We were lucky to catch up with Bernadette Soehner recently and have shared our conversation below.

Bernadette, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

There are many times when I think about how I got to where I’m at in business, and I owe a lot of that to my parents.

My father was an amazing business man. He could sell, make connections, and create opportunities like no one else I’ve ever met. And because he owned a business, with many different kinds of jobs involved, I learned a skill set that not many people, especially girls at the time, had. He never shied from letting me or my sister try something. He was the first person to believe that HIS girls could do anything, and he let us. We could drive forklifts, drive big trucks, work in the warehouse in any capacity, and we were equally as skilled in the office as well.

My mother always enjoyed all things clerical. She’s one of those people who has immaculate handwriting, which I worked to emulate and believe I have succeeded.

There are two things my parents shared which would lead me to success as a CEO of multiple companies, starting when I was twenty. One was patience. I’ve never met two more patient people in my life! And the second was work ethic. There was never a complaint from either of them if they had to go to work, and when they were at work, they worked hard. My father worked seven days a week, up to sixteen hours a day. That’s what you do when you own the company and others depend on your success for their livelihood.

It’s no wonder I chose to be in business for myself. My parents gave me all of the skills I would need at a very early age. Hopefully, they are proud of what I’ve done with those little lessons that might have been designed just to keep a kid occupied, and I hope I’ve passed those skills onto my kids.

Bernadette, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My fall into the world of publishing came when I, and author who writes Contemporary Romance under Bernadette Marie, had a contract go badly with a small press. Having been in business for myself since I was twenty, and an avid entrepreneur, I knew that I could publish my own books better than the publisher I’d signed with. And with that, I opened 5 Prince Publishing.

At first, I was only going to publish myself. The world of independent publishing had just opened up, and in 2011 I was one of the first to dive in with a publishing name behind me. It wasn’t long before other authors wanted to be part of my business model, and I began to take submissions from other authors who were looking for publication, but didn’t want to go through the big 5 or do it on their own.

Since 2011, I’ve published over 60 different authors. Currently we have over 110 books in our catalog and more than 25 contracted authors.

To say it was easy would be a lie. Since 2011, the publishing industry has changed so much. We saw the rise of the ebook in population, and the drastic decline of the print book. We’ve seen literary agents having to shift their business models, as authors don’t always need to work with one to get published, but they can be used for film or foreign rights. The rise of POD (print on demand) made it easy for authors to sell their print books and not have to invest their life’s savings on what might be a gamble. We’ve seen the BIG online sellers change their algorithm overnight, and many authors went from financial success stories to authors with second and third jobs. And of course, enter TikTok, and some of those authors who had producing in mass in 2011-2014, were getting a second chance–and those influencers brought back the paperback / hardback book, and sales have shifted again.

5 Prince Publishing has changed dramatically since 2011 as well. We’ve reigned in our niche, we have talented authors writing amazing stories, and a crew of talent behind the scenes making those books shine. We thrive on bringing readers new and original voices, as well as giving our authors a solid company that has their backs.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Our presence on social media was stared on a fluke. I didn’t believe in social media until my niece, who lives in the UK, convinced me it would be a good way to keep in touch with her. Not wanting to be public, I set up my account under my author name, with the intent of someday being an author. Well, it worked. I built a platform and found followers who wanted to follow the journey of the new author. There were there from the start with my writing, my reading, and eventually my success with landing a contract and the demise of that contract. Because I had started my social media presence without even a product, my following was there when I did launch my company, and they were there to support my authors as well.

I often tell authors to begin their public presence even before they are finished with their book. When that book is in hand, it’ll be a lot easier to sell to people who are already invested in them, then to start fresh when the product is out.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Managing a team is never easy, but I believe in making them all feel as if their contribution is important–and it should be important. I take their suggestions into consideration, and I’m willing to try new things within my company. One person’s vision can get stagnant, so it’s good to have the opinion of others. We work as a family, always having one another’s backs, and I believe in praise. Everyone needs to know that their contributions are meaningful, otherwise, why would you want to go to work?

Contact Info:

• Website: www.5princebooks.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/5princepub
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/5princepublishing

Image Credits
Book Cover Designs by Marianne Nowicki @ Premadeebookcovers.com