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Tamira Chapman, the CEO of Storehouse In A Box, leads off the 2025 ForbesBLK newsletter CEO Series with a Q&A discussing a new endeavor with Penguin Random House to create Storehouse Voices. The new publishing line specifically targets Black authors and plans to release 20 books annually through Penguin Random House (PRH) subsidiary Crown Publishing Group. Under the partnership, Chapman, 45, will lead Storehouse Voices. The imprint also made three editorial hires to oversee projects.
“We are focusing on diverse storytellers,” Chapman tells Forbes. “Prior to now, this publishing landscape has been inaccessible to those that do not have a platform. Our goal with Storehouse Voices is to amplify the storytellers that have canon-level work, so work that’s missing from bookshelves that succinctly centers Black folks and the categories of things we care about.”
Financial terms of the partnership were not made available.
In a statement, David Drake, president of the Crown Publishing Group, called Chapman a “visionary entrepreneur and industry disruptor.” He adds Storehouse Voices would shatter traditional “publishing molds that have long needed to be broken to better serve diverse authors and readers.”
A Detroit native, Chapman initially worked with PRH in 2018 through a collaboration with Storehouse In A Box, the merchandising company she founded in 2016. Storehouse In A Box provides manufacturing, marketing, and data analytics services for businesses and nonprofit organizations to launch fundraising products. Since its founding, Chapman estimates Storehouse In A Box has helped clients generate revenues of more than $100 million.
Chapman is also praised for curating promotional events for First Lady Michelle Obama’s books. The session eventually expanded to become Women & Words, a six-week accelerator program intended to develop aspiring Black authors. Storehouse Voices says it has already signed five Women & Words writers to book deals. Novelists include Nia Gilliam, Cheryl Polote-Williamson, Temple Day Smith, Marie Sutton, and Michael A. Tinsley.
According to global research firm IBIS World, the U.S. book publishing industry was worth $44.2 billion in 2024. Textbook sales ($13.1 billion) make up the majority of revenue, while books centered on professional development, technical, and scholarly books make up $11.9 billion. However, according to publisher Lee & Low Books, Black authors are missing out on monetization opportunities because they only make up 5.3% of the publishing industry.
But now flushed with capital and a new imprint, Chapman, a ForbesBLK advisory member, wants to solve the problem with Storehouse Voices. “It’s an opportunity for us to publish whosoever to the extent they have something to add to the canon,” Chapman says.
The following Q&A interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
ForbesBLK: What inspired you to start your first company?
Chapman: One of my mentors purchased a book for me, and the book was called The World is Flat. It was teaching you about the (rise) of the internet and how now, overnight, you have the ability to purchase things from across the world with the click of a button. The first thing that I learned about how to source was talent. While I was at Michigan State, my very first job as a freshman was as a web developer for the natural sciences office, and they spent a lot of money over a four-year period making sure I had every web certification in the world so that I can continue to serve the college and update their websites. I became so smart (at managing websites) that I thought it was a good idea to launch my own company. By the time I graduated from Michigan State, I was doing well in web design. I didn’t technically have to go and get a job. I could have just continued to run my own business on the side.
ForbesBLK: How do you describe the mission of Storehouse Voices?
Chapman: We are focusing on diverse storytellers. Prior to now, this publishing landscape has been inaccessible to those without a platform. Our goal with Storehouse Voices is to amplify the storytellers with canon-level work, so work that’s missing from bookshelves that succinctly centers Black folks and the categories of things we care about, so books that are available for Black people on entrepreneurship. We’re thinking about the different stories and themes we want to cover as a people.
ForbesBLK: Why does this imprint stand out?
Chapman: This imprint is grassroots. Black women wielded this outcome. Their showing up in the spirit of excellence and with the passion and fervor they did for this subject matter is what guaranteed the outcome. I was simply here to act as a conduit to pass data through and say, “This is what the community needs.”… There are absolutely other imprints that exist with regard to focusing on a diverse audience. What’s unique about this one is the community that wielded the outcome and how they represent the everyday author. … (Storehouse Voices) will have the same access, the same quality editors, and access to the same budgets to make a meaningful difference.
ForbesBLK: What book genres will Storehouse Voices target?
Chapman: We share the opinion that Black people are not a monolith. We can play in any and all genres. So, in that regard, we intend to publish all of them. We may not be able to do that on day one. The only ones we’re not considering now are children’s books. We’re looking for all talents and all different types of readers, not just one particular category.
ForbesBLK: Will you seek authors through the Women & Words program? And how will you keep that pipeline going with this new venture?
Chapman: We have a rather large community and waiting list already. When we launched the first Women & Words session, we signed up over 10,000 women and had to close it quickly, creating a waitlist for folks who wanted to go through the course. So, the need is great. In addition, we’ve started with publishing a handful of the manuscripts because the imprint needs to get up to speed. But we had over 100 (submissions) that we considered.… We’re also having conversations at places where the community is likely to gather, and we’re doing the work to continue to demystify publishing. We hope that by teaching more people how to become authors, they’ll be interested in publishing books.
ForbesBLK: What entrepreneurial skills from your background were important on your path to this imprint?
Chapman: It helped a lot being an outsider. Because I don’t understand what’s possible or where the typical pitfalls are. I just get to approach it with brand-new, innovative thinking. When I was thinking about doing this work, I purchased the Wright Brothers’ book. They were outsiders who figured out how to fly. They didn’t have any experience, but they figured it out. So, I’m like, what breadcrumbs did they leave me for approaching a new industry? And sometimes, being an outsider makes all the difference because I’m not limited by what was, and because PRH is very committed to the work that we’re doing, they simply want to see us be successful.
ForbesBLK: What advice would you give someone looking to do something new like this or make a big pitch?
Chapman: Before you show up and make an ask, you should have a really good idea of whether or not you’ll be able to over-deliver on a promised result. In business, you have your reputation, and if, at any point, the reputation is tarnished, then you cease to have a business. … You want folks to recognize that when you show up in the inbox or are on the other side of a phone call, they can trust what they’re saying because somebody is leveraging some relationship capital for you.
ForbesBLK: Where do you see this going in the future? What’s next?
Chapman: A few goals. One would be to continue to diversify the publishing ranks. That 5% number is one that we hope to have an impact on. Through Storehouse Voices, for example, being able to start a fellowship program and develop new editors. We could also have them interview and get hired by other divisions within PRH. It could be an opportunity to introduce them to the industry. We can help with the pipeline. Right now, our goal is to be able to publish 20 books, but we are moving really fast. I’ll be surprised if we aren’t (publishing) one hundred books per year in five to seven years.
ForbesBLK: What are you reading?
Chapman: Oh my goodness, what am I reading right now? I am reading … The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins, which is fantastic. I am also reading The Anxious Generation, which is really good. I just wrapped up Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson. Kennedy Ryan’s This Could Be Us. Those are the ones that are top of mind that I’ve read within the last 30 to 45 days.
ForbesBLK: What makes a good book in 2025?
Chapman: In terms of a compelling story, we’ve got the right person telling that story. Someone who is actually trusted in a community to be able to tell that story. The story would have some sort of emotional connection, something that’s actually engaging the reader and keeping them warm by the fire, keeping them wanting to turn that page. I think that the writing is high quality. I think that the theme is on point to things that are either taking place in present day or it has historical significance. Original work. Some stories can meet all the things that I just said, but at the same time, not be original. … And the final piece to just make sure that we can guarantee the success of it is just making sure that that story is relatable and that it’s relevant to the audience that we serve so that we can amplify it in an authentic way.