Meet Amanda Chambers of Divine Legacy Publishing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Chambers.

Amanda, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story has chapters, lol. Chapter one starts when I was a kid. I had a rather tumultuous childhood, and when I was in the third grade I was diagnosed with a learning disability. The doctors and the school system told my mother I would likely not graduate from high school, let alone attend college. My mother refused to accept that and, after having my IQ tested and finding it to be well above average, she refused to allow others to give up on me. Not only did I graduate high school on time, but I went on to get three college degrees. The constant in my life was always books, reading, and writing. All of my degrees are in English.

Chapter two starts in 2016. I thought I was destined to be a professor forever, but fate stepped in and showed me my true path. After being laid off from my online teaching position due to record low student enrollment, I decided to pursue a dream I’d had since I was young: writing a book. On August 27, 2016 I self-published my first book. Published under the pseudonym Serendipity, which happens to be my favorite word, Ember’s Flame is an erotic romance novel. While teaching myself to self-publish my book, I also got certified in personal branding and social media management so that I could properly brand and market myself to potential readers. This resulted in Ember’s Flame hitting number 1 on it’s Amazon chart. I was beyond happy. Many people asked me to help them publish their books, which sparked an idea.

Chapter three started on January 1, 2017. That was the day I launched Divine Legacy Publishing. My publishing company teaches authors to self-publish their books. I offer writing coaching, professional editing, self-publishing coaching, branding coaching, and social media coaching. I also have artists, graphic designers, and website designers on my team. My goal is to provide authors with everything they need to successfully self-publishing their books. Although I’m no longer teaching in a traditional sense, I’m still teaching and I truly believe this is what I’m supposed to do with my life. I absolutely love it.

I have also published two more books: Rocking Cheyenne, an erotic suspense novel, and Racial Total Institutions (published under my real name), a non-fiction book about the black communities in Toni Morrison’s novels. Rocking Cheyenne peaked at number 3 on it’s Amazon chart and Racial Total Institutions was the number 1 new release in African American Literary Criticism on Amazon. I will also be releasing a children’s book series under my real name later this year that focuses on my daughter, Brooke, and her adventures as a homeschooled child.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
When I first started my business, there were some challenges because I wasn’t trained or educated for business things. I was a professor and I dealt in semesters, not quarters. My husband, Stan, encouraged me to read books about business because he knows books are how I learn best, and my mom encouraged me to take classes. My best friend Samika educated me about LLCs and made sure I secured mine and she’s taken me through many of my business ideas. My sister, Anitra, made sure everything I wrote was edited and ready for the world. I have a group of friends, really sisters, who encouraged me every step of the way. All of these things played a huge part in my success and got me over any obstacles that tried to block me.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Divine Legacy Publishing teaches authors to self-publish their books. I offer writing coaching, professional editing, self-publishing coaching, branding coaching, and social media coaching. I also have artists, graphic designers, and website designers on my team. My goal is to provide authors with everything they need to successfully self-publish their books. I want DLP to be a one stop shop so that authors can learn the self-publishing game and beast it. I’m not a competitive person, and I’d much rather see everyone win. I believe there’s a seat at the table for everyone and have built DLP into a community of authors who look out for each other, collaborate, and do events together. We’re a family and that’s what sets us apart from other companies. I’m proud of the fact that we’re a family and not nameless faces. I know my authors, they know me, and they know each other. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What were you like growing up?
I was a book nerd, surprise surprise. I had a tumultuous childhood. My parents divorced when I was young, which was a very good thing but it was still a very hard situation. My father was an absentee father and that relationship has always been strained at best. That influenced me a lot growing up and made me angry for a very long time. I had a temper and was quick to fight, so I was known for that in school unfortunately. But I only did that when I was provoked and much preferred to get lost in a book. Books gave me a getaway. I played with my friends and had fun outside, but still preferred my books. I lived in Baltimore until I was 13 and then we moved to a small military town named Jacksonville in North Carolina. Except for three years I lived in Florida, I’ve been in NC for the better part of 25 years. I’m an interesting combination of northern grit and southern belle. In high school, I was well known, but I wouldn’t call myself popular. I was this awkward combination of book nerd and lover of all things vintage, and I didn’t really fit in one specific circle. I had friends from many different cliques, and I still talk to quite a few of my high school friends. When I got to college, I joined a sorority, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., and my sorors really encouraged me to be my authentic self. That’s where I really came into my own and began to grow into the woman I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.divinelegacypublishing.com
• Phone: 919-706-1379
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divinelegacypublishing/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/divinelegacypublishing/
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/divinelegacypub

Image Credit:
All photos are by Stan Chambers Jr. Photography. www.stanchambersjr.com

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