Making Room for More Voices: How Jevon Bolden Advocates for Authors
Bold and confident, that’s the voice of Jevon Bolden on the other end of the line. It’s a Thursday evening, and I finally get the chance to speak with the CEO and founder of Embolden Media Group. I’ve been following her on social media for a while now, and I’ve always appreciated how she and her team show up for authors in the publishing industry. I thank her for accepting Today’s Purpose Woman invite, and she thanks me right back.
We didn’t waste any time getting into the conversation. Jevon shares that her company, Embolden Media Group, is now in its ninth year. “I started the company in 2017 while working as an editor at Scholastic, and by the end of 2017, I was able to leave and do it full time.” I listen as she talks, taking it all in. As she shares her background, I find myself wanting to know what her childhood was like. I had a feeling that might give me a little more insight into where it all started for her, maybe even how God was already working in it.
And honestly, it made sense. Her love for writing goes all the way back. “I was reading and writing at a very young age,” she shared. “My mom was passionate about reading and writing, and she felt like it was really important for her kids to read and be exposed to lots of books.” Library visits were routine, and books were always within reach. Alongside books, Jevon enjoyed being outside, riding bikes, climbing trees, skating, and swimming, all of which she shared were a big part of her childhood. Even with that early exposure to reading and writing, it still wasn’t immediately clear that writing and publishing would become her path.
Jevon shares that she looked at many different career paths before stepping into the one she walks in today. “I remember, as a little girl, admiring my grandmother, who was a nurse’s aide.” This led her to want to become a doctor. She even learned CPR and first aid, driven by a desire to help and bring solutions to people’s lives. But over time, her focus shifted. While making decisions in college, Jevon decided not to pursue medicine. Instead, she looked at what she had been most passionate about since high school. “I realized that English was my true passion.”
She recalls never missing an English class. “I could skip probably any other course, but it was English that I did not ever miss. I loved those discussions. I love what literature opens up. It’s philosophical. It’s so many things. You get to learn about the world, culture, and people through literature. That was a real, big, strong passion.” Right there, as a sophomore in college, Jevon decided to make the shift.
“I changed my major from pre-med biology to English without even knowing what I was going to do with my life.”
By the time Jevon was leaving college, she was trying to figure out what she was going to do. That’s when she buckled down and started doing more research to see what was possible with an English degree. “That’s when I realized I could go into editing.” That decision would go on to shape what became a more than 20-year journey in publishing.
As Jevon continued building her career in publishing, she began to notice something deeper. “There was a huge gap,” she shared. Working as an acquisitions editor, she had the opportunity to engage with a wide range of voices. But her background gave her a different perspective. Raised in a Black community with a strong foundation in faith and culture, diversity was something she had always experienced. But stepping into the broader publishing world, she quickly realized that wasn’t the case everywhere. “I was often the only Black woman in the room or on the team,” she said.
In those spaces, she began to see clear differences in how stories were understood and supported. While there were some gaps in areas like editorial, marketing, or publicity, she noticed even greater disparities in the deals being offered and the level of advocacy available. “There was a lack of knowledge and a lack of exposure,” she said. By the time Embolden Media Group was off the ground and Jevon was serving authors on her own terms, she realized there was still a gap. Who would help the authors she supported find the best and most equitable publishing partnerships who also had the cultural competency to advocate for their and their audiences’ unique needs?
When no one answered the call, she realized it was something God was leading her to fill. That realization has stayed with her and fuels work she does every day.
When I asked Jevon about a typical day at Embolden Media Group, she didn’t hesitate to explain that no two days are the same. “On any given day, we could be reviewing incoming queries from writers who are looking for representation,” she shared. Jevon says that some days are spent working closely with current clients, helping them strengthen their book proposals and get them ready to present to publishers. Other times, they’re pitching those ideas and having conversations with publishers, helping authors figure out what partnership is right for them.
“We’re also helping clients review offers,” she said. “Looking at things like advances, royalties, and rights, and helping them make the best decision.” And once a decision is made, the work continues through contract negotiations. “Any or all of that could be happening in a single day,” she added. Listening to her talk through it, I could tell this work goes beyond just books. You can hear the weight of it, but also how much it means to her to show up for the authors she represents.
When asked what she hopes people will see when they look at her life and the work she’s built, her answer pointed to something bigger than publishing. “I hope they see that we made a significant impact in representing the vastness of who God is,” she shared.
For Jevon, it’s never been about just one type of story or one perspective. “There’s a broader story of the relationship between God and humanity that can be shared through diverse narratives and experiences,” she explained. “Publishing one narrative is not truly representative of who God is.”
Through the authors she represents and the books they release, her hope is that people can see the many ways God expresses Himself through different lives and stories.
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