We were lucky to catch up with Mari Fitz-Wynn recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Mari thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

For several days a friend and I brainstormed several names for the business. Between the both of us, we created a list of at least fifty names. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel as though they captured the idea I envisioned for the company. Then, one night I had a dream. In my dream, someone headed me a book. The book did not have a title, but the publisher’s name was prominently displayed on the cover, Faith Journey Publishing. I immediately woke up and wrote it down. The next day, I excitedly shared the name with my friend, and we both decided it was perfect!

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?

I am an author, poet, songwriter, and motivational speaker. I’ve written numerous articles for women’s magazines and home educators and authored two books and a collection of poems. I’ve also recorded two cd albums of original songs. Becoming an author caught me by surprise. Unlike many other writers, I never planned on a writing career. I did not grow up hoping to become a writer. I was asked to write a story as a group project. I certainly didn’t expect to enjoy writing to become a passion and to enjoy capturing in words stories and poetry about people I meet or places I visit. In 2020 with over twenty-five years of experience behind me as a writer, editor, and writing coach, I started a boutique publishing company, Faith Journey Publishing. A company dedicated to creating pathways to publishing for BIPOCwomen over the age of forty-five. The way I got into this industry, you could almost say it was something like the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon. Suddenly there seemed to be several women who contacted me to share the difficulties they faced finding a publisher for their book. Though certainly not all, many of them were women of color (Asian, African American, Hispanic.) That caught my attention, and I started doing a little research. I also had lengthy discussions about what was happening in the publishing industry with a close friend who shared the same concern for her manuscript. Faith Journey Publishing offers editing, cover design, publishing, and marketing services to authors. In addition, we provide online workshops to help emerging, and veteran writers sharpen their writing skills. We also offer classes to help women write through any life trauma or PTSD they may be experiencing or experienced in the past. Faith Journey hosts special virtual author readings throughout the year. What sets us apart is that we focus on creating pathways to publishing for older women. Faith Journey Publishing is passionate about helping writers put their books in front of readers around the globe. I am excited that we will publish four books in 2023. Our goal is not to publish a lot of books for the sake of publishing but to support, encourage, and promote the work of women whose voices have historically been muted by perceived limitations of age, gender, and ethnicity. We accomplish this by working with them from the first step, submitting their manuscript, to the end of their project, which is the marketing of their book. We strive to do this with value and integrity. I am most proud of that.

How did you build your audience on social media?

This was not a particularly strong area for me, and building our social media platform has been a learning experience. Posting for a business is so different from how we attend to our social media. Because I did not have a lot of expertise as a business owner, the first thing I did, and would advise others, is to take as many classes or workshops as needed to learn about developing a social media presence. The classes I attended helped me learn how to tackle what seemed insurmountable technical issues and gain many pointers on how to do what with a post. Something that has proven invaluable to us is a social media posting calendar. It’s helped us remember to strategically and regularly post the same messages to different platforms.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Helping older women writers achieve their dream of publishing a book ( or books) energizes me and stirs my desire to write.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://faithjourneypublishing.com/
• Instagram: @faithjourney publishing
• Facebook: Faith Journey Publishing
• Youtube: @faithjourneypublishing

Image Credits
Josh Metzger