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Silk
At the tender age of 10, Silk found that she had the ability to excite people with her words. By time she’d reached the 4th grade she was the youngest editor in chief of the school...view moreAt the tender age of 10, Silk found that she had the ability to excite people with her words. By time she’d reached the 4th grade she was the youngest editor in chief of the schools paper. This coveted position was always held by a 6th grader and had never been done in the history of the school. Her attraction to the street life was stronger than her love for writing and it’s that same attraction that led her to a proverbial crossroads. By age 18, Silk was confined to a wheelchair, paralyzed in a car accident. Having her life so permanently altered, she faced the decision of whether to continue down the road she was traveling or make a u turn and use her talent of word manipulation to find the success she desired.
Armed with statistics on the growing urban book consumption, a friend who owned a book store, her knowledge of promotion from running her record company, and a young son to raise, Silk dusted off a book she’d begun writing several years ago and finished it. An avid businesswoman Silk would not invest a dime until she knew that the product would sell. With the help of friends and family, Silk did a test run of 1,500 books and sold out in two weeks. Just like that, SJM publishing was born.
Her goal was to stand out from the crowd. After reading a few titles while researching the market she realized that she was talking to the characters while reading. At that moment she knew that she wasn’t the only person who did this and that’s when she decided to have the characters in her book talk directly to the reader. The test group loved the concept. Not only did she have the ability to write great stories but now her brand would be unique. Then she decided to take it a step further and combine her music with the books. As the VP of SouthEastStyle records, Silk had an array of talented artist at her disposal. She quickly realized that as the writer she controlled all aspects of the characters, down to what music they played. She rationed, movies have a soundtrack so why shouldn't a book have one. This concept proved to be a winner with readers. "Now they can listen to the same music as the characters while their reading. I think it makes the reader further intrigued with the story. They feel like they are a part of the story. Like they're in the moment." says Silk
“People like variety. A lot of books out now follow the same structure. It’s the same story over and over. Everybody is a kingpin and balling out of control. My stories are about average people; the teller at the supermarket who wants to sing, the security guard at Rite Aid who just hit the number. To me, nothing is more interesting than real life. You know my characters. They are your sister, aunt, cousin, friend, or maybe you. See, I am a person who gets bored very quickly so I write for people like myself. Every page of my books has to have something going on. Drama! I like to think of my stories as “real life fiction”. I think the fact that the books talk to you is a bonus. SJM publishing is bringing something new and unique to the book game and I can’t wait!” says Silk.view less