Urban-Reviews.com - Inside Out with Dedan Tolbert

Dedan Tolbert

29-year-old Philadelphia native, Dedan Tolbert is the author of the novel The Love We Had... and an advice columnist for Suavv Magazine, Maelan Magazine, Blaque Magazine, Infinite Magazine, Extreme Magazine and Big Time Publishing Magazine. In these publications, as well as on TheFlowLive.com and KishaGreenOnline.com, you can view his "Ask Dedan" advice column.

Dedan is also the founder and CEO of Tolbert Books and Distribution. T B & D was founded in May 2006 and has over 100 employees in over 20 US States. Its purpose is to help the not so well known author maximize their distribution potential. It also serves as an outlet for new authors to get advice and leadership from other successful authors.

On October 1st, 2006 The Love We Had..., which was self published, was released and has sold thousands of copies in the past few months. His upcoming book Ask Dedan: Sex, Dating & Relationships - Volume I will be released July 20, 2007. Currently, Dedan is working on his second novel Never Make A Promise..., which will be a prequel to The Love We Had.... He's also on a promotional book tour which has taken him all over Philadelphia as well as New Jersey, New York and Washington DC.

Dedan has given self-publishing seminars at various Philadelphia high schools. Tolbert Books and Distribution has implemented mentoring and internship programs in these schools to help our youth realize the importance of staying in school and always believing that your dreams can come true.

Read A Full Excerpt of The Love We Had

Author's Official Website: http://www.dedantolbert.com
Author's Myspace Page: Click Here for Page #1 or Click Here for Page #2
Order Your Copy Today: Click Here

Urban Reviews: Tell us about The Love We Had...
Dedan Tolbert: The Love We Had...is my first novel, which is about a couple (Derrick and Maya) who experience love at first sight on a college campus. Their relationship is runs into trouble when Maya’s ex boyfriend realizes that he can’t live without her and wont let her live without him. The Love We Had...was named one of the 10 best books of 2006 by The Writers Inn.

Urban Reviews: What inspired you to write this novel and to become an author?
Dedan Tolbert: I’ve always been a writer and have always enjoyed telling good stories. The Love We Had...is loosely based on my life as well as experiences that I had in college.

Urban Reviews: You released this novel under your own publishing company TB&D Enterprises. Why did you choose to do this?
Dedan Tolbert: I chose to self publish The Love We Had... because I have never been the type of person to wait for someone to hand me something. Initially, I wasn’t familiar with other publishing options, so I chose to do it myself. Now, TB&D Enterprises provides self published authors like myself, with a way to get their work published without having to go through the traditional methods.

Urban Reviews: Would you like to get picked up by a major publisher in the future?
Dedan Tolbert: Yes I would. Currently, I have an agent who is in the process of shopping The Love We Had... as well as my second book, “Ask Dedan” Sex, Dating & Relationships - Volume I, to major publishing companies across the country.

Urban Reviews: Do you have any upcoming projects?
Dedan Tolbert: As I just mentioned, “Ask Dedan” Sex, Dating & Relationships, Volume I is scheduled to be released on July 27th. I currently write my “Ask Dedan” advice column for several magazines and this book is a collection of the best columns. I give advice on just about any topic you can think of that pertains to dating.

Urban Reviews: What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of self-publishing?
Dedan Tolbert: Self-publishing can be very hard if you’re not extremely motivated. There’s a lot of work/networking that needs to be done, in addition to the fact that self-publishing can be very expensive without an immediate financial reward. On the other hand, being a self-published author can have many rewards. You maintain complete control of your work and can keep a larger percentage of the profits.

Urban Reviews: What is the biggest thing you've learned about the literary industry?
Dedan Tolbert: The main thing that I’ve learned about the literary industry is that it is very competitive. It's extremely important to network with people in the industry with similar interests as yourself. There’s always going to be someone who can help you in some way or someone who you may be able to help in their literary journey. I was fortunate to come across two other self-published authors, Yulonda Brown and Kisha Green, who I started The Next Generation Literary Group (NGLG) with. We founded this organization to be a resource to aspiring authors and to show them that realizing your dreams of being published can come true.

Urban Reviews: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Dedan Tolbert: The main advice that I would give to aspiring authors would be to keep writing. Once the book is complete, there are many ways of getting your work published. Don’t let the fear of not being picked up by a major publishing company stop you from finishing what could be a classic.

Urban Reviews: What do you want people to know most about you?
Dedan Tolbert: Most of all, I would like people to know that I am a very real and down to earth individual who loves to entertain. I take pride in my work and love to give advice about any topic. I try to make myself available to anyone who feels that I or my company can be of service to. If anyone has questions of needs to contact me, I can be reached at tolbert_books@hotmail.com or www.dedantolbert.com.