We recently connected with Naleighna Kai and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Naleighna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

As a woman who was adopted by her biological mother, (yes, you read that right), and whose father and uncle did not respect her right to say no; I put my pain on the page, and the page became my passion and now that passion is my purpose. Writing was, and still is, my journey to healing and the books I pen have the focus of helping others to heal.

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 started as a self-published author and when the requirements for being distributed into major book stores became a gauntlet that was too much to navigate, I sought a deal with a major publishing house. I gave away 50 free copies of Every Woman Needs a Wife at Book Expo America and landed a deal with Simon & Schuster. Six months after release the book had gone through eleven printings and I landed on the Soul Expressions Wal*Mart Tour. Through the insistence of my developmental editor, I began to provide developmental editing services for others and also became a publishing consultant to take aspiring writers through the process of become published authors. In addition to successfully cracking the code of landing a deal for myself and others with a major publishing house, I continue to “pay it forward” with the experience of NK Tribe Called Success, the Kings of the Castle Series, the Knights of the Castle Series, and by organizing the annual Cavalcade of Authors which gives readers intimate access to the most accomplished writing talent today..

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

So many authors who started their careers when I did are so much further along when it comes to social media presence. I didn’t understand the importance of having a digital footprint. I wanted to focus on the creative part. Well, I learned several years ago, that no one will know about the creative work if there isn’t a platform for it to land. Publishers now expect it as well. During the period of time when the world was “on pause” I put more of an effort into expanding my reach by focusing on three particular platforms. It paid off by increasing my subscribers for newsletter, as well as gained thousands of followers on my Instagram and FB Author pages. With all of my work commitments, I cannot do everything. I hired a virtual personal assistant to keep my social media tight.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

When I landed a deal with Simon & Schuster, I wanted to be certain my book, Every Woman Needs a Wife, would achieve a better reach than I had on my own. I put my personal finances into marketing and promotion for myself and my son (J. L. Woodson) who also landed a traditional book deal the same day I did. The gamble paid off in that the book went to press eleven times within a nine month period. I landed on the Essence Bestsellers List and my son was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Eventually, I was placed on the Soul Expressions Wal*Mart tour which gave me nationwide exposure. Some authors believe that the publisher will do everything. I learned early on that it’s important to have skin in the game.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bit.ly/NaleighnaKai
• Instagram: https://bit.ly/NKonInstagram
• Facebook: https://bit.ly/naleighnaonFB
• Twitter: https://bit.ly/NaleighnaonTwitter
• Other: https://sociatap.com/naleighnakai/
  Newsletter Mailing List: http://bit.ly/NKNewsletter
  BookBub: https://bit.ly/NaleighnaonBookBub
  Amazon: https://bit.ly/NaleighnaonAmazon
  GoodReads: https://bit.ly/NaleighnaonGoodReads
  Pinterest: https://bit.ly/Naleighnaonpinterest
  Website: https://bit.ly/NaleighnaKai

Image Credits
Pete Stenberg Photography