MEET Wahida Clark: She served 9.5 years in prison for money laundering and mail fraud, received valuable business advice from multi-millionaire and prison mate, Martha Stewart, and turned her life completely around. Her page turning street lit has landed on the New York Times bestseller list not once, but three times. Major publishers who have taken her on include Simon & Schuster and Cash Money Content, a company owned by Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams. Her chart topping books include Payback Ain’t Enough and Payback With Ya Life. Not one to shy away from a challenge, as soon as she was released from prison, this wife and mother also started her own business, Wahida Clark Publishing a company that has 14 authors on its roster.
MN: Had you thought about starting a business prior to your 9.5 year prison stay? Also, what advice did prison mate and multi-millionaire, Martha Stewart give you that continues to help propel your business forward?
WC: Before I went to prison and while I was living in Trenton, New Jersey, I dabbled with starting a book and printing company. Later, I moved to Georgia and sold telecommunications. During this time, I also did some business with the Housing and Urban Development (HUD). While I was incarcerated I wrote and published seven novels. The success of my books, including Essence bestseller, Thugs and the Women Who Love Them, caused me to receive lots of manuscripts from other inmates. Soon I realized that I had no choice but to start a publishing company. I developed the business plan for my publishing company while I was in prison and asked Martha Stewart to review my plan. She gave me a nod of approval. As soon as I came home I put my business plan into practice.
MN: When did you start Wahida Clark Publishing?
WC: I got out of prison in December 2007. I started my publishing company in 2008, as soon as I got out of prison. In order to be in a halfway house or home confinement you have to have a job. Rather than work for someone else, I started my own business.
MN: How much capital did you initially invest in Wahida Clark Publishing and what resources did you use to finance your business?
WC: I’m not sure of the exact amount I initially invested in my business. I used my own royalties from books I sold to start Wahida Clark Publishing. Businesses require an ongoing influx of capital. To meet this requirement, I constantly put money into Wahida Clark Publishing. I pay for the editing, printing, interior layout, etc. off royalties from books I sell.
MN: You’d already published and sold more than 300,000 copies of your Thug Series books under other publishers. Why did you decide to publish Justify My Thug and Payback Ain’t Enough under Cash Money Content?
WC: In prison I had contracts with major publishing houses. When I inked a deal with Cash Money Content, I simply moved from one publisher to another. Cash Money Content . . . when I thought about it, they had Nikki Minaj, Little Wayne, Drake etc. These artists sell millions of CDs to my target audience. So this was a chance for me to tap directly into my target audience. Cash Money has the ear of my audience. By working with them, I have a direct line into my target audience.
MN: So far, what has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a business owner? How have you managed to overcome this challenge?
WC: The biggest challenge of running a business is having a continuous flow of working capital. I am a New York Times bestselling author. I put money back into my business. I maintain. The authors that I publish also bring in a profit, which certainly helps, although some books sell better than others.
MN: When did you realize that you had a viable business and what did you do to celebrate this milestone?
WC: I’m still on the grind and on my way to getting a viable business. When my business pays every last one of my bills that’s when I’ll call it viable. I’m maintaining. Rather than rest on my own bestselling book sales, I stay on the grind. I’m an entrepreneur at heart. Like Oprah, I love the grind. I have to stay busy. I have to be doing something. It’s the entrepreneurial spirit that drives me.
MN: What, for you, is the key to creating page-turning books that sell hundreds of thousands of copies?
WC: When I’m writing I’m thinking – okay – I don’t want my readers to be able to put this book down. I want them to keep turning the pages. I make my characters do things that make the readers say – okay – I can’t put this book down. My goal is to keep readers asking and wondering what’s going to happen next, what characters are going to do next. As a book publisher, I help authors develop that skill; I also look for authors who already have the skill.
MN: Which of your books landed on the New York Times bestseller list first and what was going on in your life when you got the news that you’d hit the bestseller list?
WC: Payback With Your Life landed on the New York Times bestseller list first. My agent contacted me to let me know. She said, “Your book landed on the New York Times bestseller list.” I asked her, “What does that mean?” Now I realize that it’s a milestone. It means you’re selling books.
