To start a series of interviews with writers who are passionate about libraries, I’d like to introduce you to Kristene Smith, CEO of Kristene Smith, Incorporated and author of the Style Tips of the Week series. Kristene is from Sacramento, California and just released the second volume of her Style Tips series, written for professionals trying to cultivate a personal and business brand.
Anne: Tell me a little bit about yourself.
Kristene: I am 39 years old and grew up in Sacramento, California. I was always good in English and wanted to be an English teacher when I grew up. That didn't happen, but I did go into communications and continued using my writing skills in my work. There are five kids in my family and I distinctly remember our mother taking us to the library on a regular basis. We visited Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in South Sacramento.
In 1996, at 26 years old, I started my first business - a public relations company. This company quickly became successful and I refocused it in 2006 toward advertising. I also wanted to share my knowledge with a wider audience and thought writing a series of books would be a good way to do that.
Anne: What is your writing process like?
Kristene: I start with developing the table of contents, then chapter outlines, and chapter research, writing and rewriting, editing and proofing. I take many of the photographs myself and purchase the rest.
I insist on complete solitude when I am writing and designing my books. I don't like distractions or sudden loud noises or interruptions. At home, I have a beautiful detached studio that works great for this purpose, and I do use it often, but I prefer the library. I only go to the quiet floors where people respect silence. Between kids, the phone, work and everything else, the least I can do to concentrate is move into a quiet space and anticipate a spectacular outcome. I owe that to myself and my readers.
Anne: What’s a working day at the library like for you?
Kristene: I come prepared with my chapter piles, research and laptop, but realize I may need more information and inspiration than I already have.
I start by looking for titles that will help me formulate my ideas and content direction, and maybe take a few of the library books to my table. Everything is spread out and I only work with pencil and paper at that point just making notes on what information I can use
Once I read through everything and gather all data, I start typing. I do not edit at this point, just type. When I am finished I do two things: talk to the librarian about my project and get suggestions on other titles to review, and use the library's search system to see if there are other titles at their sister branches, and order those titles if necessary. They usually come to my home library within two to three days. I always find tons of books I can use. I also use the library's article database quite extensively, and I can access that from home, which is great.
With respect to layout, I do that on another day entirely because it's a creative process. Without any research or content to do, I go to the library strictly to design, preferably by 8:00 a.m. It's the lack of noise that gets me through this process, which can be time-intensive. I don't need anything from the library at that point, but I am there for up to six or seven hours at a time on some days. If I do this for five or six days in a row, the book will be done.
After layout, I re-proof four or five times then I'm ready to publish and get ready for promotions.
Anne: What do you hope to accomplish with your books?
Kristene: I am trying to pass along tips and ideas that are time and cost effective that will become second nature to the reader. So many times, more information just seems like a chore to absorb when we are already busy. I teach lifestyle integration into business so that business image will become part of one's marketing program, and not a chore. I'm also trying to live up to my word about style, and that's why my books are full color and filled with creative elements not normally found in marketing books.
Anne: You talked earlier about going to the Martin Luther King Jr. Library growing up. What were your favorite books as a child?
Kristene: Growing up, I loved all kinds of children's books: Sesame Street, Dr. Seuss and tons of other books written for young kids. We regularly checked-out books from the library - lots of them. As I got older, I read Nancy Drew type books quite a bit. Also, I recall To Kill A Mockingbird being my favorite high school reading and I loved to write essays.
In my late teens, it seemed that real-life murder mysteries took center stage for a long while. My interests changes to more general reading material, business books and how-to as I matured, and now my personal library is filled with over 700 books and magazines on business and lifestyle topics that interest me.
Anne: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? (Or public relations students like myself?)
Kristene: Writing is a process that needs to be afforded time and focus. Often, we have many competing priorities such as school, family, social obligations, and church. After the initial desire to write comes about, the question becomes "Where do I find the time to get it done?" The problem is that the time is never just going to appear. A writer has to make it appear.
This means an aspiring writer must learn to block out time and learn to say "no" if they want to accomplish a goal and finish a project. Just like scheduling any other appointment, writing is a huge task that demands focus and attention and must be set into blocks of uninterrupted time - certainly where libraries come in. I would also suggest that writers learn to write in organized steps. First set-up a binder to hold everything, then write in steps: organize chapters, do research, write, edit, integrate art, etc. The process that works best for that writer is the one they should follow with each book.
Regarding PR - there are just a few things to remember in order to have a successful journey: top communications skills, top writing skills, lack of fear in your work, creativity, budget management and probably the most important is relationship building. You need to be able to pick up the phone, call anyone, and make it happen, from the Mayor to the janitor and everyone in between. Stay visible and maintain your relationships. You will find that you may be the only one keeping up the relationship at times, but that's okay, it will be there when you need it.
Photo by Larry Dalton
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