Publishizer Industry Expert Feature 

Tamara Mayo
by Sean Colligan

Looking to escape more of the same old stories, readers are increasingly drawn to independent publishing, and authors whose work doesn’t “fit in” with big publishers are eager to share their work with this growing audience. But for inexperienced authors, this unfamiliar territory in publishing can be tricky. Tamara Mayo, CEO & founder of Taevo Publishing, has experienced this firsthand and is happy to share what she’s learned with the authors who are ready to bring authenticity, diversity, and, in her words, “weirdness” to the world of indie lit.

A traditional publishing house, Taevo Publishing is especially focused on elevating BIPOC women authors and demystifying the publishing process. Mayo’s inspiration to support new storytellers came at the age of 14 when her mother published her first book through a vanity publisher. Even then, Mayo could see that there were problems in the industry and continued to notice them as she attended book conferences & events into her 20s.

“I kept seeing these authors at these booths and tables working so hard, breaking things down, setting things up, wearing multiple hats, and I literally saw my mother. I remember at 14 seeing her do the same thing, and here we are 10 years later, and I’m like, ‘how is this still going on?’”

Mayo was determined to help authors like these who simply “want to be free to write.” Soon after founding Taevo, Mayo was proud to produce her company’s first book: her mother’s. Joyce Mayo’s Abused & Abandoned, a fictionalized retelling of true experiences surviving intimate partner violence, had finally gotten the publication treatment it deserved.

“After the blood, sweat & tears we poured into that, making sure the formatting was perfect, the cover was perfect, getting the right photographer, everything...To this day, when I talk to the author and say, ‘Maybe we should update the cover,’ she literally begs me, ‘Please don’t change it; it’s so beautiful!’ That was my reminder that we could give books the ‘Cinderella effect.’ We can take these books that were self-published or vanity published, and we can transform them; we can go ‘bippity boppity boo!’”

Taevo is currently accepting submissions for two anthologies: Universes of a Creator, a fantasy collection, and Why I Stayed, an anthology of stories from survivors of intimate partner violence. Mayo is also excited about an upcoming anthology from her friends at Thinking Ink Press, The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters, a collection of sci-fi stories centered around neurodiversity.

For those in the unpredictable world of indie publishing, Mayo offers this golden piece of wisdom:

“Remember your ‘why’. Once you get on this side, you’ll notice that there are more fires that need to be put out than you realize. It can be overwhelming if you let it, so you have to stay focused on your ‘why’. Your ‘why’ is your mission, your vision, and the solution that you want to offer to the publishing world.”

We are thrilled to host Tamara for a education session with the Publishizer community on Thursday, August 8th. Claim the replay HERE!