We were lucky to catch up with Erik Shaw recently and have shared our conversation below.

Erik, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?

This is a tough question, and my response might ruffle a few feathers. Still, the biggest issue with this industry is that there are too many publishers overpromising and consistently underdelivering. What’s sad about this is the fact that the publishers know they are doing this, and the writers, especially new writers, do not realize that this is a common practice. Most writers are usually so excited to talk to a publisher they don’t even know what questions to ask and most publishers know this and use it to their advantage.

There are so many talented writers out there that start off with bad book deals and then never write again and this is a sad aspect of this industry. Do better publishers or we will legally steal your talent and treat them the way they deserve to be treated!

Erik, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We run a small publishing company out of Colorado Springs that focuses on ensuring our clients are educated about the entire publishing process and maintain full control of their work through an affordable contractless process that focuses on the writer’s needs vs. the publisher’s wants.

Regardless if the writer is a celebrity, pro athlete, or brand new to writing a book, we make sure we are available and ready to support any author any time they need us.

Have you ever had to pivot?

For so many in business, The COVID pandemic was that pivot point. We were ready to be done with the business and move on to other challenges. Our original business model had run its course, and quite frankly, we were tired.

During COVID, though, we had quite a few of our celebrity friends write books in their downtime, and it was then that we decided to focus more on book creation and less on traditional publishing deals with fine print and, at times, unrealistic expectations.

Now, we can pick and choose projects we want to work on and writers we want to work with, and those writers are armed with knowledge on how to properly manage their books. And hopefully, write more!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Yikes. Before I answer, in full transparency, I HATE social media! It’s always been a thorn in our side but it is also a necessary tool to have an understanding of how to use properly.

There once was a time when we had about 250+K followers with tons of interaction that led to positive sales numbers for our writers. We would share a “Meme” and a link and get a few hundred likes and that would usually lead to book sales. It really was that easy at one time!

Then, as times and algorithms changed and social media became “pay to play” in many ways, Our reach dwindled. Then, security became a substantial issue, with accounts getting hacked and users losing interest. Social Media is a full time monster with very little to no help from the Social Media companies. You have to understand that going into it and be prepared to play by the rules, or they will turn you off, and you will lose your reach instantly, which for some could be devastating.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://WWW.Blackvellum.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erik_shaw_bvp?igsh=MWFiY2pjcHNkYXJqcQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1GkVa4JEhY/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/erikshawb335a86