Reimagining Publishing to Champion Diverse Storytellers”  – Los Angeles Sentinel

Honey Blossom Press is a new independent publisher dedicated to bridging traditional and indie publishing, with a focus on amplifying underrepresented voices, especially Black storytellers.  

Founded by Keisha Mennefee, whose experience spans music and media, Honey Blossom Press offers a supportive platform for writers navigating the challenges of mainstream publishing. It combines the editorial rigor and production quality of traditional publishing with the speed and flexibility of the indie model.  

From the beginning, Honey Blossom Press has prioritized simultaneous releases in print, e-book, and audiobook formats to reach readers across multiple platforms. Its titles are distributed through major retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, among others.

In its first year, Honey Blossom Press plans to publish at least 20 titles, aiming to expand to between 76 and 100 books by 2026. Its approach allows rapid response to market trends and cultural moments. 

This was demonstrated when “Rifts and Refrains” secured a television deal with Universal Television just six weeks after its release, a remarkable accomplishment for a new publisher. Many Black authors use storytelling to reflect their experiences and challenge stereotypes, but traditional publishing can sometimes sideline these voices. This exclusion drives Black writers to seek publishers that truly value their narratives. Black-owned publishers like Honey Blossom Press provide a space where their stories are embraced, valued, and applauded. 

Its diverse and growing catalog features titles in romance, memoir, suspense and thrillers, cookbooks, pop culture and entertainment, and self-help, each selected for its originality and wide appeal. Honey Blossom Press remains open to a broad range of genres beyond these, reflecting its mission to publish compelling and meaningful stories for all readers. While dedicated to elevating Black voices, Honey Blossom Press welcomes authors from all backgrounds.  

Recent and upcoming books include “This Side of Beautiful” by Tiye (May 6), “The Divorcétante” by Mia Heintzelman (June 24), and “When Forty Blooms” by Jacinta Howard (July 15). A highly anticipated release is “Clickmate” by Tia Kelly (August 5), with visual branding and marketing led by Mennefee, who previously worked with bestselling author Kennedy Ryan. 

Honey Blossom Press accepts submissions from authors with or without agents, preferably near-complete manuscripts. Accepted projects undergo a comprehensive editorial process including developmental editing, line editing, copyediting, and proofreading. Editors are matched to authors based on voice and subject matter to ensure a strong creative partnership. 

The goal is not only to produce exceptional books but also to build lasting relationships with authors grounded in collaboration, respect, and a shared creative vision. Rather than offering large advances, Honey Blossom Press operates on a royalty-based model designed to provide authors with higher long-term earnings. The publisher also offers in-house marketing and genre-sensitive cover design especially for Black indie romance titles, making it appealing to both new and established writers. 

Honey Blossom’s growth is supported by Honey Magnolia Media, a creative firm that provides strategic marketing and branding to help titles connect with readers efficiently. This partnership enables the publisher to reduce traditional publishing timelines from eighteen to twenty-four months to just a few weeks when needed. 

Already attracting international attention, Honey Blossom Press drew readers from as far as South Africa at the “Black Romance Book Fest.” With a growing catalog, worldwide distribution, and a mission centered on underrepresented voices, the publisher is poised to become a major force in publishing. 

“This isn’t just about publishing more books,” says Mennefee. “It’s about publishing the right books, the ones that reflect who we are, what we dream, and the stories we’ve been waiting to tell.” 

Submissions are currently open at honeyblossompress.com.