KATHIE BENNETT: Home is Where the Books Are
BY BRITTANY KIRKE AND VAL SCHOGER
For many of us, Panama City is home. For others, it is an escape. For literary
manager and publicist Kathie Bennett it is a bit of both. Panama City is the must-stop for the nationwide book tours she organizes for authors, bringing such greats as the late Pat Conroy and many more including Rick Bragg, Lisa Wingate, Cassandra Conroy, Mary Alice Monroe, and Kristina McMorris to her hometown.
There is a confident determination and quiet energy that defines Kathie Bennett. Locals will certainly recognize the resemblance to her mother, the late Barbara Clemons, a pharmacist and force for good who chaired boards for several non-profit organizations in Panama City. Or the straight-forward gaze she shares with her father, Gerry Clemons, a now-retired businessman and former mayor of Panama City for nearly 25 years. His list of volunteer positions and accomplishments is long and spans a lifetime.
Both parents instilled in her and her four siblings a passion for giving back to the community. But when Kathie reminisces about her love for books, it is her grandmother, Katherine Wells, she thinks about. Her fondest childhood memories are of summers spent in the small library her grandmother founded in Blountstown.
With 2,514 residents counted in the census of 2010, the town has not changed much from the time when Kathie’s grandmother determined to bring literature to the rural area where illiteracy prevailed. The resolute Katherine Wells, with the help of her Womens Club, determined that the second floor of the local Piggly Wiggly would become the first library.
A love for literature sparked at an early age, Kathie studied at Sewanee, the University of the South and graduated with a bachelor of arts in English. After graduation, she became a Delta flight attendant retiring in 2012 to expand Magic Time Literary Publicity. She and her husband of 36 years, Roy Bennett, live in Spartanburg, SC, and have two daughters and one grandson in Atlanta. Throughout her 35 years as an airline attendant, Kathie chaired boards in several cities and served as fundraiser for non-profit organizations, which helped to build a skill set essential for networking and event planning in the literary world.
In 2006, shortly before retiring from the airline, she envisioned and spearheaded the summer reading program at Spartanburg High School. This, she says, was the most important and highly unexpected catalyst that led to her second career as a literary publicist. The summer reading programs were a great success and garnered nationwide attention as the Washington Post published a column about the successful program.
After publication of this syndicated column, authors from around the country began reaching out, asking her to be their publicist. A new career path had opened up. She founded Magic Time Literary Publicity in 2008 in response to the need for an author advocate on the literary landscape, she explains. The company has grown exponentially in recent years with representation of award-winning and best-selling authors. With a focus on strategic vision for meaningful introduction of writer and book, Magic Literary Agency envisions and executes national book tours in addition to media outreach with the end goal of “over the top book sales and successful introduction of book and author to a wide audience.”
Kathie Bennett works with authors to organize tailored book tours. She has successfully promoted the launch of novels such as “Before We Were Yours,” “Beach House For Rent,” “Beach House Reunion,” “The Night the Lights Went Out,” “Save My Place,” “Sold on a Monday,” “Rush,” “Moonrise,” and others.
She knows that books can change lives—as they so clearly have changed hers. We sat down with her to discuss the world of writing and publishing.
How do you choose the authors you work with?
At times, I fly across the country to meet and interview prospective authors or the author comes highly recommended by a trusted agent or author.
How long is a book tour and how many stops do you make with the authors?
My nickname in New York City is “author killer,” so my tours are longer than most publisher-designed tours. Our tours almost always involve 15 to 20 presentations or keynotes in book clubs, civic clubs, non-profit organizations, and in the academic and bookstore arena.
Which areas do you usually travel to and which is your favorite stop?
Panama City! I love bringing my authors home.
What is the feedback from the audience and from the authors?
Pat Conroy fumed [laughs]—it was playful—at my first request to speak in Panama City. But he absolutely loved it and his second visit to PC was his idea.
He stayed at my father’s home the first time around and they got along marvelously. He insisted on staying in my father’s home the second time around.
What are the dos and don’ts during a book tour for an author?
A tour is like a grassroots political campaign. The audience should be presented with the core message that will resonate as call-to-action.
You said that authors can help each other succeed through networking. This sounds like a mentoring program. Tell us more about it.
Building audience is all about making friends in the book world. Making friends in the literary world, is to be a friend to authors, readers, and booksellers.
What are your biggest successes in promoting books or authors?
I hesitate to answer as it is the beautiful writing of a book, compelling theme, and author who is dedicated to winning. Mary Alice Monroe hit top 10 on the NYT list with “Beach House For Rent” and “Beach House Reunion.” I launched “Before We Were Yours” by Lisa Wingate and love introducing
33-year-old Kristy Woodson Harvey’s Peachtree Bluff novels. Karen White’s “The Night the Lights Went Out” and latest novel in the “Tradd Street Series” both were top 10 on the NYT list. The heart of it is helping truly deserving books find a winning path on the literary landscape. An example would be “Mister Owita’s Guide to Gardening” written by Carol Wall who died of breast cancer a few months following publication of this beautiful memoir to critical acclaim. Her husband, Dick Wall, promised her he would take her book on tour. Our tour for Dick with 227 keynotes in 28 states is more about higher calling than work.
What would you tell aspiring writers? Is there a recipe for success in getting a book published and promoted?
Good writing, a good agent and publisher, and an excellent marketing strategy are all ingredients in a recipe for success.
What genre do you prefer promoting?
Books I love… that includes all genres.
Do you have a favorite reading genre?
Literary fiction, women’s fiction, and historical fiction.
What book are you currently reading?
Southern Side of Paradise by Kristy Harvey in manuscript … love this novel.
What’s on your to-do list for 2019?
Design a tour for “The Summer Guests” by Mary Alice Monroe, which involves a hurricane and evacuation from Florida. This is truly an amazing read that delivers a memorable love story and teaches an environmental lesson.
What can we look forward to from Magic Time Literary Agency in 2019?
Cassandra Conroy will be on tour in December with er story behind the story of her life with Pat Conroy.