Alright, so it’s been a while since we’ve posted a blog post, and we sincerely apologize for that, but we have a very good reason as to why. After completing her first year of grad school, Khàli LaBré has decided to take her author brand, Lemons & Gold, and expand it into a Black indie publishing company! That’s right, Lemons & Gold is now Lemons & Gold Publishing!
As of December 2021, we are now an indie publishing company that is currently publishing and promoting the stories of Black authors who write speculative fiction. This includes fantasy fiction, science fiction, speculative contemporary & literary fiction (contemporary, thought-provoking stories that include some elements of magical realism), written by Black authors who would like to work with a small publisher to get their books published and promoted a little faster than waiting for a big publishing house to see and accept them.
Now, that being said, yes we know that there are thousands upon thousands of Black authors wanting to be published; however, we will be making sure that the quality of the stories that we decide to publish will be of good quality. We are not going to be publishing just any and everybody. The best part is that even if we decide to not go with your story, you will receive critique and coaching from a qualified source to get you on the right track. This will be discussed in another post.
So, let’s talk about what our 2022 goals are as a publishing company:
- Publish 10-12 Books! Yes, you read that right! We have a quota to meet! There are so many Black authors who are struggling to get their books published simply because instead of focusing on the plight of us as Black people, they want to write about us in fantastical lands and living magical lives. This genre is being overlooked in the mainstream publishing industry, so we want to pave the way here at Lemons & Gold Publishing, after all, that’s kinda how we got started.
- Grow Our Own Community: If you haven’t done it yet, now would be the best time to sign up for our email newsletter! We are completely revamping the way that we engage with our readers and have a LOT in store for 2022! So please sign up for the newsletter, and also stay tuned because we will also be starting a Patreon that you definitely will want to be a part of that will include some goodies throughout the year!
- Coaching and Promoting Amazing New Black Authors: One of the best things about working with us as a publisher is that Khàli has completed the entire process herself as a self-published author and learned what to do, and definitely what not to do when it comes to promoting your novels before, during, and after a launch. We want our authors to know that they are supported by making sure their names and books are being showcased in every avenue possible.
If you are interested in becoming published with us, you can see our submission guidelines here: https://lemonsngold.com/queries/
So, there you have it! These are the 3 biggest goals that we have for 2022! Will we accomplish these goals? Will you be one of our newest authors? Find out on the next episode of….hmmm…don’t have a title for that yet! Lol! Happy New Year!