FWM: So, who is April Sheris? What uniquely makes you a formidable woman?
AS: I’ve been the founder of media and publishing house Upland Avenue Productions, and have successfully launched brands, books, and businesses over the past decade. I’ve partnered with Barnes & Noble for children reading initiatives, assisted youth in developing and launching their businesses through the Young Entrepreneurship Initiative, launched the first on rail reading book club in New Mexico through a collaborative partnership with NM Rail Runner Express and every step has been documented on major news outlets.
Through ‘Books Are The New Rich’, you’ll learn ways to monetize your book to live the life you dreamed of…
In hindsight, this journey has been amazing. Now I work with amazing brands, sharing my extensive knowledge in publishing all over the country. Through ‘Books Are The New Rich’, you’ll learn ways to monetize your book to live the life you dreamed of, methods to launch book tours with sponsorship money and beyond. I pride myself on being independent-minded with a heart of service. I believe a formidable woman should have intelligence and tenacity coupled with a heart for service to ensure other women she meets have an opportunity.
FWM: How did you come to love publishing?
AS: Publishing became a passion for me when I realized there were so many others who held a story worth sharing but lacked the proper tools to do so. Many would come to me full of wonder and passion with hopes of being published. I enjoyed learning about the creative aspect of publishing from my own experience. It was a very freeing experience. I knew that if I could help at least one other person free themselves then that was an even greater reward than just being published.
FWM: In what ways can books create freedom for women?
AS: I believe freedom lies within releasing the story. Sharing our experiences of pain, joy, inspiration, or beyond removes the space it’s holding in our minds so that more life lessons can enter in. We need the purging of our experiences to heal ourselves and others. That’s a very freeing place to be in.
FWM: Give some advice to women looking to break into the publishing industry.
AS: I tell everyone the most beneficial step is building the proper team to handle the tasks that are beyond your skillset and also to have a keen eye for the next great story. Start small with two or three manuscripts that you believe would sell great with little to no marketing. Craft a grassroots marketing strategy and utilize your social media network to map out your ideal tour stops. These small steps will have a major impact on raising awareness of the book but also building followers.
FWM: What challenges have you had to overcome in your journey?
Empowering authors to feel confident enough to market their book. Most people believe they have a hustling mentality but many fall short. And I believe it all comes back to confidence. Instilling the same belief in the author, about how great of an impact their story will make, to enable them to confidently push and promote their work has been the greatest challenge. This is why ‘Books Are The New Rich’ is so important. Its the only platform that teaches authors at every level how market books better.
FWM: What’s next for April? And how can our FWM audience connect with you?
AS: I’ve just gone live with our newest digital platform ‘Books Are The New Rich’. This teaches the critical steps many authors make when publishing. We breakdown these steps on a novice level to ensure the content is easy to understand. We couple that with a support forum for them on their journey and office hours for 1-on-1 consultation.
In the Fall, the first season of our talk series will air that really delves deep into learning how to scale your book business. We speak with key people in a variety of industries on what it takes to go beyond books and how to get there in the shortest amount of time.
Please learn more information at www.booksarethenewrich.com or Instagram.com/booksarethenewrich. I’m also available at @AprilSheris on all social platforms. I look forward to connecting with you.
