Meet Rob E. White

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rob E. White a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rob E., so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?

I’d say that optimism started as a choice for me–a self-preservation mechanism springing from a tough time as an adolescent dealing with undiagnosed learning disabilities and a grab bag of other mental health challenges. If I didn’t stay positive I was afraid I might collapse in on myself and fade away.

Now, however, I can proudly say that my sense of optimism comes from my lived life experience and surrounding myself with creative and entrepreneurial souls who never give up and never let “NO” be the answer that stops them. Good things really do–eventually–come to those who dream big and work hard for the causes they believe in. It might not be the precise good thing you envision, but the good you put out into the world will find a way to come back to you!

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

My partner Lauren Snyder and I feel proud and privileged to sell and promote books written by local and independent authors. After over two decades of doing my best to promote myself as an author, I came to the realization that it’s a lot more fun to bring other authors along for the ride with me.

Neighborhood Books (found online at neighborhoodbooks.com and through socials @yourneighborhoodbooks) is a mobile and online bookstore based in Athens, Georgia that specializes in local, independent, and small press authors. We’re the guys who may have a tougher time getting our work into a Barnes & Noble, but delight in bringing creative and enlightening indie books to craft fairs, farmer’s markets, and festivals around the southeast.

It’s also a priority of ours to treat our authors like rock stars–sharing their stories as much as the stories of their books. Isn’t it fun to get to know the life, passion, and mind of that fantasy author before you get lost in the world they created?

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

My top three most important skills:

1) Know when a door opens and when to walk through it – When life presents an opportunity-take it! Sure, you can pick your battles, but you’ll never know what you might win without fighting for it.

2) Always be making connections – Socializing is hard for some of us–but it may be just as hard for the person you meet at a networking event or business function. Get to know your fellow creatives and entrepreneurs and discover ways you can work towards your goals together.

3) Follow through – “Don’t go chasing rabbits”, as my dad might say. Finish projects you start even if you feel yourself distracted by a new or seemingly better idea. Every completed project is a new addition to your portfolio or check-mark on your to-do list. Also don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Make sure a project is polished, but don’t obsess over its every blemish before getting it out into the world. We learn by doing, not by almost doing.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

We thrive on collaboration! We’d especially love to link up with other locally-focused, independent book retailers and promoters across the country. Contact us through NeighborhoodBooks.com or @yourneighborhoodbooks on Facebook or Instagram. A rising tide lifts all ships, as they say, so let’s sail out there together!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

All images provided by Rob E. White

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