Mascot Blog

By Emily Evans-Miller In honor of National Suicide Prevention month, we’re featuring Spared by Shaun Deane. Spared is Deane’s memoir about the tragic events of his early adulthood, which includes coping with suicides that touched close to home. Spared is his way of facing his past head-on, uncovering new truths to better understand himself in order to overcome and survive tragedy. We asked him about the writing process, dealing with grief, and capturing one of the most difficult periods of his life in language. What were your motivations in writing Spared? Books surrounded me growing … read more

By Emily Evans-Miller Time for some throwbacks! Fifteen years ago, Mascot Books was founded on September 15th, 2003 by CEO Naren Aryal. For the past fifteen days, we’ve been featuring one of our titles from each year on our social media channels. We love getting the chance to celebrate how diverse our titles are! As you can imagine, with over 300 books sent to print so far this year alone, we had quite a challenge picking out just one for each year. Check them out! 2003: Hello, Hokie Bird! By Aimee Sutter Aryal Follow Hokie Bird around the … read more

By Emily Evans-Miller As Americans, we are privileged to live in a nation protected by the brave servicemen and women that fight for our safety both at home and abroad. On this National Day of Service, we would like to honor members of our Mascot family who have served or honor those who do through their work. From military veterans to police officers and firefighters, we are grateful for all that service men and women do and are grateful to have the opportunity to bring their stories to life. By Richard Lee Marsh For over 70 years, … read more

Every month we feature a new release that we think really shines. This month’s featured title is by Susan Kay Wyatt! Why We Love It: No Crown Required is a powerful reflection on raising strong, independent women. We’re proud to feature empowering titles and are excited to help change the conversation surrounding beauty standards, pageantry, and young women with this book. Given the debate surrounding the Miss America pageant as a whole—particularly the removal of the swimsuit contest and the latest remarks by the current Miss America—we asked former Miss Ohio, Susan Kay Wyatt, for her … read more

Happy September! To celebrate the coming of fall, check out our new titles below. This month, we’ve got a parenting book written by a former Miss Ohio, sports books to get you pumped for the upcoming Football and Basketball seasons (including one by Cavs player JR Smith and former Knicks player Christ Smith!), and books to empower the young girl in your life.   Self Help No Crown Required By Susan Kay Wyatt The Miss America pageant perpetuates comparison between women and an unrealistic expectation of perfection in a beauty-obsessed, high-definition world. A former contestant, Susan Kay Wyatt … read more

By Emily Evans-Miller   Here at Mascot, we think it’s high time to recognize the unsung heroes of the publishing community: illustrators and editors. We have an extensive network of freelance professionals who do fantastic work for us and our authors. This month, our featured freelance publishing professional is illustrator Chiara Civati! Chiara is one of our most-requested artists and has worked with Mascot on thirty-one books so far. Our blog editor, Emily, asked Chiara a few questions to learn more about her illustration process. How did you begin illustrating books? What made you decide to pursue this as … read more

By Kaleigh Shank Here at Mascot Books, we take our sports—and their Mascots—very seriously. With the 2018 college football season starting soon, we asked our staff what their favorite college books are!   Naren Aryal Virginia Tech Our CEO can’t pick just one team! 50 Best College Football Teams of All Time is at the top of Naren’s list because it captures everything that makes college football so great. Follow the history of the sport from 1906 to 2013 and learn about the players, coaches, and offenses that changed the game.   Kristin Perry University of Virgina … read more

By: Emily Evans-Miller Contributing Writer: Mariya Khan   Managing social media accounts for your newly published book may seem daunting, but have no fear! Mascot Books is here to help you develop a successful author platform so your book can reach thousands of potential readers all over the world. Create Your Brand and Know Your Audience Knowing your brand and audience will make it easier to figure out what you want to share on social media. Maybe you want to be known as a vegan chef whose cookbook and social media posts speak to vegan millenials and their families. Or … read more

Happy Release Day! As Summer break comes to a close this month, Mascot Books is ready to get you in gear for back to school season. This month we’ve got a Vietnam War Memoir, new additions to some of our most popular children’s series, and plenty collegiate titles just in time for football season. Check them out: Memoir Walking A&P: A Vietnam War Memoir By Karol Nielsen Her father was part of the 101st Airborne Division during the Vietnam War. Now, 40 years later, Karol travels to Vietnam to retrace her father’s footsteps. This is a touching, and inspirational … read more

Every month we feature a new release that we think really shines. This month’s featured title is The Amazingly Awesome Amani by Jamiyl and Tracy-Ann Samuels! Why We Love It: The Amazingly Awesome Amani is a powerful book with a life-changing message. Jamiyl and Tracy-Ann took the story of their own son who has autism and created a narrative that builds understanding and champions confidence. We are proud to be a part of Amani’s journey and to help spread awareness and eradicate stigma. From helping children learn to accept what makes someone different to helping children understand there … read more