Meet Our Founder | Berry Powell Press

MEET OUR FOUNDER

A Message from Carmen Berry
New York Times bestselling author
Founder of Berry Powell Press

When I landed my first publishing contract, I was young, overly confident, and oblivious to how much more I needed to learn. A seasoned publishing professional stepped in to guide me. The success of my bestselling career can be attributed, in large part, to Roy M. Carlisle, my first editor and publishing mentor. My goal now is to carry on this important tradition of mentoring new authors.

Over the past decades, I've discovered insider secrets, strategies, and shortcuts. It takes more than talent or even hard work to reach your publishing dreams. That's why I started BPP-- to build a supportive publishing community that offers you more.

My amazing team and I are ready to work with you. I look forward to becoming your author mentor.

Warmly,
Carmen

WORK WITH US

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

The Unauthorized-Guide-to-Sex-and-the-Church

The-Unauthorized-Guide-To-Choosing-A-Church

Is-Your-Body-Trying-To-Tell-You-Something

New York Times Bestseller

Carmen earned a Masters in Social Work in 1981 and launched her career as a mental health professional working with children in abusive situations. She had a tenacious vision that things could change, but the weight of the work took its toll.

It only took a few years for Carmen to suffer from severe burnout. She left her job with a sense of shame and failure. During the next year, Carmen focused on her own journey and created a new understanding of why so many people in caregiver professions are prone to burnout.

Unaware of how hard it was to break into publishing, Carmen put her thoughts into words and submitted her manuscript for publishing. After collecting a large stack of rejection letters, she finally signed a book contract with HarperCollins in 1985.

Carmen thought the hard part was getting the contract and it would be easy to write a book. However, it took two more years and restructuring her book thirty-nine times before her editor said her book was ready for publication. But it was worth the time and effort once When Helping You Is Hurting Me: Escaping the Messiah Trap quickly became a bestseller, with over 100,000 copies sold the first year. To date, her first book has sold 250,000+ copies.

She went on to write 39+ books with Big 5 publishers, made the NYT Bestseller list for fifty-two weeks straight, and toured national news outlets like Oprah, USA Today, Newsweek, and dozens more. Her books have been translated into nine languages and have sold nearly two million copies worldwide.

After achieving her own dreams of success, Carmen saw other authors struggle to write and publish their books. In 1999, she introduced her own writing system to aspiring authors through workshops and seminars. With the expansion of online services, her business grew to include individual and group coaching sessions and ghostwriting services.

In 2020, Carmen launched Berry Powell Press, a hybrid publishing house that is radically author-centered. She teaches her own secrets to writing books that speak to the hearts of readers. And, because she knows first-hand what it's like to overcome obstacles and setbacks, she can guide BPP authors successfully through their own author journey.

“At the beginning, my writing was all about me. I was finding my voice, which was very therapeutic. But then I made a radical shift which I believe is why my books have been so popular.
I took the focus off of myself and wrote directly to those who struggled with the same challenges. It was then that my books resonated with my readers. Now I teach my approach through Berry Powell Press so that the books we publish can have maximum impact."