MN: The Internet is changing the book industry, making it increasingly possible for authors to publish and sell their own titles. Tell us about three to five major changes you see the Internet having on the book industry over the next one to two years.
WC: I have no clue what additional changes the Internet will bring to the book industry. However, I do know that if you don’t embrace the technology, you’ll get left behind. In regards to what may happen in the future, I’m going to let technology surprise me and accept the changes that it brings.
MN: How many authors do you represent under Wahida Clark Publishing and what criteria do you use to select authors you publish?
WC: Currently, there are 18 authors under contract with Wahida Clark Publishing. I look for writers who know how to write page-turning books. I also look for writers who are open to constructive criticism, writers who are committed to developing their craft. Writers interested in publishing books with Wahida Clark Publishing, can read our submissions guidelines at our website and send their work to me. I’m always looking for new, talented authors. New, talented authors are the life source of new publishing companies.
MN: How has actually working in the book publishing industry differed from your expectations or dreams of what working in the industry would be like?
WC: I had no clue what it would be like to work in the book industry. I said I was going to get out and publish other books. It’s a lot more work than I expected it to be. Having your own publishing company is a lot more work than I thought it would be, so too is selling my own books. Your work just begins after you publish your books. Books don’t sell themselves. You have to build your brand, sell your book, market your book.
MN: Tell us about three to four effective marketing strategies you use to spread the word about your books, your brand and Wahida Clark Publishing?
WC: (1) Email blasts; (2) interacting with my readers; in other words, when readers send me a Tweet, Facebook message or letter I respond; (3) social media; I stay active on social media. I’m on social media every day. It’s work. For example, to stay active on 20 or more social media networks, you need one to two people to dedicate themselves to working the networks full-time for you. And (4) I attend book signings. Some authors don’t like to do book signings. However, book signings are effective for me, because again, it’s important to interact with readers.
MN: How did you get affiliated with Prodigal Sons and Daughters Redirection Services, a nonprofit organization headquartered in East Orange, New Jersey, an organization you serve as Vice President of? And why do you think it’s important to give back?
WC: My husband mentored the former president of Prodigal Sons and Daughters. He sat back and watched what I was doing in prison and he told me I was the epitome of someone who represents Prodigal Sons and Daughters. He saw that I didn’t waste my time while I was in prison. No one can waste their time while they are in prison. For example, if you don’t have your GED, get a GED while you are in prison. If you want to use your culinary skills when you get out of prison, take culinary lessons. You’re going to need skills when you get out. You’re already labeled as a felon which is already a strike against you, so gain skills, take training, start a business, etc. all behind the wall.
I’ve been Vice President of Prodigal Sons and Daughters since I got out of prison. It’s important to me to give back because you reap what you sow. Plus, I saw the state of affairs firsthand while I was in prison. You see, prison is a revolving door; I saw the same women going in and out of prison. I saw the ages of women coming into prison getting younger and younger, women not knowing how to keep their cubicle clean and how to keep up their hygiene. I asked these women, “Where’s your mother?” They’d tell me their mother was in a crack house and their father was in prison. As mothers we raise the nation. If we aren’t doing anything with our young women, where are we going? We have a lot of work to do to change the mindset of young people, who, many are babies of the drug war.
MN: What advice would you give to women who have a burning desire to launch and manage successful businesses, women striving to redirect their lives after struggling through a setback, be it a bad relationship, incarceration, financial setback, etc.?
WC: Don’t give up. Let go. Do the best you can to let go of the past and move forward, because you only have now. The past already happened. You have to make the best of now. Use the power of NOW. Just because you were down at one time doesn’t mean that you have to stay down.
MN: What’s next for Wahida Clark and your publishing company? Where would you like to see yourself and your company two to three years from now?
WC: Two to three years from now, film and plays are coming from me and my company. That’s what next for Wahida Clark – the author and the publishing company. I want to take my authors’ books and my own books and turn them into plays and major motion pictures.
Rhonda Campbell (http://www.chistell.com), an East Coast journalist, is the owner of Off The Shelf radio and publisher of the books, Long Walk Up and Love Pour Over Me.
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