Renita Bryant is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and consumer insights leader whose career blends corporate excellence with creative innovation and purpose-driven leadership.Her Holidayville Adventures® children's series delights readers with its magical world where holidays collide and characters learn the value of kindness, collaboration, and surprise.
A published author of six books, Bryant writes stories filled with heart, humanity, and hope. A Fort Valley, Georgia, native, she's dedicated her career to elevating others through storytelling.
Bryant founded Mynd Matters Publishing® in 2013, a hybrid publishing company that has since published more than 200 titles across 150+ authors. Mynd Matters champions diverse voices and empowers storytellers to leave lasting legacies with professionalism, creativity, and purpose.
We talked with the author about starting a publishing business, what inspired her holiday mashups, and encouraging authors to be successful owners of their work.
How did you know you wanted to be an author?
I have always understood the power of storytelling. Writing came naturally to me from a young age, not as a goal I was working toward, but as something that felt essential to how I processed the world. Long before I thought about being an author or publishing books, I knew I was a writer. Some of my earliest memories are tied to my mother, who was a (sometimes) writer and avid reader. She would type up short stories and leave them on my bed for me to discover. Reading and writing became something we shared. Because of those early experiences, I don't believe there could ever be a version of my life that did not include writing. It was how I made sense of my thoughts and learned to listen to myself.
How do your extensive backgrounds in marketing and business influence your work as a writer and publisher?
Becoming a published author added a distinctive layer to my foundation. Authorship requires me to engage with the business side of storytelling and to think more strategically about audience, reach, and impact. My background in business taught me that creativity needs structure, clarity, and intention to be sustained and shared responsibly. As a writer, that perspective allows me to approach stories with greater purpose and care. As a publisher, it informs how I build systems that respect the creative process and the realities of the industry.
You founded Mynd Matters Publishing, specifically geared toward supporting new and aspiring authors. What inspired you to start this business, and how has your experience been working with other authors?
Originally, it was a desire to publish my own work. But then I came across so many talented people stalled by confusion, gatekeeping, and fear. They had decades-old manuscripts, powerful platforms, and a desire to make it on the shelves, but were limited to no access, guidance, or transparency. I wanted to change that.
Working with authors is truly humbling. Every book carries someone’s story, legacy, learning, or healing, and I never forget it. Seeing an author holding their published book for the first time never gets old.
Why did you want to write for a children’s audience?
I was moved to write for children after seeing the statistics on representation and how few children’s books feature children of color as main characters, and how an even smaller percentage of those stories are written by Black authors. That gap didn’t sit right with me. I kept thinking about the children in my life, like my godkids, the kids in my family, and the children of my good friends. I wanted them to open a book and immediately see themselves reflected with joy, imagination, and possibility. So I choose to write for them because representation is about visibility, affirmation, and empowerment.
Your Holidayville Adventures stories place beloved holiday characters in unexpected settings and moments. What inspired you to explore holiday mash-ups?
First, it was noticing Santa making his way from December to November, and then, most recently, winding up in July (Christmas in July). Santa's just one character, but I started envisioning a world without guardrails for all of the holiday characters. Then I thought, life itself is a great big mash-up. By placing these familiar faces in unfamiliar seasons, kids can stretch their thinking. What happens when Cupid shows up on Thanksgiving? Or when a snafu brings Santa to town in October instead of December?
I want children to consider the magic that exists in the disruption. The magic that's in the unexpected. The Holidayville Adventures series shows kids that things don’t have to go as planned to be meaningful.
Your newest release Cupid’s Most Thankful Thursday centers on a child who feels unseen. Why was it important for you to tell a story about being chosen, noticed, and valued?
Because feeling unseen is often one of a person's earliest and most significant wounds. Long before we have words for it, children learn what it feels like to be overlooked, misunderstood, or quietly hoping someone notices their effort, their heart, their presence. I wanted to name that feeling honestly without making it too heavy for young readers.
In Cupid’s Most Thankful Thursday, the message isn’t that you become valuable when someone chooses you. It’s that you were already worthy of being chosen. My hope is that children see themselves in Ariel and internalize the truth early on that you don’t have to earn your value. You matter simply because you exist. If a child closes this book feeling seen because of the story or the characters, then I’ve done my job.
Check out Renita’s Holidayville Adventures series, where kids can learn the magic of the unexpected!
You also serve as Board Chair for IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association). What excites you about the indie publishing landscape, and what trends do you foresee this year?
Indie publishing is the innovation engine of this industry, and I love it! What excites me most is how unapologetically creative and reader-centric indie publishers are becoming. I see continued growth and evolution in business models, author-owned IP, and multi-format storytelling. I also believe we'll have a stronger push toward DTC distribution models and smarter collaboration.
As someone deeply involved in the publishing community, why is advocacy and mentorship important to you?
I've benefited from advocacy and mentorship throughout my corporate and entrepreneurial career, so I know the value. I also know how difficult it is to navigate being "the first" or "the only" in different situations, and how having someone speak or act on your behalf can shift minds, break down barriers, and accelerate access.
What changes would you like to see in the publishing industry, particularly for indie or underrepresented authors?
1) I want equity to be structural, meaning more transparency throughout the process, diverse industry leadership and participation at all levels, adequate support and mentorship at all levels, and access to expanded distribution without gatekeeping.
2) I want indie authors to be profitable and successful owners of their work, their audience, and their future. Once that book hits the market, they are more than just creators. They should be equipped to manage a product-based business because that's their new role.
3) I want respect for stories that don’t fit dominant narratives. Publishing should not ask people to shrink to belong but should expand to hold us all and provide more than enough opportunity.
How has working behind the scenes in publishing changed the way you approach your own books?
It sharpened my strategic thinking. For instance, a series of holiday mash-ups extends each book's shelf life and offers more opportunities for programs and events. So, my books benefit readers as well as booksellers and educators.
What is your favorite genre to read? And if you were to genre-hop, which other styles would you like to try writing?
New Age/Self-Help Fiction. I know this is so, so different from what I currently write, but I'd love to try...Romantasy.
What’s something you do to recharge creatively when you’re feeling drained or in a slump?
Travel so I can see something different that shifts my perspective, and/or connect with friends. My circle of friends is very strong and dependable, and they have a way of refueling me when I feel drained or in need of a reboot.
Who in your life inspires you the most?
My godkids, Roman (5) and Rihanna (7), inspire me greatly. They are smart, funny, curious, and courageous. Being around them inspires me to consider the younger version of myself and remember who I was before the world put limitations on me.
