Echo Montgomery Garrett

When I was told it was tough to get a literary agent, I secured one on my third cold call. When I was told that an unknown author was unlikely to get a six-figure advance, that's what I received for my first book, which sold to HarperCollins in a pre-emptive bid. When, 25 years into my career as an author and journalist, we got 60+ rejections on My Orange Duffel Bag: A Journey to Radical Change over a two-year period, we self-published. We sold 12,000 copies in the first six months and won six national awards -- and two international awards for best designed book out of 4,000 entries. Shortly thereafter, a third agent sold our book to Random House, making it the first self-published book ever acquired by that publisher.

I learned that you could make a living with words from my songwriter father, the late Bob Montgomery, who penned "Misty Blue," "Love's Made a Fool of You," "Heartbeat," and "Back in Baby's Arms," among many others. I'm mission-driven and focus on non-fiction collaborations on topics that will inspire people. I've written or contributed to 15 non-fiction books ranging in subject matter from self-help to business biography to travel guides to the Caribbean.

I co-founded the Orange Duffel Bag Initiative, which is the youngest nonprofit to ever win Emory University's Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award. My stories have been published in more than 100 media outlets including The New York Times, Delta Sky, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Money, and Success.