We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chelsey Macklin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Chelsey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I am beaming in the completion and success of self-publishing my first poetry book. It is the year 2018 and the self-assurance that came from figuring out book dimensions, knowing where each piece of writing would go, editing, and creating this physical publication from just a thought I had was something I would have never been able to fathom in my younger years. The feeling of accomplishment and the service that comes with sharing your heart motivated me to publish another book in 2020. During that time, many of my peers were seeking guidance and assistance on how to self-publish and the in’s and outs of the process to share their word. There is a quote by Toni Morrison that says, “This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.” It had always been important to me for voices to be heard, feelings and emotions to be purged through a delicate process of alchemy and a pen, and as I was growing into this knowing, I was still figuring out the micro to macro process of editing, curating, and publishing books. And that’s where the passion in my service began. After self-publishing through a major online self-publisher, I had no formal copyrights and I found my first book on a third party site that was intending to make money off of my intellectual property. How many other writers has this happened to? What do I have to do going forward to protect myself? And how do I share this information with my peers?

My intention and duty with RosePrayer Publishing is to share the voices of melanated writers and creatives, maintain a collaborative partnership within creating and marketing their work, and protecting the intellectual property of my clients through idependent resources and platforms. With devotion to this mission and the greatest intentions to create a legacy through leaving a trail of words around the world, from myself and represented authors, it is my duty to do so with integrity and prioritizing the beauty of the creative process- from a mere thought to a manifested physcial rendition of a writer’s vision.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a writer/poet, author, lover, mother, and a passionate woman whose eyes speak and knows that writing is a big part of my power here. I always say I have libraries of books inside me, just waiting to be written. l’ve been a writer since before I can remember and I still have journals from early years, l’ve saved all of my published writing from school newspapers and I still geek over a notebook or planner or a good pen. All keys to my nostalgia and love for writing words and creating with them. One of our ancestor’s wildest dreams was to read, write, and for somebody to hear them.

Now that I have seen and felt the power and rush of helping to bring a vision to life and leave a legacy through creating books, this is a part of sharing my gifts now- it always has been. To assist in memorializing words, art, bravery, and the willingness to share your heart. Writing is a direct channel to our most authentic selves, helping us to understand the cycles and emotions (energy in motion) that we go through, express, and experience. Or creating worlds that we want to exist, with words. Being a writer is a wild ride and I’m willing to take it alongside you. A recorder of the times, a writer, a scribe. And a great writer must be a great reader. The key is our imagination- an escape of reality through a blank sheet of paper.
RosePrayer Publishing is devoted to reigniting the power of written word through melanated voices, basing its offerings in writing intensive workshops for all ages, classes and resources for the novice writer or the savant, curated events, books (both second-hand and publications written by RosePrayer authors) and, of course, publishing including editing, literary services, marketing, and more.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

RosePrayer Publishing is a business venture that I have grown, and continue growing, from the ground up. In the process of growing and scaling, the most important strategy for growing my clientele is being rooted in my “why” and the foundation for why I do what I do. When purpose and passion is prioritized, continuing to show up allows your clients to be magnetized towards you because everything in this world is energy based. Quality over quantity. All money is not good money and maintaining my integrity when it comes to knowing what clients are for me and which are not is key. As you find your rhythm within these exchanges of energy, it allows for organic connections to be made which fosters a sense of loyalty and comradery, and trust. In the beginning stages, you will have to trust the process and root yourself in your vision. Clients will find you as you shine your unique light into the world and not just clients but the ones who are looking for you specifically.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

After I self-published my first two poetry books and made a significant buzz in my community, I was laid off from my full time job during the pandemic. I was at this job for over 8 years, even interning there during high school years so I invested a lot of time and effort into building with this company. I chose to maintain my sovereignty and rights to my body so I left the job, took a lone from my 401K, and took a trip to explore what I wanted to do next. This was a very important time in history for many, and was a decision and pivot point to choose what mattered the most. Shortly after I returned from my solo trip to regroup, I was referred to someone who had hundreds and hundreds of quotes that he sent out to people for a source of encouragement and connecting to each one’s spirit and higher calling. He had these powerful messages sitting in the notes app on his phone. We were connected through a mutual friend and the rest is history. We formally met in person- I had never met him a day in my life and I felt like I knew him forever, maybe from another life, another time and space. But he was family. He gave complete trust and creative control in taking his words and putting them in a book to share with others, so that he could reach more people and more hearts. In 2022, we released his book called “Stay Lit: Quotes to Enliven One’s Sense of Self”, and he would have never imagined that he would be able to accomplish something like this. As a spiritual being who is very connected to my emotions and intuition, our collaboration was a gentle, reassuring tap on the shoulder that I needed to be the one to birth books and publications for not only myself but for others. The spark that I felt was a fire being born and, to this day, that passion is alive and well. I followed that divine spark within and went with it- even when I had no idea what the path ahead of me would require. One foot in front of the other and faith is what led me to be a source for visions to be reality.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/roseprayerpub?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAacTShbNDzgG7EB4ybvJzi-sZCW6Ug_ZO9k9LGtf-AZwaife7KRczzNHB2sGMw_aem_egQTJ8bxaAUUf-MIaWynQQ
• Instagram: @roseprayerpublishing