We recently connected with Shayla McGhee and have shared our conversation below.
Shayla, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?
If I could go back in time, I would have definitely started my business sooner. I have always wanted to be a writer but honestly did not know all of the career paths writing could bring. I started really taking writing seriously and pursuing my dream of becoming an author right before the pandemic in 2019. The upside to beginning there is that my husband and I had finished paying off all of our student loan debt, so we had a lot expendable income to put into a business.
If I had started earlier, I think I would have been further in my journey. Currently, I have published over 10 books and even started a publishing agency to help others publish their books as well. I’ve also began to venture into creating merchandise from my characters and was approached by a major retailer to sell my books on its website. I can only imagine what else will come my way in the next year and I wonder how far I would’ve been had I had the courage to start when I was younger. I’ve practiced law and also taught, but writing is my first love. I wish I would’ve just went for it during college. I definitely would have avoided having to pay back over $55,000 in student loans from law school!
Shayla, 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 name is Shayla McGhee and I am the owner of Sable Inspired Books. The goal of my company is to create imaginative, creative, and inspirational literature that highlights black characters and culture. Writing should be inspirational and reading should be fun. I aim to accomplish both in an enjoyable way.
I established this company at the beginning of 2020. In 2019, I took a children’s book publishing class from my mentor, Crystal Swain-Bates, and that really prompted me to publish my first book, Payton Goes to London. I co-write a children’s book series, Payton’s Terrific Travels, with my daughter, Payton McGhee. This series is based on the countries she visits around the world. I also began venturing into publishing coloring books and journals to increase representation and diversity in the creative universe!
After thriving in that area, I opened Ivory Pen Publishing, a publishing agency that helps individuals publish their own children’s books, coloring books, and journals. I especially love helping children begin their entrepreneurial journeys through publishing books and have had the opportunity to help some amazing kids become successful authors~ including my daughter!
I definitely love providing quality services to my clients and I pride myself in making sure their books are professionally done and that they understand key aspects of the business. I always tell them that once they are a part of the Ivory Pen Publishing family, they are in it for life so they never need to hesitate to reach out and ask for any assistance.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
The goal of my creative journey is to increase representation in all facets of the literary world. Sometimes books made for African Americans are placed in a few categories but our likes and interests are so vast that we deserve representation in all of them. I started with travel books for kids due to the underrepresentation of characters there. After I established that series, I created a black mermaid coloring book, a black race car character and the list will continue to grow!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is having the ability to see my dreams come true. There is nothing more powerful than envisioning something in your head and then seeing it manifest. Before I learned how to publish books, I would have all of these amazing ideas and it would be excruciatingly frustrating to me that I could not figure out how to bring them to reality. Now that I have learned how to accomplish this goal, I have to practice restraint!
Contact Info:
- Website: sableinspiredbooks.com and ivorypenpublishing.com
- Instagram: @mcgheepartyof5 @sableinspiredbooks
- Facebook: @sableinspiredbooks
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaylatmcghee/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sable_Books
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwAcaoIIIioCsK7vVTGWDug
Image Credits
Photo Credits: Felicia McCall