We were lucky to catch up with Kathleen Eull recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kathleen, appreciate you joining us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

From the time I was a kid, I always knew that I wanted to write or play music, that I felt most at home with artists of all types. The question was always, what do I do with that? After earning my college degree in English, I went to work in a law office and then a large brokerage firm. I was making a good living, but I was far from where I wanted to be.

I was figuring out my next step when I was invited to be on the foundation board of my local community college. Within the first year, the vice president of the foundation asked me if I wanted to come to a meeting about an idea she had to create a local book festival hosted by the college. She knew of my English background and that I was publishing some poetry. I ended up working for three years as the event coordinator for the fledgling multi-day event.

In my time coordinating this huge three-day event, it was my absolute privilege to work with authors from every genre, headliners and to local authors just getting their start. One of our headliners that first year was New York Times best-selling mystery author Reed Farrel Coleman. He enjoyed his time at the event and saw the possibilities for bringing in a program track for aspiring mystery writers. Over the next two events, I worked with Reed and the Mystery Writers of America to put together a writing track that sat within the three-day event. It was good work and we got to be good friends. When I decided it was time to leave the Festival it was my friend Reed who not only suggested I had novel to write, he told me I me would make a great publicist. I laughed, but both suggestions stayed with me.

When I mentioned Reed’s suggestion to become a publicist to novelist Kathie Giorgio, who I worked with on the festival, she agreed immediately and said she was looking for a new publicist. She pretty much hired me on the spot. So I owe my thanks to both Reed and Kathie for the idea to hang up my shingle as a publicist working with authors. It took me a little longer getting the novel written and published.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Some things in life you plan. Other things happen when you say yes. I had no plan to become a publicist or start my own business when I got my English degree. Actually, I thought I’d probably teach, or go into journalism like my father while I continued writing and publishing poetry. Life and needing to earn a living took me in other directions and I spent time working in various roles in law firms and nine years in the research department of a large, regional brokerage firm. It wasn’t until I stepped away when my twin sons were born that I realized I had really drifted from my creative roots. I made a change.

After several years home with my sons, the opportunity arose to get involved helping get a new book festival off the ground. I worked for three years as the event coordinator and enjoyed the start-up aspect of getting an event up and running. I also enjoyed the warmth and community I found working with other writers. When it was suggested by author friend Reed Farrel Coleman that I’d be a good publicist, I came to see that it was a great way to blend the years of experience I had in traditional business settings and my time coordinating the festival.

I started Pyxis Creative Solutions knowing from my years behind the scenes at the book festival, and often out promoting it as a spokesperson, that things were changing fast for writers. The growing popularity of self-publishing created a lot of confusion in the market. Authors who were with traditional small press publishers were getting mistaken for those publishing with pay-to-play or vanity presses and turned down for opportunities to speak or exhibit at events. These authors were also (and still are) limited by the fact that small presses simply don’t have much of a budget for marketing and so a lot of really great books go out only to languish for lack of marketing muscle and know-how. I decided to specialize in representing these small press authors.

While the business mission is to “amplify the voices of small press authors,” in the first few years, it quickly became apparent that many of my clients were women who, like me, were finally committing to their writing in their own second or third chapter in life. I refined my mission even further and now work exclusively with women publishing with small presses and I have to say, I love the perspective, courage, and richness of experience they bring.

Now a published novelist myself (Intercessions: A Novel), I know firsthand what it takes to get that book finished and query publishers. The slog of the editing process and finally publication. When you dream about the big day and your book going out into the world, you’re not dreaming about the extra work of book marketing. It can be an anxious time. What do I do? When do I need to do it? Writers are often not comfortable putting themselves out there. I know the equation from both sides and I think of my relationship with my clients often as coach as well as promoter.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I really had to learn not to follow the herd and to trust my instincts. That’s been true for me as a writer as well as a small business owner. We are taught that information is power and that’s true. But there is also a lot of noise. That’s only increased in the last ten years or so. Everyone is trying to sell us something. Success, power, truth, confidence.

There came a time about six or eight years into the business when I was stressed out thinking I had to be everywhere all at once, on all the socials, raising my profile and that of the business. You couldn’t go anywhere without hearing someone being interviewed about what they did to make their business or product successful and what they did to maximize marketing channels. There was always the next thing people were talking about. I made myself crazy trying to to do it all.

What I came to realize is that bigger isn’t always better. I’ve been successful because I’ve stayed small and bespoke. I know what works for my clients and I take time to build those relationships as well as the relationships with bookstore owners, libraries, and media. New clients often express a great deal of anxiety about the social media aspect of building their author profile and I reassure them that they don’t have to do everything. It’s about consistency, picking the one or two platforms that work for you and building your presence there.

My advice as a writer would be very similar. Don’t write with an editor over your shoulder and don’t chase the market. Write what is authentic to you. When you write the book you are called to write it shows. The audience will follow.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

In my experience, people who consider themselves non-creatives often have difficulty understanding that the creative process isn’t always logical or linear. We creatives tend to walk around like giant receivers. We are flâneurs. Inspiration can strike anywhere and there is a certain idleness or room to play that is essential to creativity of all types. From the outside, it can be mistaken for a lack of seriousness or dedication when in reality it is very intentional in the meditative sense of that word.

Sure, eventually you do have to sit in the chair, buckle in and do the writing, meet your editing deadline or exhibit your work. That time comes to everyone. Creatives know the power in allowing. The mistake we fear keeps us locked into the same way of seeing. It is so often the wrong turn that teaches us more than following the map. Exploration is part of the journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pyxiscs.com/ and https://www.kathleeneull.com/
• Facebook: Author Kathleen Eull
• Linkedin: Kathleen Eull
• Twitter: @pyxsics

Image Credits

Author photos by Mason Harper