Mascot Blog

It’s a tale as old as time: as an author, it’s always important to have some sort of platform to promote your book. Whether this is a Facebook page geared toward friends and family, or a large Twitter account with thousands of followers, having an audience to post about your book to is a great way to help the title succeed. With social media influencers, that platform is already built in, which can make them a more likely candidate for traditional publishing. However, that route isn’t always what’s best for the influencer in the long run.Influencers like working with us … read more

With 42 new titles, our February releases have something for every reading list! Check out our full list of February releases below.February Featured Title: Chemo Muscles: Lessons Learned from Being a Psycho-Oncologist and Cancer PatientBy Renee A. Exelbert, Ph.D.Dr. Renee Exelbert was working as a psychologist in a pediatric cancer center in Long Island, New York, before being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. The news came as a devastating shock to her and her family. She found herself on a path she had explored many times before as a doctor, only this time, she was the patient.Dr. Exelbert reflects … read more

You’ve decided you want to embark on the creative, rewarding, and sometimes frustrating journey that is writing a book—and, you’ve decided when you want to publish it. The next step is developing a strategic, realistic writing timeline that gives you enough room to fully develop and redevelop your manuscript while also ensuring that you hit your release date goals. While every book and author is different, we’ve created a sample writing timeline below to make the planning process a little easier! Before diving into the manuscript timeline, it is important to first understand the difference between the “book-to-print” date, the … read more

In downtown Herndon, VA—a quaint, historic town just 40 minutes outside of the bustle of Washington D.C.— with Crème Earl Grey. On the docket for March is local favorite , paired with the Herndon Breakfast Tea.  

Our “Tea Tuesdays” with Elden Street Tea Shop will begin Tuesday, February 25th. Catch us at our first “Write From the Tea House” on Wednesday, March 18th! We will be reading manuscripts, chatting with authors, and talking about the hybrid publishing process.

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“I hope that America continues to be a beacon of hope for immigrants from all around the world. I hope that the idea of the American Dream—the idea that you can come to a place, work hard, create opportunity for you and your family regardless of background—remains a perpetual part of America’s narrative.”Our January featured title is Our American Dream by Fiona McEntee! Upon its release, Our American Dream was the #1 New Release in the Children’s Tolerance and the Children’s Books on Immigration categories on Amazon! We chatted with Fiona about her experiences as a naturalized U.S. … read more

We are all writers. Whether you write short stories, blog posts, or full-length novels, we all have room to grow and improve upon our prose. From mastering the semicolon to developing the perfect hook, ring in 2020 with our New Year’s writing resolutions below!1. Master the coveted em dash.The em dash is a daunting yet wonderful writing tool—and when used properly—can sprinkle variation and emphasis into your sentences. This is not to be confused with the hyphen—a shorter, frequently-used symbol to connect two items to serve as a joint modifier. Nor is it to be confused by the en dash—the … read more

New year, new me, new resolutions! If reading more is one of you New Year’s resolutions, then we’ve got you covered! Check out our full list of January book releases below.January Featured Title: Our American DreamBy Fiona McEnteeImmigrants come from countries far,to dream their dreams beneath American stars.Let’s see who’s here in this great place,a land of diversity: the United States!Our American Dream is written by Fiona McEntee, an award-winning nationally recognized immigration lawyer. As an immigrant, mom of two young children, and lawyer who fights for justice every day, Fiona wrote Our American Dream to help explain the importance of a diverse … read more

“We have a chance to transform our pessimism into optimism; our confusion into clarity, our passion into action; and our potential into real life success.”Our December featured title is Joy of Financial Planning by Jason Howell! We chatted with Jason about his extensive political and financial career, his involvement as an alumnus of George Mason University, and how we can reclaim our American Dreams through financial planning. 1. As President of the Jason Howell Company, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, and a former U.S. Congressional candidate, you have a very extensive background in finance and politics. What inspired you to share … read more

The holiday season can be a great time to release a book, but it requires some planning! Check out our 5 tips below on how to publish a book in time for the holidays.1. Determine if your book has a significant tie to the holidays.Before you settle on publishing a book during the holiday season, stop and think. Will your book directly relate to the holidays? Is this a significant time of year to you as an author? Do you think that your book could be sold just as successfully in the spring?While many of our books like and … read more

Celebrate this holiday season with new books! From children’s titles to nonfiction, our December releases have something for every reader’s wish list.December Featured Title: Joy of Financial PlanningBy Jason J. Howell, CFPCan you still achieve the American Dream?You don’t have a pension. Social Security and Medicare may not be there when you need them. You pay much more for housing, even adjusted for inflation, than your parents ever did.  College education prices have skyrocketed. You may have gone to a good school and you may make good money (even saved some of it), but this is not the life you … read more