AN INTERVIEW WITH TOBENNA ATTAH
- Your Name and about yourself
Name: Tobenna Vincent Attah
Tobe Attah was the captain of the Cornell University Track & Field team and wore many different hats as a freelance writer & editor. Upon graduating from Cornell, Tobe immediately pursued advanced learning at Syracuse University. He holds a Master’s degree in Media & Education and has developed many platforms that help younger audiences learn + teach each other about the world using the U.N. 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Tobe is the Founder of Ekele Media, a publication platform creating enriching, story-driven content to help younger audiences develop social-emotional skills to become aspiring global leaders. Ekele Media inspires gratitude and encourages readers to focus on the fundamental collaborative principles of leadership and civic engagement.
- Are you happy about being an Author?
Yes, I’m very happy about being an author! This is something that provides me the opportunity to constantly learn new things every day. There are countless things to learn as a self-published author, and I’ve had a blast improving my skills in online sales branding, marketing, storytelling, creative directing, public speaking, and the list goes on!
Being an author ultimately makes me proud to leave a legacy of stories I worked hard to produce and enrich younger audiences.
Gaining sales from a book long term will take a lot of work before the book is even published.
I’ve been published across a wide array of media outlets. From Sports Illustrated to Clutchpoints, my zeal for writing continues to help me grow more as a self-published author.
In today’s digitized world, readers are more likely to judge your book by its cover even though the old saying is “don’t judge a book by its cover”. Readers typically aren’t in libraries/book stores as often, so they can only base their purchasing decisions on an author’s book cover, description, and online reviews. My ultimate goal is to find success with enriching, story-driven content, so this may pose a challenge in seeing my efforts translate into direct sales online.
- As an author , what do you think are the positive things about your writing/stories/publications?
My stories are inspired by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The 17 SDGs are essentially a set of guiding principles our global leader’s came together to create in order to make the world a better place by 2030.
I created a platform called Doodle the News a few years ago
- Which book or e-books have you published and which are in pipeline? ((You can also write about each of them if you wish to.))
Published: Little Lone Leelo Learns the Power of Teamwork
In the Pipeline: Chelly’s Journey to the Heart of the Sea
- What’s your advice for budding authors?
Immerse yourself in knowledge and advice from other self-published authors, whether that’s setting up consultative conversations with them, attending webinars, or finding resources on your own via the internet.
As a starting point, I suggest watching YouTube videos of other self-published authors going over ways they found success. The YouTube algorithm does a really good job of recommending other videos you should watch. I typically put the videos to play at 1.5× speed to learn faster so I can apply their tips in my own journey.
- Do you believe in “Writer’s Block”?
Yes I have experienced “Writer’s Block”. This is one of the many reasons why I try to stick to short form storytelling. Getting stuck happens less when the stories are shorter and less complex.
- What are the problems that you have faced in your Author journey?
Marketing. This has always been a challenge for me, as I’m not very savvy with social media and search engine optimization. This is why I spend many hours teaching myself new ways to approach marketing. One solution I’m trying is building my very own launch team, which you can learn more about and join here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2904398199885678/?ref=share
Much like any entrepreneurial venture, being an author means you will always come across new problems as the industry evolves. I enjoy the constant learning experience being an author presents.
- What Genre of Books do you create and Why you chose it?
With my Master’s degree in Media & Education, children’s books felt like a natural area to start as an author. Down the road I can see myself expanding my efforts to other genres, but right now children’s books are my focus. Children’s books are also quicker to produce, so they naturally fit my preference to write shorter stories.
