About Us
BelleBooks, Inc. was founded in 1999 with a focus on Southern fiction and has since broadened its offerings with the addition of a second imprint—Bell Bridge Books—in 2008. In 2013, an acquisition added a third imprint—ImaJinn Books. Currently the company publishes approximately 70-80 original titles per year (print and eBook simultaneously) in a variety of genres, which include: mystery/suspense, fantasy, science fiction, young adult, romance, general fiction, women's fiction, and more.
Bell Bridge Books is known for nurturing emerging fiction voices as well as being the "second home” for many established authors, who continue to publish with major publishing conglomerates.
Our subrights sales for our titles include foreign rights, large print, mass market paperback, audio, and film options.
In 2009 BelleBooks Audio began producing audio downloads of selected titles, and in 2011 the audio division began acquiring re-issues of audio projects from major houses, including Golden Girls' star Rue McClanahan's narration of Augusta Trobaugh's beloved southern novel, SOPHIE AND THE RISING SUN. In 2016, the film, of the same name, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Established authors who have published with BelleBooks and Bell Bridge:
Sharon Sala, Anne Bishop, Sabrina Jeffries, Barbara Keiler, Virginia Brown, Alicia Rasley, Elizabeth Sinclair, Deborah Smith, Jill Barnett, Jill Marie Landis, Vicki Hinze, Cheryl Reavis, Eve Gaddy, Trish Jensen, Jean Brashear, Sandra Hill, Anne Stuart, Diana Pharaoh Francis, Justine Davis, and others.
Some fresh faces launched by BelleBooks and Bell Bridge Books:
Kalayna Price, Parker Blue, Gayle Trent, Kathryn Magendie, Anthony Francis, and more.
Projects of Note:
GONE: A PHOTOGRAPHIC PLEA FOR PRESERVATION, Nell Dickerson's acclaimed hardcover photo-essay book, featuring a short story by Shelby Foote.
#1 Kindle Bestsellers (Full Paid List)
A LITTLE DEATH IN DIXIE, Lisa Turner
CROSSROADS CAFE, Deborah Smith
DEADLY RECALL, Donnell Ann Bell
More than two-dozen Bell Bridge titles have become ebook bestsellers, earning top spots on the Kindle lists and elsewhere.
Award Winners
Our books are frequently recognized, but here are a few...
WHAT THE HEART WANTS, Deborah Grace Staley – Holt Medallion
FROST MOON, Anthony Francis – EPIC Award
ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF FREE, Jessica McCann – Freedom In Fiction Prize
A GENTLE RAIN, Deborah Smith – Finalist RITA Awards
HER BEST CATCH, Lindi Peterson - Holt Merit Award
Who We Are
In the fall of 1999, a group of seven veteran, Southern authors–having published more than one hundred novels of their own with some of the biggest publishing houses in the country–decided to start their own small press, showcasing the rich storytelling traditions of Southern writers.
BelleBooks was created by founding partners Debra Dixon, Deborah Smith, Sandra Chastain, Virginia Ellis, Nancy Knight, and Donna Ball.
Current board members are Dixon, Smith, and Martha Shields Crockett, an author and graphic designer who joined BelleBooks in 2004.
Debra Dixon, President/C.E.O., is a former V.P. of Romance Writers of America, a former business consultant, multi-published author, and a nationally known writing guru, whose how-to book, GMC: GOAL, MOTIVATION AND CONFLICT, has become a staple of writing workshops.
Deborah Smith, Vice President, is the New York Times bestselling author of A PLACE TO CALL HOME and of more than 30 other novels and anthologies. She is a former president of Georgia Romance Writers and has served on the board of Novelists, Inc.
Other key members of the BelleBooks' staff:
Operations Manager— Pamela Ireland