← Careers of Love: Black Professionals Banking on Romance

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By Janell Hazelwood | Published February 14, 2012 | Full size is 620 × 480 pixels

THE ROMANCE NOVELIST: BRENDA JACKSON Brenda Jackson, author of 91 books, is the first black romance author to make The New York Times Best Sellers list. Her book A Silken Thread (Kimani; $14.95) is nominated for an NAACP Image Award. The Beginning: Jackson started re-writing endings to Harlequin books for fun. Early in her career, her books were rejected because publishers didn't believe black romance novels were needed. Eventually, she'd land a deal for her romance novels tailored for black audiences. “My first advance in 1995 was awful," Jackson says. "I was making over $80,000 at my job in the insurance industry, so I wasn’t dependent on income from my books. "Eventually, the publisher offered me six figures to write full time, so I decided to quit my day job."

THE ROMANCE NOVELIST: BRENDA JACKSON

Brenda Jackson, author of 91 books, is the first black romance…