Meet Reesa Shayne | Author & Publisher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Reesa Shayne and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Reesa, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started my own publishing company to self-publish my children’s books. I wanted to create a space where I had complete control of the entire publishing process for my books. And I also have the opportunity to expand my business into whatever I want it to be in the future. I own the rights to my work and my writing.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I write children’s picture books with Black main characters that are fun and engaging to read aloud. My mission is for kids to fall in love with reading, in part because my books helped them to do that. It’s so rewarding to see children fall in love with a story I’ve written and brought to life. It’s something I believe is a part of my calling and I get confirmation on that whenever I hear from a reader, parent, or teacher how much children are connecting with my books. Being a self-published author is not at all easy. There are so many barriers to success and there’s sometimes a stigma attached to a self-published book. But, I’m breaking all the rules and the boxes they try to push self-publishing into–especially as a Black woman author. I want the world to know that you can read high-quality, amazing books from self-published authors. And you can find them in the Black community, written by a Black author. I’m following in the footsteps of many great authors and paving the way for more to come. I want people to know that Reesa Shayne Books is a brand of children’s books that are full of fun, imagination, and adventure for all children.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We’d probably go to a bunch of restaurants to start. There are so many good eats in Atlanta! I’d definitely take them to Chef Rob’s Caribbean Cafe in Sandy Springs. They have some of the BEST Caribbean food in the city. We’d also have to hit up Tassa’s Roti Shop in Marietta – I’m from Trinidad originally, and they never miss on the roti! For local events we’d go to see the Hawks play and tour Mercedes Benz Arena…Visit Centennial Park and the MLK Museum. We’d also have to check out the High Museum – they’ve always got great exhibits. And for sure we’d visit the local library in Cobb County. They’ve always got events, activities, art showcases and it’s FREE! Support your local library!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mother deserves a lot of the credit. She has always encouraged me to pursue my writing and to always follow my dreams no matter what anyone else thinks. And she has always kept me on track. When I got focused on grinding in corporate America, she reminded me to always remember what gave me purpose. And that’s always led me back to my writing. I’ll always be grateful to her for that. She’s an amazing mom. I also want to thank my husband Michael for always supporting my passion and dream as well. He is so supportive of every single book idea I have–and there are many. And he gives me the room and space to work through my ideas, and listen to endless re-writes of my manuscripts.

Website: https://www.reesashaynebooks.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reesashaynebooks/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reesashayne/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReesaShayne

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@reesashaynebooks

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reesashaynebooks?lang=en