Each week get to know one of our amazing staff members as they talk about their writing heroes, advice to writers, and what book is currently sitting on their nightstand.
This week, meet Danielle Bylund!
Wise Ink: Describe your role at Wise Ink in two sentences or less.
Danielle Bylund: My title is Author Engagement Director. My responsibilities include project management, author outreach, and marketing.
WI: What is your day at Wise Ink normally look like?
DB: My background is in marketing and editing so I will often be working on a marketing project or a large editing project. A lot of my day is spent communicating with authors and guiding them through the publishing process. Because our business model is so author focused, we spend a lot of time giving advice and coaching authors through idea generation and manuscript development. I also attend a lot of community events to connect with authors and organizations who want to form partnerships with Wise Ink.
WI: What types of books are your favorites to publish, and why?
DB: I love working on literary fiction and creative nonfiction. My first love will always be literary fiction but there are so many exciting things happening in the creative nonfiction world that it has become a very, very close second. I also love working on health and wellness texts and finding ways to expand wellness activities, e.g. alternative medicine and yoga, into underserved communities.
WI: Who are some of your writing heroes?
DB: This question is really hard! I would say Joan Didion, Margaret Atwood, Alice Walker, Joni Tevis, NK Jemisin. I like women writers who reject literary convention. Writers who publish in multiple genres or bring something radically new to their chosen genre really inspire me.
WI: If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring author, what would you say?
DB: Write. Write when it’s bad, write when it’s good, write when you’re tired, write when you’re miserable. There is never a perfect time of day or a perfect time in your life to get that writing project done. Particularly now that most writers, even very famous authors, have day jobs. You have to find the space in your life to honor your creative identity. This means writing when it may not feel like the perfect time. Just get it on the page.
WI: What are you currently reading?
DB: I am currently reading three books, because that’s what I’m like. I am reading Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Stone Sky by NK Jemisin, and Bluets by Maggie Nelson.
