Halima Lee: Doing it Her Way at Johnnie Girl Publishing

By Sonya Smith

At an intimate, festive launch party in December 2008, Halima Lee released How to Bake a Cupcake under her pen name, H.L. Sweatte. It is the first book published by Lee’s company, Johnnie Girl Publishing.

African American writers have been self-publishing their own books for over 200 years. In fact, the long list of self-published writers includes Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois, T.D. Jakes and E. Lynn Harris. These writers created the types of books they wanted to read and, in doing so, changed literature and the publishing industry.

In an April 2009 Publisher’s Weekly article by Lynn Andriani, Karen Mender, of the publishing PR firm One Potata Productions, Inc., stated, “Self-publishing is one of the fastest growing segments of the publishing industry …” In fact, the first Self Publishing Book Expo is being held November 2009 in New York. It will be a forum where self-published authors can meet peers and the public.

Lee adds her name and literary contributions to the growing list of writers and business people embarking on publishing ventures so that they can read books on topics they can’t find anywhere else.

“I really want to do something for the youth,” she explains. “A lot of people in this day and age get jaded, especially in relationships.” How to Bake a Cupcake, at a diminutive 142 pages, follows main character Jasmine on the path of personal and romantic discovery.

Lee may be on to something. African American books about singles and dating are one of the hottest topics for novels, behind African American Christian fiction, according to a September 1, 2008 Publisher’s Weekly article by Angie Kiesling.

Naming her publishing company after her late maternal grandmother, Johnnie Rivers, who published four books of Christian poetry, Lee says her grandmother influenced her by instilling the value of “doing things your own way.”

She says that she is most recently inspired by Tyler Perry. “He was on Oprah and he was telling people that you can do it your way.”

In the spirit of doing it your way, Lee provides editorial services. She uses money she earns from editing to help fund Johnnie Girl Publishing. In the current economic climate, she says, the editorial work has slowed down.

When asked about book sales, she says that she is working on advertising it. “I’m researching affordable ways to get exposure,” she explains.

A graduate of U.C. Berkeley with a degree in comparative literature, Lee says that writing has long been her passion. She augmented her theoretical education by writing articles and obtaining a certificate in editing through U.C. Berkeley Extension. Lee has worked as a freelance writer and editor since 2004.

In 2003, she started working as a writer and copy editor for CityFlight News Magazine. From 2006 through 2007, she served as the editorial manager for the publication. “I learned a lot working at CityFlight,” Lee states. “I got to see the business aspect [of publishing].”

Says Lee, “The publishing industry is … almost all about celebrities. Everybody’s on Oprah. Self publishing is so big now because publishing companies are not taking a chance on new writers.”

When recalling recent advice from her father, Lee states, “One thing my dad said recently is being a man of your word. For me, I guess it would be a woman of your word. That’s very important in business—following through with your word. The publishing industry, itself, can be full of false promises.”

True to her sense of integrity, Lee indicates that Johnnie Girl Publishing is not yet open for new submissions, even though the company has a historical novel in the works. “I’m still getting my feet wet. I need to focus on the business aspect,” she explains.

Lee says her next book will also be about relationships. “Love like you’ve never been hurt,” she says. “That’s why I wanted to speak to the youth. That’s such a fragile period.”

Lee is no stranger to helping people through fragile periods. One little known fact is that she provides African American hair and make up tips on YouTube. Through her videos, she shares her personal journey of how she maintains healthy hair and a healthy lifestyle. The video channel has over 3,000 subscribers. The associated blog has 194 registered followers.

Like everything else, Lee is doing it her way. Once Johnnie Girl Publishing is open for submissions, Lee says, “We are steering away from urban lit and erotica. Historical, Christian, YA (young adult)—I would like to see more African American characters that are just regular. I’d like to see youth that are struggling with normal issues, and not just dodging bullets—everything that urban lit is full of.”

You can purchase How to Bake a Cupcake on Amazon.com.

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