The comedian, who launches her own book imprint this month, pens an essay for EW.
Insert shocked emoji followed by theKanye Westlyrics:“Poopy-di-scoop/Scoop-diddy-whoop.
Still, I’m not one to back down from a challenge, so here goes.
Phoebe Robinson.Jessica Chou for EW
I told my now-former manager that I wanted to write a book.
Her response: “Well you’re not famous, so you shouldn’t be writing a book.”
Did I fire her after she said that?
The cover of ‘Please Don’t Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes,’ by Phoebe Robinson.Tiny Reparations Books
Let’s soak that in for a moment.
I continued paying someone 15 percent of what I make to tell me I ain’t s—.
Writing and selling a book proposal to a publisher ain’t sexy!
Phoebe Robinson.Jessica Chou for EW
Writing a book ain’t sexy!
Promoting a book ain’t sexy!
sometimes tryptophan won’t let you be great and the same can be said for the world of publishing.
Imprint after imprint rejected it because they claimed that books by Black women don’t sell (wut?)
and are not relatable (to whom, DAVE?
), and that no one is interested in funny-essay collections by Black women (wut?
He politely reminded them that he did and what their responses were.
I wanted to do something with what little power I had, but then life happened.
My TV career grew thanks to my2 Dope Queensspecials for HBO.
I fell in love.
Finally traveled after being in debt for over a decade.
Had creative projects fall apart.
But also, #PelotonIsLyfe.
Was in early talks with Plume to partner with me and launch an imprint.
And yes, of course, coronavirus.
It made the world stop.
All the plans everyone had vanished.
Every morning, I would get up early and read for hours.
#UltimateFlex, but also, hmm.
If anything, the suffocating bigness of COVID and police brutality illuminated how special and important books are.
So having my own imprint went from seeming trivial to a “why the hell not?”
Given the state of the world, the worst that could happen is failure.
I have eight authors on the slate.
All of them are first-timers.
We’re watching you, publishing industry, because we love you and we know you might do better.
Stay tuned to EW.com formore spotlights on this fall’s biggest booksover the coming weeks.
