Amy DuBois Barnett doesn’t simply break glass ceilings—she shatters them with type, confidence, and an entire lot of fact.
The 54-year-old trailblazer made historical past as the primary Black lady to steer a serious mainstream U.S. journal, getting into the editor-in-chief function at Teen Folks in 2003. Since then, she’s helmed iconic publications together with Honey and Ebony, shaping tradition whereas breaking obstacles in rooms that have been hardly ever constructed for girls like her.
Now, Barnett brings that insider perspective to fiction together with her debut novel, If I Dominated the World, a fast-paced, juicy story set in 1999—a time when hip-hop was booming, style was bigger than life, and Black girls have been quietly carrying whole rooms whereas being informed they didn’t belong.
The novel introduces Nikki Rose, the one Black editor at a prestigious style journal, who’s informed, bluntly, “Black women don’t promote magazines.” The hell they don’t!
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In true Barnett type, Nikki refuses to just accept it. She quits, takes over Sugar, a struggling hip-hop way of life journal, and has six months to show herself in a world of excessive stakes, energy performs, and really dangerous boys—together with a married ex decided to destroy her.
In an unique interview with MadameNoire, Barnett explains how she created her completely imperfect protagonist. Nikki is “messy however magnetic. You proceed to root for her as she contends with actually difficult stressors and antagonists in her life.”
Barnett additionally attracts on the period’s glamour and hazard, saying, “It was such an attractive period… however beneath all of that lurked actual hazard. It was a dangerous time to be an formidable lady.”
And but, she makes ambition look thrilling: “Worry equals development. You possibly can’t presumably evolve into the girl you’re meant to be until you step outdoors your consolation zone.” From late nights on the workplace to navigating romance and energy, Nikki’s journey mirrors the realities Barnett and different Black girls have confronted in industries designed to underestimate them.
The e book can also be unapologetically enjoyable, good, and inspirational. “I would like y’all to have an excellent time,” Barnett mentioned, laughing, “It’s a juicy e book. It’s an attractive e book. It’s a page-turner.” She shares classes for girls chasing massive desires whereas staying true to themselves: “We’re being requested to sacrifice our authenticity, our voice, our peace. However you need to step into your full energy anyway.” And on love? “You appeal to extra fascinating males whenever you your self are doing one thing fascinating… stroll up, say hey, and take your ego out of it.”
If I Dominated the World is greater than a novel—it’s a love letter to formidable Black girls in every single place, a peek behind the scenes at a transformative cultural period, and a reminder that discovering your voice issues greater than anybody else’s approval.
Watch MadameNoire’s full unique interview above, hosted by Managing Editor Danica Daniel, and hearken to Barnett share the true tales behind the fiction, the inspiration for Nikki Rose, and the recommendation each Black lady wants to listen to as she claims her energy.
If I Dominated the World hits bookshelves on January 27, 2026.
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