Plenary Publishing Founded To Develop And Publish Books Of African-American Interest

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- Tieffa N. Harper today announced the formation of Plenary Publishing (www.plenarypublishing.com). Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with a sales and distribution office in Charleston, South Carolina, the company will publish fiction and non-fiction books of African-American interest. Harper, a practicing attorney, created the publishing company to fill a void that she sees in the African-American literary community.

Harper commented: “As a lifelong reader, I have a deep passion for books of all genres that are written by authors with varying perspectives. After careful research and speaking to aspiring authors and readers, I realized that today’s African-American reader seeks books that speak to their diverse
life experiences or interests. These books, however, still struggle to reach the marketplace, and if they do, they do not receiving key marketing support. I decided to create a company that is a creative and supportive publishing home for authors, and that understands the reading interests and unique
marketing needs of our target audience. We also want to position our authors for exposure to the mainstream market and across several entertainment mediums.”

Plenary’s mission is to develop and to publish stories that depict the depth and beauty of the African-American community. In doing so, the company seeks to enhance the depiction of African-Americans, inspire its target audience to actively improve their lifestyles and create new opportunities for authors of color.

Plenary Publishing will operate as a traditional publisher that offers author advances and royalties, and its business model is a hybrid of traditional and emerging publishing trends. The company will initially release books in trade paperback, E-Book and audio book formats, and will begin to release new books in 2009. The company is currently seeking fiction and non-fiction author submissions, with an eye on contemporary fiction, Christian/inspirational fiction, romance, mystery/thriller/suspense and non-fiction manuscripts addressing issues that are relevant and important to the African-American community.

Plenary’s team includes Harper, two acquisitions editors and a sales and fulfillment staff that will work with each author from acquisition and development to production and marketing. Harper estimated that the total life cycle of each book from start to finish will be 10-12 months, and she emphasized that the company is committed to dedicating significant editing, design and marketing resources behind each book.

Harper noted: “The key for our company is the development and aggressive marketing of our authors and books, and staying abreast of the changes currently affecting the publishing industry. Although we are a small press, this allows us to be risk takers in what we will publish - books that may not have caught the eye of larger publishers in an industry that is shortsighted on what it thinks African-Americans want to read.”

Harper believes that the editorial staff’s collective business and community experience will be an asset to its ability to identify new authors and to market books. Harper stated: “We’re coming into this industry with life and business experiences that will significantly add to our company. Our team has experience in the legal industry, search engine optimization and Internet marketing industry, Information Technology industry and with handling multi-million dollar accounts in the government sector. We’re active in our communities, and we’re all readers with different interests. Our passion
and collective experiences will position Plenary to become a force in the publishing industry.”

Press Release Source: http://www.bookcatcher.com/bookreleases

For more information, please visit Plenary’s website at www.plenarypublishing.com. Submission guidelines are available on the website. Members of the media requesting additional information are asked to contact Kali Sudler-Brooks at (215) 327-1807, or at kbrooks@plenarypublishing.com. ###

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