“I help authors go from ideation to publication” said Leslie Clark, author and owner of CAMsDEN Publishing. She was interviewed by Atlanta Youth Press at the El Gusanito Book Festival at Plaza Las Americas, Lilburn, GA on November 10th, 2024. As a storyteller, writer, and innovator, she believes that literacy is important, especially for kids. Therefore, she started CAMsDEN Publishing to “amplify and celebrate diverse voices by providing a platform for underrepresented authors to share their stories to the world.” 

Clark, who is now an author coach, said she started out as a reader, and later became an author. “I have always been an avid reader since I can remember.” She enjoyed reading books so much, but she could not always find books that reflected her own story or topics that she found important. Thus, Clark decided to take the initiative to write her own books. “I started publishing books in 2022,” she explained. Her first book is titled, “O is for Ownership: The ABCs of the Stock Market for Beginners.” 

“We usually go to books to think about different topics”, Clark stated. Books are like windows into all kinds of ideas. People read books when they want to learn about something, but if you can’t find a book about the thing you care about, you can write it yourself! That way, you can share your thoughts with others and create the representation you want to see.

That is what CAMsDEN Publishing is working to accomplish. The Publishing company helps authors who have ideas actually turn their notions into stories that can be published. CAMsDEN Publishing offers author consultations, beginning author book templates, and colouring book packages. 

Leslie Clark also has advice for kids who would like to become authors. If you want to write a book, she says, “Do it. No one can tell your story better than you do.”

Clark concluded our interview, saying, “We want you all to tell your story. You all have very unique experiences and without your voices, we won't be able to learn if future generations will be benefitted by what you have experienced.”

To become an author, it all begins with an idea.