Applications are currently open for the 2025 McCoy Grant for Bookseller Writers. This unique grant is offered because of the generous support of Sarah McCoy, the New York Times bestselling author of Mustique Island. Read more about the grant here.

Sarah McCoy sat down with 2024 grant recipient Maya Martin of Square Books to talk about her writing and what receiving the grant has meant to her.

Sarah McCoy: First off, congrats again on being on of the 2024 McCoy Grant recipients. It may be a new year, but we’ll be celebrating you until the 2025 recipients are announced in July! So we thought it the perfect time to sit down and chat about what you’ve been up to. How has the McCoy Grant made an impact on your writing?

Maya Martin: Just being awarded the McCoy Grant has affirmed my desire to write and become a published writer. I would tell myself that writing would never become a real thing for me. Now I have more confidence in myself, which drives me to write more and seek out opportunities to show off my work.

SM: Would you like to tell us a little about your work in progress?

MM: I have many works in progress; some are short stories, others are simple, one-sentence ideas. However, the one story that has gripped my brain and that I'm following through with is a mystery about a waterpark employee who stumbles onto a drowned body in one of the park's pools. The authorities and the park's owner are quick to write it off as a tragic accident but my main character isn't satisfied with that answer. 

SM: How has the McCoy Grant made an impact on your personal life?

MM: The grant has eased some financial burdens. Writing is hard work and, at times, costly if you want to apply for writing development courses and the like. Before the grant, I would've hesitated to pay for classes or workshops, but now I can jump into whatever I think will help me on my writing journey. 

SM: With the submission season now open, what would you tell other bookseller writers who are thinking of applying?

MM: "Do it!" As simple as that. I encourage everyone who is serious about their writing to take advantage of this grant application. It not only helped fund my writing development but it gave me a confidence boost.

Apply for the 2025 McCoy Grant here.

The McCoy Grant for Bookseller-Writers was created by New York Times bestselling author Sarah McCoy, (Mustique Island) in partnership with the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) for any unpublished southern women or nonbinary booksellers who harbor ambitions to be published writers.