Q&A With Good2Go Publishing’s Submissions Agent Detra Young .

A native of the Metropolitan of Washington, DC, she is the author of fiction novels My Boyfriend’s Wife, He Loves Me, He Loves You Not 1 & 2, Coveted and Vengeance and Playwright of her stage plays Coveted and He Loves Me, He Loves You Not. In her spare time, Mychea loves to draw, model, act, cook and plan events. She is hard at work on her next novel and playscript. She can be contacted at http://www.mychea.com/

GOOD2GO An Urban Publishing Dynasty

While hanging out on my iurban.org Facebook Fan/Supporters of the Urban Fiction Movement page I happen to run into a lovely Submissions Agent named Detra Young. She was so kind to have enlightened me about the submission guidelines for Good2Go Publications which is an Arizona based company that publishes urban Fiction.

Yes, I said Arizona. Even though most would think of Arizona as a place full of nothing more than desert land full with prickly cactus plants and tumbleweeds Good2GO Publishing is located in what is termed as an “urban village” which can be a pretty rough environment at times. The company has a very good reputation across the web as going to bat for it’s authors, and uses aggressive and useful tactics to get the word out  about their authors. Thus far they have been doing a great job, having been around for quite sometime now. The company has many well-known authors (some even from within the prison system as well) such as JASON BRENT, and REALITY WAY. Other well-known authors of the brand are  MYCHEA, and SILK WHITE (Owner/Publisher/Author) of this mid-west Urban Empire that has also entered into film making.

Q&A With Good2Go Publishing’s Submissions Agent Detra Young

Detra A. Young currently resides in Charleston S.C.she is 44yrs old and the mother of one (sedrick) she attended public schools. She enjoyed fashion, interior design, walking, reading, church and giving back to the community. She is the ADMIN in SISTAH READING SISTAH CLUB (ONLINE BOOKCLUB) this platform was designed for new, newly, self published & imprisoned authors to have a place where they can come and get support and positive feedback on their work. She has started sistah reading sistah 501 3c (single moms book club) in which she does Back to School Drive, Book Signing in her home town. she is working with good2gopublishing company & her online business social media marketing consultant (Sistah Reading Sistah LLC) she is currently attending Trident Technical College she is studying Human Services (Alcohol &Drugs Counselor for Youths & Mentoring Young Girls) among numerous certificates behind her as well .

DionCheese.Com: Where are you from, and how did you become publishing submissions agent?

Detra Young: I am from Charleston S.C., and Ray Brown offered me the position.

DC: Are there any special requirements one has to have in order to become a literary agent in your capacity, such as having a doctorate’s degree, or being a college graduate, or maybe an English major of sorts?

Detra: For me I just happened to be an educator, English major, and I have a passion for helping people. But most of all, I love reading. However, it would be good to have some kind of education in this area so you can be a good asset for the company.

DC: What does your day to day routine entail when it comes to your job as a submissions agent?

Detra: I read just read. I mean, that I do a lot of reading on a daily basis regardless of what I encounter.

DC: Does your job often spill over into your personal time?

Detra: No my job is separate from my personal life. I set boundaries.

DC: Is Good2Go Publishing your first employer in this field? And how long have you been involved with the company?

Detra: No I have worked with Wahida Clark Publishing as Author VICTOR L. Martin’s PERSONAL ASST/SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER, and  I have been friends with Silk White since 2008. I then started working there in 2012.

DC: How is Good2Go different from other companies that accept manuscripts from unsolicited authors (Those without an agent)?

DC: GOOD2GO is different because Ray brown has set a standard on what we will accept. He will not accept from unsolicited authors, and wants nothing less. He is funny about publishing anything but the best.

DC: What should authors avoid when sending in manuscripts to your company in respect to the manuscripts; cover letters, formatting, etc?

Detra: They should avoid submitting anything that is non related to their book.

DC: Have you ever read a submission manuscript that was written so badly that made you burst out laughing and ask yourself, “No, are you serious? I just know this must be a joke?”

Detra: YES I HAVE! HA-HA!

DC: What perturbs you the most about going through submitted manuscripts?

Detra: It’s when a manuscript is all over the place. I don’t know who is talking or who is the main character, and the story is just plain confused period.

DC: What are the top three reasons most authors are turned down by Good2Go Publishing or elsewhere?

