Las Vegas, NV, October 3, 2022: Chicago author Nikki T. Anthony is no stranger to navigating the challenges of race relations or the damage caused by racism. A Black woman raised by her biological White great-grandmother (her mom’s grandmother), Nikki experienced plenty of both while growing up. Nikki’s great-grandmother raised her alone, as her spouse had long since passed away years before Nikki was born.
Nikki’s great-grandmother never officially adopted her; she just took her and her sister in and raised them because their mother wasn’t really around. Nikki’s experiences as a Black girl being raised by her white great-grandmother are what led her to pen her debut novel, The Price We Pay.
Initially considered for their Path To Publishing hybrid publishing model, the novel impressed Joylynn M. Ross, CEO and founder of PTP Press, and her team so much that they agreed to a 5-figure, 3-book traditional publishing deal.
“The discussions the book sparked led to open, honest, and mature conversations about race relations we’d all wanted to have for a long time but didn’t think were possible. It gave us hope that the growing divisions between the races weren’t incurable. It just needed a novel approach,” Ross shared.
Launching Fall 2023 and dubbed the To Kill a Mockingbird of the 21st Century as told from a Black perspective, the book centers on the experiences of Zenetta Henchman as she navigates the treacherous waters of a racially divided small Southern town and discovers not only that there’s a price to pay for her choices, but that things aren’t always as black and white as they appear.
Anthony hopes her novel will open people’s eyes to the damage caused by racism and the consequences of our choices in how to handle it. Ross hopes the book will become a source of unity and healing for all those who have been hurt by the divisions.
Ross and her team created a bold social media campaign geared toward drawing others into the conversations and cobbled together a crowdfunding campaign to generate more awareness of their goals and public participation.
The money raised will fund the publishing of the book in multiple formats and the implementation of the training needed to lead these difficult conversations, guidance in navigating the sensitive nature of the topics explored, and support for the community of participants willing to face the inevitable challenges ahead.
“We can’t just toss them a book and expect them to talk to strangers about these issues. Fortunately, we’d already developed a Magnetic Thought Leadership Training program to incorporate into the campaign and we’ll be supporting the community that forms as people sign up for the pre-launch,” Ross stated.
Those seeking to support the author’s work or join in the novel approach to race relations can sign up for the pre-launch of the campaign and learn more about it by visiting https://bit.ly/3B3iY0g or by visiting https://ptppress.com.
For more information, or to schedule an interview with Joylynn M. Ross, contact Path To Publishing at: info@pathtopublishing.com or 725-605-4054.