English 219
30June 2014
Kimberla Lawson Roby, an award winning writer for her outstanding literary work in Fiction and Literature was born on 3rd May in United States of America. She graduated in 1982 from Auburn High School in Rockford and primarily writes fiction novels and literature. Kimberla Lawson Roby owns her own company called Lenox Press and her debutant title, “Behind the Closed Doors” was originally self- published initially in her own company. New York’s bestselling author she has published twenty novels so far which includes The Prodigal Son, Secret Obsession, The House Divided, Sin No More, Love and Lies and many more. She writes about realistic issues like infertility, sexual abuse, drug addiction, mental illness, domestic violence, infidelity, corruption within the church, gender discrimination in the workplace, etc.
Kimberla Lawson Roby originally from a business background had a unique start, all the literary agents and major editors rejected her first piece of work, and she decided to move. That’s when her husband gave her an idea to start her own publishing house and in 1996 Lenox Press was born and 3000 copies of her novel were sold. She was the famous self- published author of nineties, when every one rejected her and at the time when self publishing was considered expensive and risky she took a risk and bank loan to make her dream a reality. In 1997, she was named the bestseller on the Essence Magazine bestseller and since then there is no looking back for her.
Kimberla Lawson Roby’s bestseller list kept on increasing day by day and it includes; The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Essence Magazine, Upscale Magazine, Emerge Magazine, Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, The Dallas Morning News, and The Austin Chronicle for her most read novels, “Behind Closed Doors” and: Casting The First Stone were #1.” Behind Closed Doors was the #1 Blackboard Best-selling Book for paperback fiction in 1997.
She is a recipient of 2013 NAACP Image Award for her marvellous work in Fiction. She is the award winner of Author of the Year in Female category by the African- American Award show in New York consecutively for six years i.e. 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013. She received AAMBC Award for Female Author of the Year in 2014, Blackboard Fiction Book of the Year Award in 2001 for casting the First Stone and also received 1998 First-Time Author Award from Chicago’s Black History Month Book Fair and Conference. In 2001, she was inducted into the Rock Valley College Alumni Hall of Fame (Rockford, IL). Her message for budding writers is to write what you believe in not what people think you are good at and have faith. Currently, Kimberla Lawson Roby lives in Illinois with her husband Will and her twenty first novels; “A Christmas Prayer” is ready to be launched on November4, 2014.
Works Cited
“Biography.” New York Times Bestselling AuthorKimberla Lawson Roby.Kimberla Lawson Roby.n.d. Web. 30 June 2014.
"Kimberla Lawson Roby."Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2014. Literature Resource Center. Web. 30 June 2014.
"Kimberla Lawson Roby Full Biography."Zola Books | Kimberla Lawson Roby Full Biography. n.d. Web. 30 June 2014.
Temple, Chanda. "Author Kimberla Lawson Roby will be in Birmingham, Alabama for Thursday booksigning." . AL.com, 30 Apr. 2012. Web. 6 July 2014. http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2012/04/author_kimberla_lawson_roby_wi.html
Strawser, Jessica. "BONUS WD INTERVIEW OUTTAKES: KIMBERLA LAWSON ROBY." . Writers Digest, 10 July 2013. Web. 6 July 2014. http://www.writersdigest.com/online-exclusives/sept-13/bonus-wd-interview-outtakes-kimberla-lawson-roby
