Today we’d like to introduce you to Ebony Zayzay.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born in Halifax County, NC, where I was raised by my mother with two younger siblings. In a small town, there aren’t many activities;, however, I found enjoyment in playing outdoors, writing, reading, and watching Nickelodeon or the latest MTV music video. If you need further proof of my 90s baby status, I recall times as a kid either drawing my own characters for paper dolls or writing full picture book series in a composition notebook.
This makes me laugh today as I didn’t realize you could make any of this into a career.
Eventually, I enrolled in college, as my way to get out into the world, and pursued a degree in business. I met my now-husband freshman year, and he’s been on this journey with me since.
He’s the true entrepreneurial mind, and while I encouraged him to explore corporate, he opened my mind to starting something of my own.
I always had a desire to be an entrepreneur, but I kept to the safe, “tried and true” route with a clear path forward.. As everyone told me, “get a degree, get a job.” This eventually led me to marketing roles within advertising agencies as well as consumer packages goods (CPG) and for-profit educational companies.
I started to seriously consider starting a business during an extended break in employment in 2018, due to a misalignment in company culture and my interest in the specific role.
I started the manuscript for, what’s now, ‘The Adventures of Keva’, with a desire to show a young, African American girl in the outdoors. At this point, I knew there was a lack of representation of young girls/women within these storylines, however, I didn’t realize the extent to which African Americans are overall underrepresented in literature until a year later when I had my son.
In looking for books that showed brown faces, while telling multidimensional stories that I could relate with, I found limitations. With this, in 2020, I received my second push to launch my own company, Zayzay Literary Co., and begin creating and publishing my own stories.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
There are constant challenges on the journey to entrepreneurship, with the biggest one being overcoming self-doubt and staying motivated when you don’t get immediate results. I’m in the early stages and I try to move my business forward while balancing my work life and growing responsibilities at home.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I founded the Zayzay Literary Co with the mission of building diversity in literature while illustrating the wholeness of under-represented communities. This means telling unique and multifaceted stories with BIPOC characters, spotlighting BIPOC people in the literary industry, and participating in meaningful conversations on diversity and representation.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My husband and son have acted as major motivators in this journey. Also, I would like to think of other independent authors that have provided guidance along the way.
Pricing:
- $12.99 paperback
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.zayzayco.com
- Instagram: @zayzayliteraryco
- Facebook: @zayzayco
Image Credits
Upit Dyoni, Illustrator
