Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiana Smith.
Hi Tiana, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always wanted to be an author. My parents and teachers were all really supportive of my writing from a young age, which helped me feel like this was something I should pursue. I wrote three books before even attempting to get an agent, while I honed my craft and figured out what genres best suited my writing voice. I now have two young adult rom-coms out from Macmillan (MATCH ME IF YOU CAN and HOW TO SPEAK BOY) with two adult spy rom-coms coming soon from Penguin Random House.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Publishing isn’t a career for the faint of heart. Because writing is so subjective, writers often face rejection. My path to publication was no different. Even after I landed my first agent, she ended up leaving the industry and I found myself in the query trenches once again. Then once I signed with my second agent and I had two books published, the imprint I was with under Macmillan shut its doors, which was discouraging to say the least. But ultimately it also led me to write in a different genre and sign a deal with Penguin Random House. So while there are obstacles that feel insurmountable, you never know what the path looks like ahead and how it might lead to something better.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I write fun, flirty books. My young adult books are sweet and good for ages eleven and up. They’re titled MATCH ME IF YOU CAN and HOW TO SPEAK BOY. My first book is a contemporary retelling of A Midsummer Night’s Dream where two couples get mixed up and have to sort themselves out in time for homecoming, and my second book is an adaptation of You’ve Got Mail where two speech and debate competitors fall in love through anonymous notes.
My adult spy books won’t come out until 2024 and 2025, but I’m extremely excited about them – the first one is titled THE SPY AND I. It’s an action-packed rom-com about a case of mistaken identity, when the heroine is confused for her super spy sister and must work with a hot and mysterious covert operative to save the day.
I love giving back to the writing community and have served on many different conference boards and writing guilds throughout the years. Most notably I’ve enjoyed working with Author Mentor Match and the Storymakers Board of Directors.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Publishing is hard to predict, especially because it operates so far in the future. A book is acquired and finished months, if not years before it ever reaches the shelves of a bookstore. So trying to predict trends is tricky and can feel like looking into a crystal ball.
Barnes and Noble made some changes recently with how it allocated space to young adult titles which makes me think we might see fewer hardbacks in young adult books. More publishers might try out trade paperback for YA titles, even debuts. That would certainly be interesting to see, because for years they’ve operated on the model of publishing in hardcover first, then delivering a paperback a year later if the title sold well enough.
Something else that everyone will be watching in publishing is the possibility of more mergers. Right now there are five houses that make up the “Big Five” traditional publishing houses. But many authors, agents, and editors will be waiting to see if that changes, because the ripple effects will be felt across the entire industry for years to come.
Pricing:
- Match Me If You Can – $12 on Amazon
- How To Speak Boy – $9 on Amazon
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tianasmith.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/tianasmithbooks
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/tianasmithbooks
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@tianasmithbooks
Image Credits
Pepperfox Photo
