getting put in their minds and stuff for the, their little minds to ponder.
Veronica: mm-hmm . That's great. That's really good. So tell me about the collaboration. So I know we've got a lot of entrepreneurs who listen, and we've got some folks who have talked a lot about wanting to write books. And Brett said, [00:04:00] if he, you know, he felt compelled to write these books that he was being called to write these books for someone who is in that.
Position right now. What are the first steps? How did you even get the idea of collaborating on something like this and, and how do you recommend people start that process?
Brett: You know, again, I'll, I'll maybe start at Stacy and you can take it from there, but Veronica, I think one of the keys is embracing kind of what you're good at and, and also having the humility to understand what, what you're not good at and understand that someone.
Has a passion for that, for that exact part that may be a weakness for you. So I think, you know, where I, where I felt compelled was was, you know, these concepts and principles and how could we tie them into basketball. But I, I had no idea how could we take that idea, that concept and, and get it into the hands of kids all across the country.
And, and I think that's where Stacy's [00:05:00] expertise. Of whether it's you know, everything involved in writing a book, but also. Pulling it in illustrator and, and, and, and all the drawings that had to be done and the whole process that she's done an amazing job. I, I think for, for all those people that are listening to have that similar idea, the number one thing is coming to peace with what, what is it that you're great at?
And then where, where do you need to kinda reach out and get help? You know, as opposed to thinking, you've gotta do it all yourself. Mm-hmm.
Veronica: So true. And Stacy, how did you come in with your expertise? For those of you that don't know you also have a publishing company, how were you able to bring the right people onto the project and really make sure that they were connected to its purpose?
Cuz what I will say about this book series and, and I, I love giving this book out to little ones in our family and in our circle of friends is that it's very purpose driven. So how do you find the right folks to work on a project? That's so purpose driven.
Stacy: So as you said, so I own a publishing company, it's Briley and [00:06:00] Baxter publications.
I started it in 2019 after being a traditionally published author in the industry for, at that point about nine years. So I had learned a lot along the way, and I had learned what. Wasn't necessarily author friendly about the publishing industry. And I wanted to change that with my companies. So with Bri and Baxter when I set out to hire our team, which has grown exponentially over the last year, the biggest part for this project was finding the right illustrator.
And we certainly found that in Mattie Moore What, you know, when I sent out to interview people, it was very important that they shared a passion for art, a passion for helping. Like almost the idea of like mentoring kids and wanting to teach them like Maddie was so on board immediately with our messages.
She loved the diversity of the book. She loved the setting. She it's funny. So Brett is originally from Philly. Maddie's [00:07:00] from Philly. There were just some similarities there. Her family, she grew up her, both her parents are professional coaches. Like, you know, like world winning. Crazy like awesome.
You know, I wish she was here. She couldn't make it today. We did invite her, but it was like, it was just a match made in heaven. She had that background of just knowing what you can learn from a coach and how you can apply that to your life. It had literally been her life growing up and then with the Philadelphia background and everything, it just seemed like a perfect fit.
And you know, that was it. It was like, okay, she's the one. And. Her art is just gorgeous. I mean, the way she is able to give us character options and just capture sort of what we envision in our mind. It's, it's remarkable. And I've since had her, she's now become our lead illustrator, Bri and Baxter. She's worked on a bunch of our books and mm-hmm we have just raved about it.
So mm-hmm, , you know, me, her and Brett that's, that's our team. And we love.
Veronica: And you've assembled a [00:08:00] great team. You really have. So talk to us a little bit about what happens once the book has been published, because I know oftentimes people put so much effort into the creation they've they've, they've really put in the heart and soul.
They've got the right team members on it and all of a sudden it's published and it's like, what's next? Tell us a little bit about the success of the first book and how that helped push and drive for the second and third books.
Stacy: Sure. Brett, do you want me to start with this one? Sure, sure. Okay. So yeah, right before the book comes out, that's when we really start pushing like the PR and the marketing.
And so, you know, you put out some great press releases and helped us get on Fox right down in Houston. And and then we were blessed to be invited to Joel Stein's church for a book signing together. And then, you know, there's been a lot of other going on podcasts and then articles like.
In the Massachusetts papers where I'm from, there was a lot of actually news articles, even [00:09:00] like front page articles about our series which was amazing. And my local newspaper, but even just our regional one, the Patriot ledger, which is one of Massachusetts' biggest newspapers and you know, other things on my end as a publisher we have submitted this book.
Book awards. We have done, you know, lots of blog articles and then there's of course, a big push with social media marketing and lots of book giveaways and just connecting with young. Lately it's been a lot of like young moms that will post their children's books, you know, online. So we have an Instagram, it.
Briley dot backs, your dot books. If anyone wants to follow it, we do book giveaways almost every week and we have new titles coming out just about every week. And that has been one of the most important ways to reach readers just across the world. Mm-hmm . And I know even just with this new book, that's come out.
