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KAREN HUNTER PART 2: Publishing powerhouse has more in store.
“(Janet) selected us to publish her book because when I sat down and spoke with her it wasn’t, ‘Oh, Janet Jackson, I’m a big fan,’” Hunter explained. “It’s not about the book, it’s about the person’s commitment to telling the story that is going to inspire and motivate people. I want to publish a book that means something and will establish something for you and have a legacy after you’re gone. She understood that and I’m grateful that she selected us.”
*Author/publisher Karen Hunter is using her no-nonsense business acumen to build the beginnings of a publishing empire and beyond. Her 16-year history as a journalist and editor with the “New York Daily News” actually sparked her publishing career.
She launched Karen Hunter Publishing, an imprint of Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster, in 2007 after having a lucrative career of collaborating with celebrities on books. She's worked with Queen Latifah, Al Sharpton, Donda West, Mase, Wendy Williams, and Cedric the Entertainer, just to name a few. Her start came basically because a fellow editor at the paper had rather biased coverage of music.
“While I was [at the ‘New York Daily News’] the music editor at the time only wrote pieces about the stuff that he liked – rock-n-roll and grunge bands and things, so I would go to his desk everyday and say, ‘You’ve got all this hip-hop and R&B, why don’t you give me the CDs?’ So he would give me some CDs he said, ‘Why don’t you just write some pieces and they’ll put you on the mailing list. So I started writing music features for the ‘Daily News’ and I interviewed people like Queen Latifah and LL Cool J.”
It was her interview with LL Cool J that started it all. While on a working lunch with the rap legend, she asked him if he ever thought about writing a book. LL admitted that he had. Hunter quickly suggested that he write one with her and LL gave it a shot, leading to her first book-collabo, “I Make My Own Rules.”
Now, under her own publishing arm, she is publishing Janet Jackson’s foray into literature.
“She selected us to publish her book because when I sat down and spoke with her it wasn’t, ‘Oh, Janet Jackson, I’m a big fan,’” Hunter explained. “It’s not about the book, it’s about the person’s commitment to telling the story that is going to inspire and motivate people. I want to publish a book that means something and will establish something for you and have a legacy after you’re gone. She understood that and I’m grateful that she selected us.”
Hunter said that her company and her mission are about building legacies and empowering people, whether it be the author or the reader. And while her company is home to a number of good black authors, Hunter assured that her talent has little to do with race.
”I have a problem with [the phrase] ‘black publishing’ and ‘black America.’ We’re people. Some of us are descendants of folks who were carried over here on ships and survived years of slavery to get to where we are. That says a lot about who we are, but more importantly, unlike any other group here, our stake in America is tremendous and I think it’s time for us to stop segmenting and segregating our talent. There’s no such thing as black publishing. I have two white authors. I happen to be African American it’s about putting out good product.”
And as far as her publishing house thinking it’s partnering with her to recruit black talent, well, according to Hunter, Simon & Schuster has another think coming.
“If that’s what they thought they were getting, then they’re going to be in for a surprise because I’m going to give them a lot more than that,” she said. “I’m more than just a black person. I hope they got into business with a person that’s really, really sharp that’s going to bring a lot to the table and sell a lot of books. Selling of books, that’s what their business is. They don’t care if I inspire and motivate. I also have to have a strong commitment to sell books.”
Hunter told EUR’s Lee Bailey that her commitment to sell books still comes from having good books and that good books come from good authors no matter what ethnic category they fall under. But the publishing maven reiterated that selling books is still a main priority.
“Keep us in the money flow so we can do more and more and more. I’m about to start a foundation. I’m going to have a writer’s lab and work with the Freedom Schools and do some stuff there. The more support we get, the more we’re going to be able to do and that’s what it’s really about; to tap into the energy and the power to really make a difference.”
Hunter promises to continue to make a difference whether it’s on book stands or other media.
“Everything evolves. You can’t just focus on one medium. Every medium is a stepping stone to the next medium. You’re going to produce great books, you’re going to have great movies that come out of them.”
So while we await the evolution of her work, you can check out the latest offerings of Karen Hunter Publishing at the website, www.karenhunterpublishing.com.
“We’re doing great things here and we’re going to do it to the best of my ability.”
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