Detra: One. Their work is not what we feel our audience wants. Two. their work doesn’t meet our standards. Or three it could be that the author is all over the place with their work, and may need time to get it right, etc.

DC: Has a rejected author ever written you are your company an offensive letter due to their manuscript being rejected that was absolutely uncalled for? Would you like to share an example? Of course you can leave out real names in order to protect the guilty…LOL

Detra: HAHA! Yes, rejection letters are sent out and received. When Good2Go sends out a rejection letter we can stand on why we rejected the author’s manuscript, and Ray Brown handles that.

DC: Do you feel that the self-publishing industry in regards to urban fiction has lowered the bar somewhat in the quality of stories being released?

Detra: Yes, I feel that some of the work has a lower quality.

DC: How long does it usually take for your company to respond to an author’s submission?

Detra: GOOD2GO makes their best efforts to always respond in a timely manner to an Author’s submission.

DC: I know that most companies take as long as 6 months up to a year to respond to an inquiry? Can you explain why? Is that the industry norm?

Detra: I can only speak for GOOD2GO , and that’s what they have me for. I take the pressure off of them so they can focus on writing which is what they do best. However, some companies have a lot on their plates, and a lot of companies are self start-ups by self-publishers. Many write books well, and they read their own submitted manuscripts. So that alone is very time consuming along with running a company. It’s a lot and therefore a lot of authors just have to learn to be patient.   

DC: Can you give new authors some insight as pertaining to the stages a manuscript must go through in order to be accepted by Good2Go Publishing? I know that most unpublished authors would love for any submission agent to just pick up their manuscript, read it and say, “Wow! What a great book…” but that usually isn’t the case.

Detra: A  well written 5 star book is what Good2Go is looking for.

DC: Has anyone you ever chose to submit to the company become a bestselling author?

Detra: MYCHEA is doing well, and so is JASON BRENT

DC: I know that most authors look at submission agents as the bad guys of the industry because in a way you are the gatekeepers of the publishing companies. It’s your word which can make or break careers. Is there anything you would like to say in your defense as to why authors should respect your assessment as in regard to rejecting of their manuscript?

Detra: I can only speak for myself, and I always have the best interest of the author’s work. I want the author to make money, so I want the author to give his or her best. If I accept less then as a reader, book reviewer,  and submission manuscript reviewer I am cheating the authors, and the readers.

DC: Is there anyone who is signed to Good2Go Publishing that you or your team have rejected, and later signed the author for another submission instead at a later date?

Detra: None that I’m aware of.

DC: Is most of your work as a submissions agent done inside an office cubicle within the company or is it done outside the office environment?

Detra: Outside of the office environment.

DC: Where is Good2Go publishing located and how can an author submit their work to your company?

Detra: GOOD2GO, 7311 WEST GLASS LANE, LAVEEN AZ 85339

DC: I heard that Good2Go makes movies as well. Are they based off of their own publications, or is that a separate entity that operates autonomously?

Detra: Yes, movies are made through GOOD2GO Films and SILK WHITE is the director. He loves acting and he made the film BLACK BARBIE WITH  TRA VERDEJO but  TRA wrote  BLACK BARBIE.  It was an awesome movie and the book is great. it coincided with the movie very well. And of course, you already know that i had the opportunity to read the book before it went to print.

DC: Now, this last question is very serious indeed. Are you ready for it?

Detra: Yes, I’m ready.

DC: If I am ever in the vicinity and you see me on the street will you buy me a Big Mac, some French fries, Chocolate shake, and a Double Quarter Pounder? As you know I am a struggling author and I have to eat. Yelling out, “Buy my book or I’ma beat yo A** if you don’t!” isn’t quite working for me. I do it every day, and my Amazon rankings aren’t going anywhere. Do you have any suggestions or other prospective I should pursue? LOL!

Detra: Yes,  I will buy you  Micky Ds haha. You have to get on these free social media platforms , do giveaways to readers who buy your books and write reviews .and also do book discussions too and you just have to be creative.

DC: Are there any new hot authors coming that the people should know about?

Detra: Yes, Author REALITY just dropped THE PANTY RIPPER SERIES (5 star).

In closing, I would like to thank Detra Young for graciously extending her time to dioncheese.com and to the rest of the Good2Go family for making head waves within the Urban Fiction industry. Much success to you all, and I hope to see you all on iurban.org the Soon to be #1 site for urban Fiction.