I could track some of the sales just for the pre-orders. And we were getting a bunch of sales out of France and I'm like France. I'm like, and I [00:10:00] said to my husband, I go. Why is this third book suddenly this big hit in France? Are they super into healthy eating cuz that's the theme. And I really think, you know, we've just been able to reach a global audience really through the social media marketing.
Veronica: Mm-hmm. And what about for you, Brett? I know you having had a very successful career in the NBA. I I assume that a lot of the sports media or people in the sports space were interested in what you were doing with your nonprofit and then with this book series, how did that work out for
Brett: you? Yeah, it's, it's going great.
And, and I think you know, a lot of times when, when. Players or coaches, you know, you kind of reach the pinnacle of your career. You know, the thing. You, you can get to a place of gratitude, you know, and, and thankfulness. And I, I think what a lot of people do at that point is like, what, what can, what can you do to help others?
You know? And I think that's where this book series has been embraced by so many people in the sports community [00:11:00] is, is that we all, everybody understands that we we've gotta take care of the. Generation of kids coming up, you know, mm-hmm and I think there there's been a kind of an agreement as far as like it's, as I said earlier, it's never too early to try to pour in into kids.
And, and that's real, really the spirit of on the right path is, you know, how many kids can, can we help guide on the right path at an early age because at least in the sports world, There's really a small window to, to figure out the, the, the most important principles that will give you the best chance to reach your potential.
Right. It's not an MBA. Or bust mindset. It's it's what, what can we do to help kids reach their own maximum potential? And I just believe after seeing the hundreds of thousands of journeys of players over the years, that those players that have instilled in them a great foundation [00:12:00] of life skills have the best chance.
Of reaching their potential. So I think that's where the most excitement has come. Where, where, where, you know, other, other players and coaches have, have said, man, anything we can do to help the next generation of kids and help get them on the right path. You know, people want to be a part of that kind of movement.
Veronica: mm-hmm yeah, that's exciting to see when you get that support and the books, but the book series has gotten lots of great reviews from people in that space. So when someone is considering writing a children's book, there's probably some different challenges or nuances that are involved. And I know Brett, because of the purpose of the book, you, you already knew that that's where you wanted to go, but Stacy, for an author, who's considering.
A different type of book and they're debating between a children's book and maybe a nonfiction book or something, something like that. What are, what are some of the challenges or things that they need to be thinking about when they're considering moving into the children's book space? Cause that's completely [00:13:00] different than the nonfiction in the fiction
Stacy: space.
Yeah, it absolutely is because you have a, another team member, you have the illustrator. So some illustrators who work with the authors, I mean, they will get paid by taking a percentage of the royalties and other illustrators, you pay up front for your illustrations. So by the time they come to me, who publishing a lot of them will know sort of what they want.
Either they'll already have an illustrator and I will review the illustrations and make sure they're up to our standard. And. There have been some authors in the past. I've said, you know what? Like, I love your story, but we need more professional illustrations. Would you be interested in working with Mattie or one of, you know, this person or this person?
Cause we have a few different illustrators on our team. But people really have to consider the cost. Of that. You know, a lot of authors say like, I just wanna pay them up front. I don't wanna have to split my royalties with them, but that is really between the author and the illustrator. As a publisher, I'm open to what they're comfortable with.
Mm-hmm so the, there is, I would say a [00:14:00] significantly higher either front end costs or royalty split, if you're thinking. Children's book, cuz it is a lot of money front to pay. I mean, the artwork is beautiful, but it's, it's not, it's not cheap. Sure. It's fiction or non-fiction, you know, you're writing the story.
We are the team, you know, the publishing company and you, and those are all those royalties will go to you and there's nobody to pay up front for anything. So I think cost is the biggest factor. And then another thing I think it's gonna be. Probably gonna be a lot easier though, for people who have written children's books to get into schools and just do like a reading day.
Now, now that COVID is letting up a bit and schools are starting to open back up for that. So I know for us all of our authors are about to go on this national database list. Now that schools are opening back up for, for next year where I will put everybody's name in and contact information and.
Who who is available for author visits to schools mm-hmm and it's just been crazy the last two years. That really [00:15:00] hasn't been a thing. But for children's books, that's a lot easier than trying to get in as say, a nonfiction author, because when you think of what high schools pick for their books and you know, what ties into their curriculum unless you get on their summer reading list, things are pretty set.
With children's books. I think you might be able to reach a little bit of a wider audience schol, but at the same time, the publishing process is a bit more complicated because you're bringing in that whole extra person on your team, your illustrator, who is a vital part of everything. Yeah,
Veronica: absolutely.
