We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ariel Curry a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ariel, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s talk about innovation. What’s the most innovative thing you’ve done in your career?

Launching a business – taking a chance on myself in an industry that likes to play it safe – is by far the riskiest and most innovative thing I’ve done in my career. I started my editorial company because I wanted to be able to have a greater impact on aspiring authors and help more people with great stories and ideas get their words out into the world. Ironically, the best way to do that was by leaving the traditional publishing industry. Now I’ve started a group coaching program and I teach authors how to advocate for themselves and pitch their ideas.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Like most English majors, all I knew was that I wanted to get paid to read books. I thought that the opportunities in the publishing industry were few and closely guarded by the elites of New York. I was shocked when I actually got an internship at an academic press in London, but the minute I stepped foot in that office, I knew I was home. From there, I was able to do other internships and finally land a job as an editorial assistant, rising to acquisitions editor within three years. I stayed at that company for nine years, finally leaving as a senior acquisitions editor. Now, in my own company, I help aspiring nonfiction authors develop great ideas and get published. That might look like coaching them through the process, editing their work, or ghostwriting book proposals. Every day is different and I love getting to work with a wide variety of authors and helping them create interesting, marketable books.

I’m most proud of the risks I took to pursue well-known authors, the network I’ve developed and maintained, and for betting on myself with my own company. I’ve learned that amazing things can happen if you’re willing to try – and that people will say yes more often than you think.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The #1 best source of new clients for me has been direct referrals. Developing strong relationships with people I trust and respect in the industry has made the process of building my business feel organic and lucrative. I’ve had to ask myself many times: Who do I want to work with? Where are those people, and who do they trust? That’s helped me decide what networks to leave behind and what networks to pursue further. Your business will be a reflection of the people you surround yourself with.

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

In my line of work, it’s easy for independent editors and coaches to fall into the trap of trading time for money – which automatically limits what you can make. I did a lot of competitive research, looking at how other successful people increase their income in the publishing industry, and I started a group coaching program that is unlike any other book coaching programs I’ve ever seen. That has been rewarding in so many ways – financially, of course, but also because I see it working and getting better results than 1-on-1 coaching ever did. It’s exciting to know that I created something extremely effective, that helps me accomplish both my mission and my salary.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.arielcurry.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arielkcurry/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arielcurryeditorial
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arielkcurry/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@arielkcurry

Image Credits
Brittney Shazier Photography