Meet Courtney Strickland and Kenyetta Richard of Belle Publishing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Strickland and Kenyetta Richard.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Courtney and Kenyetta. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
We started on the stage. Poetry and performing grew from being a form of therapy to a passion and our audience started to take notice. After the request to have our words in print became more than just an afterthought, we did just that and published our first two books.

Soon we realized we were surrounded by writers who desired to do the same, see their work in print. We turned our knowledge and skills into a business plan so that we could help those around us; creating Belle Publishing, a spin-off from our brand, Belle Poetry. Just a short year later, we now have eleven authors that represent our team and we are continuing to build daily.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, not at all. We encountered a lot of obstacles. This was a completely new business for both of us. We spent hours watching YouTube videos to learn from step one. We had technical issues one after another. Our basic laptops and programs had to go.

Hiring employees or an assistant wasn’t an option in the beginning stages so we put in a lot of time outside of our normal work hours.

It was a major learning curve to say the least but the knowledge that we have been able to pass on was worth it.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Belle Publishing LLC – what should we know?
Belle Publishing LLC was created in December of 2018. We specialize in “assisted self publishing.” We assist writers who may have struggled to be published in a traditional way or who would just like help completing the process. We work with authors on simple editing to complete manuscript conversion. The level of assistance depends on the author. Our goal is to see their books on the shelves, however that may be.

We also assist with marketing and promotion, post publishing, if requested. Belle authors are a networking team that works together to motivate and support each other’s individual brands.

As a company we are proud of our growth. We started as two writers just wanting to relieve some stress with our words. This experience is both humbling and rewarding.

I believe our success sets us apart from others. We work hard and it shows. The same passion we put into our individual projects is exactly what we give to our team. We want them to be great and continue to climb.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
First and foremost our families, especially our husbands. They are always there to help set up a table, carry boxes, make a quick store run and anything we need. We couldn’t be here without them.

Second, our Poetic City family, thank you for sharing, posting, trusting and just simply showing up when you could. The genuine love will always be a part of the fuel for our success.

We also want to thank Oklahoma City for the unwavering support, the referrals and just being a sounding board for all of our crazy thoughts.

We promise Belle will be around for a long time.

Contact Info:

• Website: bellepublishingllc.co
• Phone: (405)698-2044
• Email: bellepublishingllc@gmail.com
• Instagram: Belle Publishing LLC
• Facebook: Belle Publishing LLC

Image Credit:
Sunni Rice Photography, Marius Lee w/ Chapter XXI The Experience, Pixtures4Words by James Cooper

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