A new project, headed by Storehouse Voices, an imprint of Penguin Random House, launched in January, all to make the world of publishing more accessible for Black women writers. Headed by attorney and entrepreneur Tamira Chapman, owner of the global merchandising company Storehouse, Women & Words is being supported by former First Lady Michelle Obama, and the pair has set out to combat the disparity the Black women face in the publishing world.
to Essence, over 80% of Americans express that they desire to write a book, but only 5 to 7% of published authors are Black, and the industry has historically heavily favored white voices at its front and center. Because of this, Chapman is dedicated to setting a multi-million dollar total budget to provide tools and resources to Black authors, especially women of color, to realize their dreams.Chapman originally became involved with Penguin Random House and Michelle Obama back in 2018 when Obama was preparing to release her memoir Becoming.
She was inspired by Obama’s desire to center Black women during the release, first and foremost. The idea for the Women & Words program was born soon after.
Chapman explained in an interview with Essence, “I told the team at Penguin Random House that ‘the same way that Ms. Obama has a very rich and powerful story to tell, it’s my guess that I have thousands of more Michelle Obamas in this audience that also have meaningful stories that could see the light of day. If you really want to be helpful to me, you’ll partner to develop a program allowing the women from my community to learn how to publish with the world’s number one publisher.’”
forwp-incontent-custom-banner ampforwp-incontent-ad2">Chapman’s Women & Words had several different aspects to help marginalized women foster their authorship potential. The program includes a series of virtual workshops and well-established networking sessions that are meant to pair literary agents with authors. Every activity is catered to women of color and helps to amplify their voices through education about the industry.
Since Women & Words’ launch, over 10,000 Black women have registered, and several authors have already been able to secure an agent from the networking and information sessions. So far, five writers have been signed to book deals by Storehouse Voices itself, all from a variety of different genres and all with enriching stories to tell.
Chapman said of the project, “This is truly a dream realized and I
want everyone to know we are open for business. We are looking for the brightest and best, and it’s not just authors. We have an interest in writers. We have an interest in agents. We have an interest in editors-at-large. Whatever your talent is in the publishing industry, we want to know about it, and we want you to be on our list so we can continue to build out the community.”Chapman continued, “I, along with Porscha Burke, Associate Publisher, also want future authors to know that this can be viewed as a generational asset that can be taken seriously and that there are publishers out there like us that believe in them and the audience in the segment that they serve. We are proud today to be in a position that Toni Morrison hoped for decades ago, sitting inside a Penguin Random House, having this acquisition authority. We intend to publish them with excellence and show up for them in the same spirit that they showed up for us to make a meaningful difference in the publishing landscape.”
When asked about her biggest reason for heading the Women & Words program, Chapman stated, “A few different reasons, but chief among them, one, [Black women] are generating more content as a culture than any other group, but not particularly being recognized or paid for that content.”
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