Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Asante.
Hi Erica, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Erica Asante. I am a global health specialist, children’s author, wife, and mother of three. In 2019, while I was working from home due to the pandemic, my oldest son was also doing remote learning. One day the teacher asked the students to share their favorite food with the class. My son called me over to the computer and told me that he wanted to tell the class his favorite food, omo tuo and nkatenkwan (rice formed into a ball with peanut butter soup from Ghana), but he was worried that they wouldn’t know what it is. I told him to share it because they may not know what it is, but if he shared it with them, they would learn something new. Feeling insecure, he chose to say pizza. Knowing that books are a vehicle to teach, learn, and share, I chose to write my first children’s book, Threads of Me: Kente for Show and Tell. Threads of Me is about a girl named Ama who needs to bring something in for show and tell that represents her culture and heritage. She rushes home from school to tell her Nana (grandmother) about the assignment and get ideas from her. Nana sits Ama down and tells her the story of Kente, a handwoven cloth from Ghana, West Africa that was once worn only by royals of the Asante Kingdom. Ama learns about this cloth and shares it with her class. I wanted to share this amazing cloth and its significance with the world while also encouraging readers to embrace, celebrate, and share their cultures with others. The story reminds us of the value of storytelling and passing our cultures and family traditions onto the next generation. My hope is that with books like these, conversations can be had around celebrating diverse cultures and lead families, communities, and schools to find avenues to do so.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Every journey has its twists and turns, and the author’s journey has been no exception. Instead of attempting to have my book published by a large traditional publisher, I decided to establish my own boutique publishing agency called Golden Cocoa Books. I chose this path so that I would have creative control throughout the writing and publishing process. The first challenge was the steep learning curve. I had to conduct months’ worth of research to understand the publishing industry and moreover to understand how to produce a high-quality book at the standard of a traditionally published book. I not only conducted internet research, but I consulted with several other authors and joined several author groups. The second challenge was balancing my newfound love with family life, full-time work, and other extracurricular activities. I committed the nights to working on the book and business, sometimes only getting 2-3 hours of sleep. The third challenge was funding. Since I chose the path of publishing my own book under my company all expenses (professional editor, illustrator, formatter, printing company, marketing, etc) to get the book to where it is today, have been out of pocket. Given that I aimed to have a high-quality book, this venture has been expensive. The last challenge is marketing the book to a diverse audience. There appears to be a perception that a book with characters of African descent on the cover is meant only for children of African descent. I created this book to share a piece of African culture with all children and to promote intercultural learning. I have begun to witness my book spread across the globe, and it is my hope that it will spread even further. Despite each of these challenges, I have no doubt, no doubt at all that this journey is meant for me. The impact that books can have on the lives of children, families, and communities is immeasurable.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
As a children’s author, my mission is to enrich children’s literature with books that celebrate and educate children about diverse cultures from around the world. Outside of my son’s influence on my writing, my writing is influenced by my life and career that was given me the opportunity to visit and work in 20 countries in five continents, my family, and heritage.
I am most of proud of my first book, Threads of Me: Kente for Show and Tell’s global reach in just four months. Threads of Me is sold on www.ericaasante.com, Amazon, Barnesandnobles.com, but also on websites in Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and in stores in Ghana and Canada.
Through author visits at schools, museums, churches, and other venues, I utilize my book to facilitate conversations around embracing, celebrating, and sharing our individual cultures with each other.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
More than ever, we are seeing more and more children’s books that celebrate diverse cultures. However, there is still a huge gap. Over the next 5-10 years, I expect to see an increase in the percentage of culturally diverse children’s books that are published. This in turn will lead to expanding children’s views of the world we live in and the people that live in it, that may not look, eat, dance, or have traditions exactly like them. In the same vein these stories also highlight how similar we are. I aim to contribute to the children’s literature by writing more books that build cultural awareness for children all over the world. An increase in culturally diverse books can contribute to a better understanding of each other and hopefully to a more harmonious society.
Pricing:
- $12.99 – Paperback (Threads of Me)
- $17.99 – Hardcover (Threads of Me)
Contact Info:
- Website: ericaasante.com
- Instagram: byericaasante
- Facebook: byericaasante
Image Credits
Sophie K. Hunter
@desirae.salome
Bismark Amoah
