Press Kit

I’m an MBA-trained strategist, author, and literary brand builder with over a decade of experience navigating both corporate leadership and the publishing world. Since 2012, I’ve held traditional business roles while simultaneously cultivating a successful creative career, using my industry insight to launch bestselling IP, broker publishing and audiobook deals, and mentor the next wave of literary talent. As 

Nikki-Michelle, I’ve authored bestselling titles including Scandalous, Bi-Satisfied, and All the Things I’m Missing at Home. I also helped authors Brick & Storm secure agent representation with bestselling author Brenda Hampton, which led to a multi-book deal with Carl Weber’s Urban Books and the launch of their hit series Hood Misfits and The Syndicate. In 2015, I founded the collaborative pen name Noelle Vella as a strategic move to increase creative productivity and enter new genres. That brand culminated in the breakout 2020 release of the supernatural series The Witches of Salix Pointe. I later negotiated a three-book audiobook deal with The Audio Flow under its Nubian Audio imprint. The series became the imprint’s best-selling title, with over 15,000 independently sold copies to date. 

I’ve also used my platform to mentor and uplift other authors. I supported Shantel Davis as she developed her voice and career, and connected speculative fiction author Kai Leakes with Brenda Hampton, resulting in a publishing deal for her Sineaters series. Currently, I’m working behind the scenes with two debut authors, whose careers I look forward to helping shape as they grow their presence in the literary world. Whether developing original IP, brokering rights deals, mentoring talent, or scaling literary brands, I bring a strategic, business-forward mindset to every stage of the publishing lifecycle—bridging creativity with long-term commercial success.