What’s one essential thing you’ve learned from leading Legacy Lit?
Legacy Lit is not just an editorial line. The marketing component is as important as the editorial component. I knew that going in because of my experience as a Black woman in publishing, and it’s become even more defined and part of the imprint’s identity.
How have you connected with book and media influencers?
The great thing about having a diverse team and being BIPOC-led is that our authors are our ambassadors. Plus, a lot of the team are writers and visual artists themselves, and they bring that knowledge to the job. That’s how we get into ongoing relationships with producers and influencers who want to be part of our community. We meet with organizations one-on-one and figure out how we can work together.
You’re branching into fiction with Clarence A. Haynes’s The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery. How does fiction fit your program?
We were founded under a nonfiction program, but it’s always been a part of the business plan to do commercial fiction. We’re going to start with at least one novel per season, and we’re focusing on launching BIPOC voices.
What’s your vision for the next five years?
We have a great relationship with our sister across the pond, Dialogue Books. We’re building stronger programming with other departments, we’re expanding the fiction line, and I’d love to expand the team.
