Urban-Reviews.com - Inside Out with Kole Black

Urban Reviews: Tell us about your debut novel The Chance She Took.
Kole Black: The Chance She Took is about a young girl that grows up in an abusive home with a mother who suffers from a serious mental illness. The girl runs away to the streets to escape her heartache, thinking that she will find love. But, that's when she finds herself on the receiving end of many, many harsh lessons taught by the streets. It’s heart wrenching, it’s hot, it’s steaming and it’s filled with wall-to-wall drama! If you have a heart condition, asthma, emphysema, are prone to dizzy spells or anxiety attacks, you may not want even open this book. Because this story is definitely not for the faint of heart. I mean, it’s strictly for the very grown & very sexy! LOL!

Urban Reviews: What prompted you to create this type of storyline?
Kole Black: Well, it actually started out as a creative writing project for a college course I was taking and after I got my grade back, which was an (A+) of course, LOL, I was encouraged to finish it, and see how it played out. I just wanted to deliver to something that would keep people on the edge of their seats and turning pages, so I wrote about something that I knew (DRAMA). LOL! Then, just about a year or so later, I had a finished manuscript in my hands and now here I am talking to you. Well, there were a few other things that happened in between, but for the most part, that’s kind of how it went. LOL!

Urban Reviews: Why did you choose to self-publish your debut novel?
Kole Black: I chose to self publish because I knew that I had something good, just based on all the feedback I was getting when people read it. And I am not just talking about my friends either, In fact most of my friends didn’t find even know that I had written a book, until it was actually out. The people who read my book were most neutral third parties that happened to be avid readers of African American fiction, who could not have cared less about who I was or about hurting my feelings. And I did it that way to insure that the responses I was getting were completely unbiased. After that, I started on putting myself together a good sales and marketing plan, because that’s actually my field of profession (marketing & advertising). I started to research who my customers were, along with why, where & how they purchased certain books. I tried to do as much home work as I possibly could.

Urban Reviews: Would you consider signing with a major publisher in the future?
Kole Black: I guess it would really depend on what they were offering me, because at this point my book is out there and it’s reaching readers. Besides that, I kind of liked having creative/editorial control over my book. I got final say over what went into it, what it looked like, all of that. Plus, I get to keep all of the profits! LOL! Well, me and Uncle Sam, that is! LOL.

Urban Reviews: What have you learned about the book industry being a relatively new author? Is it what you expected?
Kole Black: I have really learned a lot! I mean, when you start your own publishing company, you have to decide about the editing, printing, the art work, how it’s going to be distributed, how it’s going to be marketed & promoted, and the list goes on and on and on and on… LOL! I am still learning new things everyday though. It was definitely a huge undertaking and was nothing like what I expected it to be. It’s tough, but having people smile and get excited when they talk about my book after they have read it makes it all worthwhile. And I gotta say this, honestly, it has been like a dream come true for me! I never in a million years would have thought that one day people would be buying a book that I wrote and loving it, then asking about the next book. I have been getting so much love & support. I am blown away! Seriously.

Urban Reviews: What’s the best advice someone in the literary industry has given you?
Kole Black: Read, study, and then read and then study some more. This is a tough business that has everything to do with networking and relationships. So, it’s very important to know who to align yourself with and how to reach out to the correct individuals.

Urban Reviews: Are there any new projects in the works for you?
Kole Black: Yes! I am actually working on the sequel to The Chance She Took. A lot of the questions that were left open in the first book are answered in the second installment. And I also introduced some, very, very interesting new characters and dramatic plot twists. You can look forward to twice as many twist & turns and three times the drama. It’s gonna be Off Da’ Chain! I mean, Bananas!! I am very excited!

Urban Reviews: Do you have any favorite authors or books?
Kole Black: I love anything from Triple Crown Publications and Zane is always a winner. Eric Jerome Dickey is definitely doing his thing! But, without a doubt, I am waiting for that next book from Mallori McNeal, the author of A Down Chick. She is actually from my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. And that girl is a super novelist and she is like HELLA SEXY!!! So, that is what I am really waitin’ on! Plus, I would love to meet her someday! So, if anybody knows how to get in touch with her, tell her KOLE BLACK said (CALL ME)! LOL!

Urban Reviews: What do you want the world to know most about you?
Kole Black: I guess the thing that I want people to know most about me is that I am truly grateful to be here in this position I’m in. I mean, a lot people dream about writing a book and touching readers with their work, but most never get that privilege. To have an opportunity to get your work out there by any means (whether it’s self published or whatever) is a real honor and I count it as a blessing.