Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Arilia Winn. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Arilia, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

The mission at Winn Publications is to ensure the Book Publishing Industry reflects the global population. The story behind this mission is simple. Winn Publications is founded by me, a Black woman. My personal struggles and experiences in the field keeps my passion for publishing hot. I’ve published many authors who were rejected for situations in their stories where there may have been cultural differences and therefore misunderstandings.

I know what it’s like to have organizations say they are committed to diversity and inclusion and be oblivious to what that actually looks like, so I started my own business. Not to mention that the demographics of Book Publishers in the United is something like 85% White American and 4% African American, those numbers didn’t sit right with me. Those numbers are NOT a reflection of an industry that is committed to diversity so I had to take action. My hope is to be apart of the shift in the demographic makeup of this profession.

I have a degree in Mass Communication with a focus on Journalism and a background in Marriage and Family Therapy. The skills that I learned in college have been instrumental in building my business. It’s one thing for a company or a person to say they are committed to diversity and inclusion and it’s a totally different thing to be culturally competent and sensitive to actually put that commitment in action. Because of my experiences and my background, Winn Publications analyzes writer’s manuscripts differently from our peers. We read with an eye that is sensitive to different cultures, abilities, languages, and backgrounds.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi! I am Arilia Winn. I help authors write, publish, and sell books while creating more moments of wellness. I am an all around Creative and I love working with others who can relate.

I founded Winn Publications, a Hybrid Book Publishing Company, in 2018 in Abilene,TX. Since then I have worked remotely in Texas, California and now here in Florida. Winn Publications has been operated by myself a handful of other independent publishing professionals. I have published over 40 books in the last 5 and half years thanks to collaborations and word of mouth. At Winn Publications I help authors publish in the way they desire which means self-publishing, hybrid-publishing, and offering traditional publishing deals to writers who win book writing contests. Our goals is to both educate and entertain our readers. Our mission is ensure that the Book Publishing industry reflects the diversity of the global population. Since 2018 we have done exactly what we have set out to do.Publishing a diverse catalog of books written by authors from various backgrounds. I am proud of the business that I have started and continue to grow and scale with consistently.

My background in Marriage and Family drives my passion for writing and publishing books around building healthy character traits and healthy relationships. I am also a speaker and advocate for mental wellness for survivors of trauma. Experiencing my own run ins with traumatic relationships and overcoming the scars through therapy and self-help work, I share my testimony to inspire other women. I have also designed hard cover journals with single affirmation quotes on the cover. Write to heal has been my signature message. Recognizing that “Change your mind to change your life” sums up Cognitive Behavioral Therapy practices, I write and talk about my experiences often on my blog MissWinn.com. During slow months at Winn Publications, I function more as an Author Coach for my authors and the author community. I use my personal platform “Miss Winn” to educate my peers and direct them to my publishing services for hands on help.

As a Creative I have created a business model where Winn Publications not only publishes books, we sell books through our component called Renaissance Reads (RR). Renaissance Reads used to be called W.E. Bookstore Online and recently went through a rebrand. RR is now an indie bookstore online with a 1940’s Harlem Renaissance theme and aesthetic. Acknowledging the art and literature of that time period is important to me. I find a lot of creative inspiration from that era. In November 2023, I am launching a literary magazine called Renaissance Reads Literary Magazine (RRLM). RRLM also has the 1940’s Harlem Renaissance aesthetic but it allows Winn Publications to expand our reach. Offering writers the opportunity to publish shorter pieces, opinions and news, plus promote their work. RRLM also invites artists to submit their arts whether it’s hand painted, AI assisted or AI generated. Both of these components gives me and other Creatives the opportunity to be fluid with our crafts. One day I’m writing a book and publishing it at Winn Publications, the next day I am selling it at Renaissance Reads, but then the next week I am painting and creating art for Renaissance Reads Literary Magazine! Haha! So much for doing only one thing that like status quo, you know? I’m in love with the career that I have created and I love inviting others to join in with me. I love that I am growing something for the Creative community. Something innovative and different from anything that is out there right now.

It’s my vision that Winn Publications would live forever. That Winn Publications would be one the top 5 publishers in the United States and Internationally. In all transparency Winn Publications is ran by me, a solorpreneur, a single mama, a Black woman, who according to society has the cards stacked against her. Yet I am still here and word of mouth is my #1 lead generator. I am crushing many of my competitors even with my circumstances because of collaborations from other business owners in the book publishing field. With plans to plans to grow and establish a team within the next couple of months to a year, I am so excited to have my vision realized.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I started my book publishing company at the same time that I started my wellness journey. That was the best thing that I could’ve done. There’s way too many times to count how my business struggles impacted my mental wellness and how my mental wellness impacted my business. But most recently Winn Publications struggled, and is actually recovering at the time of this article. We had more money going out then coming in. This caused delays across the board. The feelings of shame, guilt, and inadequacy tried to me out. The disappointment from authors and readers weighed on my shoulders and my mind. But I stood solid. I gave Depression the middle finger and didn’t flirt with it or allow it to take over. In the past this would have crushed me emotionally and mentally. But I chalk my strength up to having done a lot of self-work, therapy, and studying mental wellness. I have been able to manage my emotions and get my business on track to be right side up again. When I tell you that it takes emotional and mental strength to manage a business, it really does! If you are not willing to growing as person, growing your business is going to be tough on you. Not every season is profitable in the beginning. I’m going through year 5. A lot of business don’t make it past this year. Winn Publications will.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Yes, continuing from the previous story about Winn Publications struggling financially. Something that I had to learn was to prepare for these slow months. For almost 5 years Winn Publications was breaking even or profiting some. I am proud of that. However through this struggle, I learned how to spot low cash flow months in my financial statements and in my budget. What I did to pivot was start offering digital products and additional services that authors had been asking me for, but I had no time for until now. As a business owner it’s within my right to diversify my offerings and services. I had no idea. People always tell you to focus on one thing. If I would have listened to that, I wouldn’t be doing this interview. I learned for myself what being a business owner means and what my responsibilities and options included. Which I knew before, but going through hard times really made me organize my knowledge and become self-reliant vs. listening to the status quo. It really helped me get my ducks in a better row so that I could recover my business and keep growing.

Contact Info:

• Website: winnpublications.com , misswinn.com
• Instagram: @winnpublications @misswinn_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WinnPublications

Image Credits
The first photo where I am sitting down with legs crossed was photographed by Stephanie Ellison.