HAMPTON, Va. — Tahara Saron has enjoyed writing for as long as she can remember.
"I have a copyright that my parents actually did for me in 2003," Saron said. "I was eleven years old."
"It wasn't until I turned eighteen that I actually wanted to pursue it, like, actually get published," Saron continued. "I sent a manuscript off, and I had an acquisitions editor tell me that my work was too ethnic."
"Work can be a lot of things -- have a lot of errors, not have good tonality and things. But ethnic is not something that is a qualifiable offense."
That experience led Saron to change the narrative surrounding minority literary works.
In 2017, she founded BlackGold Publishing to give a platform to authors of color.
"The unfortunate thing about being a marginalized group in a creative setting is that our work if oftentimes plagiarized or, you know, taken without our consent," Saron said.
"And then, those works go public and go mainstream, and then we're forgotten," Saron continued. "So, BlackGold exists for that reason."
Based in Hampton, the online publishing house is not only black-owned, but entirely black-operated, from editors to illustrators.
"I think it's very important that when it comes down to the service part of our production is that you're being understood," Saron said.
"And that you're not going to be edited in a way that takes away your personality or your individuality."
BlackGold Publishing currently houses more than 125 titles and represents more than 100 authors worldwide.
"We have Black sci-fi, Black romance, Black thrillers, you name it," Saron said.
"And so, it's just keeping it fresh and innovative and something new that people haven't seen."
Saron said there's immense literary talent in minority communities, and she's proud to help them get the recognition they deserve.
"Black people have an innate creativity and innovation and quality and worthiness that just comes from within," Saron said.
"It's so important that Black creatives stay true to that, they stay kind of home when it comes to their creations," she said. "Because oftentimes, that's going to be the one. That's the hit."
BlackGold Publishing is looking to represent more authors, work with literary professionals and connect with other publishing houses. For more information and to reach out to BlackGold, visit the publishing house's website or call 804-250-8611.