And I think for children's books too, having that visual connection because I, I know, especially when my kids were little, I we'd read books before we went to sleep and the kids would memorize all the words, but they were reading the story through the illustrations. Yeah. And so it was this mutual and, and if, and if I was trying to be sneaky and skip, skip a couple of pages, cuz I was really tired, they'd catch me on it and we'd have to go right back to the pages I
I missed. So I know the impact of children's [00:16:00] books. Especially on those young minds. It's so important. So what tips do you have before we wrap up the show? What tips do each of you have for people considering writing a book or going into a collaboration like this? Because I know there's different challenges when you live very far apart.
Like you guys do, you have to work remote. And then there's the whole self-published versus working with the traditional publishing house. What are some of the tips you would give to folks?
Brett: You know, I would just start by saying, you know, I think, you know, a lot of times people may get into the the journey of writing a book because of all the things that maybe can come from it right.
Financially or success, or, and, and I think, I think the most important thing, I, I know Stacy and I, we, we've never had a conversation based on the you know, the rewards of. Can come from this and, and, and more so the conversations were, are, are always about the, what is the spirit of [00:17:00] the project? What are we trying to, to do with this project?
And, and I think that's what I would recommend the most is because once it's out there, once the book is out there, you can't really change it. Right. So have, have, have a clarity and a piece of what is it that we're trying to accomplish with this project and, and stay true to that. Spirit, you know, and ultimately whatever comes from it after will come, whether it's a little success, a lot of success, no success.
A ton of, none of, to me, none of that matters more than is the spirit of the project. Is that getting accomplished? You know, are you. Are you, are you accomplishing the goal you set out with with the, with the book? And I think we, I think Stacy's done an amazing job of, of, you know, I, I kind of start with the idea of the vision of what we're trying to do and, and she does an amazing job of carrying that Baton to say, I know the [00:18:00] spirit that you want, that we've got an illustrator that that's gonna carry that spirit.
And then Stacy, as, as the writer, you know, I think that's where we've had great. Symmetry as, as our, as our team is, is the spirit of the project is what matters the most. Mm.
Veronica: Great advice. What about you, Stacy? What advice would you have for folks?
Stacy: Well, absolutely everything Brett just said. And then also, I mean, what, you, you just mentioned something about self-publishing versus getting a publisher.
I would say, you know, Self-publishing is a great option for people who have some graphic design skills or have some money to put out for somebody to design the cover and design the interior layout and to do all the marketing. You know, it's. There is a lot, I mean, with that, there's a lot that goes into the publishing process that people aren't aware of.
So if there's someone who maybe doesn't have a, an understanding of all the technicalities of how to get a book distributed and how to get it available at more places than just Amazon and things like that I would urge people to consider finding a [00:19:00] publisher. Because you know what, we help with distribution, obviously all the graphic design and everything too are setting people up with illustrators, but then the marketing piece too, and, you know, building the web pages, like there is a lot that goes into it.
And one thing that we do is we do offer a variety of contracts and that was part of my vision for the company in making it more author friendly than Than what I encountered as, as an author in the past, and I offer four different contracts so people can pick the royalty rate that works for them.
One of them being based off of just a, a typical traditional contract mm-hmm with the industry standard royalties author, doesn't put any money down it's it's a traditional contract. But then I also have some hybrid contracts for authors who wanna earn a higher. Royalty rate than industry standard and they just pay some upfront costs and they can earn all the way up to 80% of, of royalties.
So I think that [00:20:00] gives people just the option to choose what they're comfortable with and what makes the most sense for them. And for me, that, that, that was very important with Brian. And beter like, let's make this a very positive experience for the authors and let's, let's give them the choice and.
So,
Veronica: no, I think that's, I think that's great. And those are all very good tips. And I just appreciate you guys sharing your expertise in your journey with our audience. I love the book series. It's it's truly fantastic. It's value based. And I know it's available on Amazon. Where else? Stacy target.
Yeah. Barnes and noble
Stacy: Barnes and noble, I think Walmart we also, we have a bookstore just online. If you just go to our website, which is Bri Baxter books.com, you can shop directly there. Yeah, I mean, it's, I think this, honestly, it's at like 40,000. Retailers on online, and then you can go into any Barnes and noble store.
And if it's not in stock, you can just request that they order it for you. So, yeah, Amazon's usually the quickest delivery though. [00:21:00] Yeah.
Veronica: especially if you got that prime. Well, thank you guys so much for joining me. I appreciated you having you on the F show. It was such a great conversation. Thank you.
Thanks for having us. All right. All you aspiring authors. Great tips, great strategies, especially if you're interested in learning about the children's market reach out to Stacy Brian Braford books as a phenomenal publishing company. And it sounds like there's some great options for you. So with that, we're gonna wrap up.
This episode of Saturday soundbites. If you are listening on the podcast, make sure you hit subscribe. We don't want you to miss any episodes. If you are watching on Facebook or YouTube, drop us some comments and my guest and I will circle back and connect with you with that. I'm sending you lots of positive energy and light.