Author Interview: Tonya Duncan Ellis on Social Media and THEY BUILT ME FOR FREEDOM

Author Interview: Tonya Duncan Ellis on Social Media and THEY BUILT ME FOR FREEDOM

On this episode, author Tonya Duncan Ellis talks with us about her winning social media strategies, speaking at conferences and schools, and about writing books kids really want to read. Tonya's Bio: TONYA DUNCAN ELLIS is author of They Built Me for Freedom: The Story of Juneteenth and Houston’s Emancipation Park (HarperCollins, 2024) and Cookout Chemistry (Charlesbridge, 2027). She successfully self-published the 13-book Sophie Washington chapter series, which has sold over 175,000 copies. She is represented by Adria Goetz of kt Literary and lives in Houston, Texas.  Follow Tonya [https://www.instagram.com/tonyaellisbooks/] on Instagram! Follow us [https://www.instagram.com/ktliterary/] on Instagram!

Generative AI in Publishing in 2025

Here at the beginning of 2025 there are a lot of things affecting the publishing industry. In this episode we have a conversation about generative AI and how it is changing the way publishers, authors, and agents have to think about "work". We discuss using books to train AI models (boo), we talk about the ways AI is making the industry more accessible for some people, and we talk about the ways we are advocating for our clients in light of this new technology.

Adria Goetz, Senior Agent and Illustration Coordinator

Adria Goetz is a Senior Agent at KT Literary and our Illustration Coordinator. She represents picture books, YA, MG, and womens fiction with a genre twist. If you want to follow her on social media, you can find her on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/adriagoetz/] and on her website [https://adriagoetz.wpcomstaging.com/]. Here's her official bio: "Adria Goetz is based out of the beautifully gloomy Pacific Northwest. Adria got her start in publishing as an intern at Martin Literary Management in 2013. She represents picture books, middle grade, graphic novels, and adult fiction. She graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor’s degree in English with a Creative Writing emphasis, as well as the Columbia Publishing Course. In 2019, she was selected as a Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree. Adria has eclectic taste but particularly enjoys projects that are tinged with magic, have so much heart you can practically hear their heartbeat, and have a compelling, commercial hook. In her spare time she can be found rewatching Gilmore Girls for the millionth time, listening to Taylor Swift, and dreaming about the mossy stone cottage in the woods she would like to live in one day. You can read Adria’s full manuscript wishlist at adriagoetz.com."

Doan Phuong Nguyen interview about Mèo and Bé

This week’s guest. Doan Phuong Nguyen is a middle grade author, photographer, daydreamer, and creative girlie girl. She was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States when she was in elementary school. She received her MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.  Purchase a copy of Mèo and Bé [https://bookshop.org/p/books/meo-and-be-doanphuong-nguyen/19351249?ean=9781643796253]. Follow Doan Phuong on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/doanphuongwrites/]. Or find more information on her website, doanphuong.com [https://www.doanphuong.com/]  Find us at ktliterary.com [http://ktliterary.com/] and on Twitter [https://twitter.com/ktliterary] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ktliterary/]. Listen to the show on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kt-literary-podcast/id1478038283?i=1000525766246], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2vc1gu4186ItHO91IpwGFP?si=1d20NhlUR0GAWeIXjaC71Q&dl_branch=1], Google Podcasts [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS82RXU0akptTw/episode/ODVhOGFjNzMtYTlmYS00MzJlLThmNzEtNzEyZmRlYzM1ZTdh?sa=X&ved=0CAcQuIEEahcKEwjYvree75zxAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAg], Stitchr, IHeartRadio and more.

Author Interview: Rachel Werner on freelance writing

Rachel Werner joins us today to talk about the art (and grind) of becoming a full time writer. She gives us freelance tips, marketing ideas, and talks about the importance of an email newsletter! She’s an author, content creator and media consultant from Madison Wisconsin. She’s the founder of The Little Book Project WI as well as a teaching artist for Hugo House, The Loft Literary Center and Lighthouse Writer' Workshop. She’s written a cook book, and a science book for kids. Her next kidlit book with Capstone (“Moving and Grooving to Fillmore’s Beat”) will be released in Fall 2023. It seems there’s nothing she can’t do.    Preorder MOVING AND GROOVING TO FILLMORE'S BEAT [https://bookshop.org/p/books/moving-and-grooving-to-fillmore-s-beat-rachel-werner/19748802?ean=9781684467631] Follow Rachel on Instagram @therealscript, [https://www.instagram.com/therealscript/] Twitter @therealscripts [https://twitter.com/therealscripts] and for more socials, check out her website [https://rachelwerner.pressfolios.com/]!