Today we’d like to introduce you to Ivy Mcquain.
Ivy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
BLI Publishing started because I published a book in 24 hours, which I don’t recommend for anyone to do. I published it because I believed it was something that I needed to do and get done so I could move on with my life. Get Your Head Out of the Clouds, This is Business was written to help small business owners/entrepreneurs understand themselves before they ever get started with business. I was a great book that helped a lot of business owners but there was a flaw to that book. It was thrown together and thus was initially published with a lot of errors. When I noticed the errors I corrected them and uploaded a better file.
Well after the book was published and I had my first book signing a year later, I quickly realized that I didn’t know anything about being a published author. Go figure because my first book was published when I was 11 and I had been a professionally published writer since 19 having written for CBS, University of Phoenix and some notable trade journals as a ghostwriter. I did not market my book, promote it, go on tour with it… I did nothing. That is when I realized that there were probably other authors who were experiencing the same exact thing. Having a book that was not the best quality and were stuck not knowing what was next.
So my former business partner and I created BLI Publishing and decided to create a safe haven, if you will, to help authors and author hopefuls produce a book with a team from beginning to end. We have successfully published 25 books with more coming in 2018. Our model is traditional with indie and self-publishing options.
Our Weddings Magazine is a by-product of BLI Publishing. One day while at the grocery store I overheard a young Black girl, about 10 years old, say that Black people don’t get married. My heart was crushed hearing that. Then my teenage son. Who grew up in a married household until he was 10, said the same thing… “Black people don’t get married.” I was devastated because the youth in the Black community were developing to vision that Black people don’t get married. Not mention the portrayal of our families and relationships in mainstream media.
I knew something needed to be done. Then the opportunity was presented when James Thomas of Southern Dallas County Magazine reached out to me and asked us to create an insert for his magazine that featured Black weddings. I was excited and we went all out in April of 2014 with a full photo shoot and designs from Linda Rowe Thomas. The issue was an insert in the June 2014 of SDCM.
But it wasn’t enough for us and we decided to do the magazine on a continual full-time basis. Our first issue was digitally released in April 2015. We were elated because the market was excited to see the Black Bride AND the Black Groom featured together. While we are not exclusive of any group or race of people we are committed to focusing our publication to promoting and fostering healthy Black marriages that are often overlooked or completely ignored by mainstream publications and media.
Our Weddings Magazine also hosts The Black Bridal Experience bi-annually. In some markets with focus on The Black Bridal Experience Expo, where Black Bridal Professionals are supported and promoted to display their services to their markets. In other markets we host a two-day experience where the Bridal Inspired Fashion Show features high end designers such as The Fashion Opera House, Faith Diva Designs, Pantora Bridal and a host of other Black bridal designers. Our Weddings Magazine’s two-day event was created to highlight both Black bridal professionals as well as Black brides and Black grooms who feel excluded from popular bridal shows that come to the DFW and surrounding areas.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As with any business there are no smooth roads unless you are not committed to growing your business. BLI Publishing as had to deal some of the most difficult authors. With many service oriented businesses the holidays tend to be lull times when individuals focus more on holidays instead of what they need to do to promote their books.
It can be challenging to maintain service when self-publishing when it’s so easy to publish through fast and easy sites such as CreateSpace, which controls and owns your ISBN when you publish for free. Nonetheless, when authors take the time to trust the process it is definitely fun and exciting to walk our authors through the steps of becoming a published author.
With Our Weddings Magazine the road has not been easy because most of the expenses are our expenses. Having your time divided between two companies and clients something tends to fall off track. However, it is always a delight to see the finished product and to highlight our advertisers, couples, and writers.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with BLI Publishing and Our Weddings Magazine – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
BLI Publishing is a full service publishing company. We offer all interested individuals an opportunity to consult with us to determine the next steps for publishing. We have authors all over the country and we continue to grow in new markets. We offer:
Traditional publishing services – contracted services where authors pay nothing upfront. There are terms and conditions that apply with an issued contract.
Indie Publishing Services – an upfront fee is assessed but the authors retains all rights, control, and royalties.
Self-Publishing Services – for the author who wants to retain 100 percent control but need guidance.
We also provide ghostwriting, editing, layout and design, marketing, advertising, promotional services as an a la carte option.
We have successfully published more than 25 books with more to come. BLI Publishing is set apart because we announce our authors, at no additional cost, through advertising through a local DFW publication. We provide marketing services per month, again at no additional cost, to help the authors’ continual position their book in their local and national markets. BLI Publishing is not exclusive of any individual. We believe all individuals who want to share their story should be allowed to without judgment.
Our Weddings Magazine is a bi-monthly digital and print bridal lifestyle magazine that focuses on the relationships, dating, engagement, and marriages of the Black bride and Black Groom. We discuss a wide range of topics that directly impact the lives of couples who read our magazine or popular magazines such as Essence, Ebony, or Munaluchi.
What sets Our Weddings Magazine apart from others is that we focus on the Black love experience in totality. We stick to our guns despite being challenged. It’s a movement, not an exclusion because so many other publications offer diverse opportunities which should be sought by individuals who want full inclusion while excluding the moniker of Black Love.
I am proud of both companies because they are inclusive of each other, BLI Publishing being the parent company, yet hold their own in their respective markets. It can be difficult to do that at times but it must be done to identify the needs of a market that is often lacking a voice.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
One of the goals for BLI Publishing is to make it a full service traditional publishing company only. We want to be able to offer advances for our authors in the future. Indie and Self-publishing services is a saturated market and offers little to no guarantee to the authors’ success. And honestly the market is already full of less than quality products. We are building our team to offer that service within the next two years.
For Our Weddings Magazine we want to be one of the premier bridal magazines for Black brides and Black grooms. We have no desire to compete with other Black bridal magazines because it takes away from the need of quality bridal magazines for the African American marketplace. Oftentimes we look to compete rather than be cohesive to provide a quality diverse product for the market that’s already missing quality.
We also want both companies to go on tour. Book tours and speaking engagements for BLI Publishing and The Black Bridal Experience tour to various urban markets. We are also looking to put our authors and magazine in more markets through targeted local distributions.
Pricing:
- Our Weddings Magazine – $7.00 per issue
- BLI Publishing Beginner’s Package – $1,995
Contact Info:
- Address: 1910 Pacific Avenue
Suite 7024
Dallas, TX 75201 - Website: www.blipublishing.com
- Phone: 469-557-1254
- Email: info@blipublishing.com
- Instagram: @blipublishing and @ourweddingsmag
- Facebook: facebook.com/ourweddingsmag
- Twitter: twitter.com/ourweddingsmag
Image Credit:
Dav Dancer
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
