Latoya Smith: The Woman Behind the Paper
Latoya Smith is a renaissance woman in the literary world. From publishing, to editing, copywriting, and editorial assistance, she does it all. The proper thing to do would be to explain to everyone the lengthy resume that Latoya attains. But some things that you could easily find out are how she was Teri Woods’ first assistant at Teri Woods Publishing while she was studied at Temple University, and that she’s worked with familiar authors such as Felicia Pearson (Snoop from The Wire), Carl Weber, and Coach Carter on his memoir, Yes, Ma’am, No Sir. Latoya has been taking control of her future in the literary field since her undergrad career.
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In the mist of her accomplishments, she came across Tony Gaskins, who popped up on her Facebook timeline and this is where the magic sparked. While working for Grand Central Publishing, she came up with the idea of a collaboration. Latoya contacted the self-help life coach and motivational speaker in hopes that he would contact her back.
Tony did in fact reach out to her but by that time Latoya had a career change. But that did not stop her from going after what she wanted. “I made sure I kept in touch.” The art of keeping in touch is a powerful thing because the two eventually found the right project to work on. And now we are here talking about a very nice book deal that she closed for Tony Gaskins. The first question that pops up in anyone’s head is, “How the heck did she do that?” A girl boss does what she has to do.
With a humble tone and a smile that you can hear, she simply explained that she was strategic with the book. She decided to hold off on submitting it to publishers during the summer and began using her connections at the start of the fall to start the process. “I made phone calls and gained the interest of the big 5 publishers in New York.” Being strategic and using resources, on top of talent, could be the conclusion of it all. It could also be a sprinkle of her being the winner of the 2012 RWA Golden Apple Award for Editor of the Year, the 2017 RWA Golden Apple Award for Agent of the Year, and the 2017 Literary Jewels Award for Editor of the Year. “I had an amazing 2017,” she said as if it just hit her in that moment.
Latoya has been pushing through with her career and though all literary agents are important to an author’s career, she explained to AAMBC Journal that black literary agents are well needed. “There is a lack of diversity in publishing.” African Americans provide different points of views and stories, and Latoya explained that black literary agents provide “support through the traditional publishing field for those voices.” Black literary agents bridge the gap of diversity between their clients and their clients’ future supporters. Bridging gaps and winning awards provides little time on one’s schedule, but as I stated earlier, she’s a renaissance woman.
Completing six-figure deals, doing freelance editing, running her editing company, engaging in consultations, and going through 25–50 submissions a week seems like a lot, but Latoya is gleeful as she speaks about her busy life.
For authors, and anyone trying to level up with their craft, Latoya demanded us all to “hone your craft, work hard, focus, and have determination.” She added that taking care of your brand is important, and so is quality when your name is involved.
For polished services from Latoya, you can find her at lcsliterary.com. You can also follow her on Twitter, and Facebook.
