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

JuLee, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I created W. Brand Publishing in 2018, but the seed had been planted when I was very young. Before I could read, I’d carry books around because I liked not only the brilliant cover designs but was intrigued by how words looked. My love of reading and design fueled my desire to become a graphic designer.
Many years and several stages of my career later, as I sat at my desk as an Art Director for Hachette Books thinking about the path writers take to become published authors, I thought, there must be a way to publish stories in a more inclusive way–without agents or 100K social media followers.
Fast forward to 2018, while running a self-publishing department for another company, I lost my aunt/godmother; she was 99. Her passing triggered the same feelings I had when I my father died in 1997. I knew I’d never hear her stories again just as I never had the chance to ask my father about his; this shook me to my soul.
My company tagline, everyone has a story, is the core of what I believe. My knowledge of both design and publishing were a perfect combination to create a publishing option for those who wanted an alternative to the Big 5 publishers–a publishing path that didn’t rely on long timelines or agents. W. Brand Publishing’s mission is to connect humans through stories of triumph, survival, education, and enlightenment.
It has been six and a half years of awards, pivoting, tears and cheers. Our stories continue to connect readers, so they don’t feel alone in this world. Our books entertain and educate but above all, our authors know that their stories make a difference and have the power to change not only their lives but the lives of their readers.

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

JuLee Brand’s career has always been design-centric. As Production Manager for Reunion Records (Michael W. Smith, the Prayer Chain, Third Day, Rich Mullins) she handled all aspects of releases from scheduling to design to manufacturing to marketing pieces.

During her almost eighteen-year Creative Director position at Emmy-winning television production company High Five Entertainment, she designed and animated title opens and graphics on over 100 shows for CMT, TNN, Speed Channel, PBS, NPT, CBS, and ABC.

Brand was Art Director at Hachette Books Nashville where she designed and art directed cover designs for Joyce Meyer, Lauraine Snelling, Karen Kingsbury, and Nadia Bolz-Weber to name a few.

As the owner of designchik.net for over twenty years, she designs logos/identity packages, CD/vinyl packaging, marketing pieces, and book covers for her clients.

Her current venture started in 2018, W. Brand Publishing is an independent boutique hybrid book publishing house that specializes in memoirs, fiction, and middle grade children’s books. Brand’s goal is to make sure that everyone judges her authors’ books by their covers as well as their excellent content. W. Brand Publishing’s publisher awards include: finalist in the Eric Hoffer Da Vinci cover award in 2019 for A Daughter to Many, while memoirs, Drafted! and Dispatches from the Cowgirl garnered the prestigious Gold IBPA Ben Franklin awards in 2023 and 2024 for excellence in publishing. W. Brand Publishing authors have won over 25 awards.

Brand is an adjunct professor at Belmont University creating and teaching the Publishing Design & Direction course centered around book cover design as a marketing tool and the process of creating a fantastic cover.

In her spare time, she is an aspiring author, wine connoisseur, wanderlust traveler, and mom to a floof named Henry. She lives a life of gratitude.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

It was January 2020, and we were about to release four new books by March 10th; we were so excited after having a good first year of business and publishing six books; the future looked bright. The first three books of ’20 released without problem and the fourth had just dropped and our author was ready, having scheduled a book tour to promote it. We were packing and getting ready to attend our first big book festival in Tucson…then 3 days before takeoff, the world literally shut down. No book fest, no book promotional tours, no publishing conferences…so much uncertainty.

In the beforetimes (pre-2020), we had a flexible business model: some books were published traditionally (no author compensation) and some were the hybrid model (author and publisher funded). Due to all that unfolded that year, the good and bad, W. Brand Publishing went completely hybrid with a few exceptions. We also established our commitment to educate writers on the pros and cons of all publishing models and help them choose ethical, transparent companies aligned with their goals.
Being a publisher when everyone was stuck at home had its perks. Many people took this “stay-cation” as their sign to write their legacy or the novel they had been putting off. We were able to thrive and grow during the most uncertain time in modern history. As of 2025, we have published over 60 books and have over 40 authors signed to W. Brand Publishing.
While I would not want to go through another world changing event like that, it did give me time to slow down and really look at what was needed in the independent book publishing space and adjust our company based on our mission and values. I am grateful every day that I am able to help people tell their stories while pursuing my personal mission of connecting humans through storytelling.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to learn time and time again, was to always trust my gut. If I could go back in time, I would make a point to listen closer to those nudges of intuition instead of feeling I had to do things a certain way because that is what everyone else was doing.
While the publishing industry has standards, the only “standards” I live by now are those that pertain to quality of the book. I am continually trying new ways to market, sell, and promote my authors.
I adhere to the adage, fail fast and learn from everything that did not go as planned. I have learned a lot from taking the less traveled path and take pleasure in the lessons instead of regret.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wbrandpub.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wbrandpub/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wbrandpub
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/w-brand-publishing
• Twitter: https://x.com/wbrandpub
• Youtube: https://vimeo.com/wbrandpub
• Other: TikTok: @words_matter_always