The Voice in the Room: Charles Suitt on
Ownership, Publishing, and Preserving Black
Stories

When Charles M. Suitt wanted to publish Deion Sanders, Simon & Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp asked what made Sanders different from any other great athlete. Suitt's answer was direct: "John, I've been Black for 50 years." The line was funny, but the conviction beneath it was serious.

Sanders was then coaching at Jackson State University, where Suitt saw him offering young Black athletes more than football. He saw discipline, fatherhood and mentorship. "This is not about sports," Suitt told Karp. "Deion is taking these young kids and turning them into men." Karp listened. The next day, he emailed Suitt with an offer. The book became Elevate and Dominate: 21 Ways to Win On and Off the Field, published by 13A, Suitt's Gallery Books imprint at Simon & Schuster.

The exchange captures why 13A exists. In an industry that does not always recognize the cultural meaning or commercial potential of Black stories, Suitt is often responsible for making others see both. "There is no voice in the room that looks like me, that has my sensibility, that has my pulse on the culture," he said. "Our stories need to be told."

LEARNING what books can do

Long before Suitt was putting books into the world, his parents taught him how knowledge and self-belief could shape a life. Adopted at age three, Suitt grew up on Long Island in a loving home. He knew he was different from many children around him, but his mother told him he could use being adopted as a reason to feel sorry for himself or as fuel to propel him forward. He chose fuel.

His father, whom Suitt remembers as one of the smartest people he knew, gave him another kind. A blue-collar man and voracious reader, he read everything he could find, including the medical books Suitt's mother brought home while pursuing her education. That knowledge allowed him to hold his own in conversations with her medical colleagues. "My father told me at an early age that reading allows you to escape," Suitt said. "It made him a more rounded person. That's where it started for me." Books, in his father's hands, were mobility, confidence and access. Decades later, Suitt would build a career around ensuring that Black voices entered those rooms, too.

From a&r to 13a

Suitt's path into publishing was unconventional. He entered the music business after being asked to manage the Lost Boyz. Knowing little about management, he turned to Donald Passman's All You Need to Know About the Music Business, reading it repeatedly before his first industry meeting. Years later, while negotiating Janet Jackson's book deal, he found himself on the phone with Passman, who represented Jackson.

"I probably read your book 20 times," Suitt remembers telling him.

Suitt still approaches publishing like A&R: listening for more than a good story. It must be timely, urgent, and capable of making readers care now. "Everyone has a story," he said. "I find authors that have an extremely interesting story. It's not just interesting. It's of interest and urgent." He pairs cultural instinct with data and is candid that publishing is both art and business. A reader spending nearly $30 on a book may also be weighing groceries or gas. The book, he insists, must earn that choice. That perspective has helped him recognize stories traditional gatekeepers might overlook.

Named for the 13th Amendment, 13A publishes prominent and relevant Black voices. Its list includes Stephen A. Smith, Deion Sanders, Allen Iverson, Aisha "Pinky" Cole and Wallace "Wallo267" Peeples, with books from Katt Williams, Nia Long and others forthcoming. Suitt speaks warmly about his Simon & Schuster colleagues while remaining clear-eyed about an industry that often relies on familiar formulas. "The book publishing world is extremely conservative," he said. "They've been doing it one way for over a hundred years. They stick to what works."

When Suitt brought Wallo to the company, many in the room did not understand the entrepreneur and motivational speaker's influence. Suitt did. Building on the success of Stephen A. Smith's memoir, he secured the deal. Wallo's book became a New York Times bestseller. "They were like, 'We didn't know who that was,'" Suitt recalled. "I don't take that responsibility lightly." Each success gives Suitt more leverage to champion the next voice, including writers without celebrity or massive platforms. His task is to translate cultural significance into terms decision-makers cannot dismiss. "The art is great and the story is great, but this is a business," he said.

ownership changes the conversation

Suitt's commitment to ownership was forged by losing a job at the height of his music career. After helping launch Universal Records, his contract ended during a broader executive transition. He had spent the summer working on JoJo's debut album, which went on to sell millions of copies. The company profited while Suitt sat at home without a job "I said, 'Something's wrong with that,'" he recalled.

"I had no ownership, no stake in Universal. I was an employee. And I said, 'I'm never going to let that happen again.'"

Rather than return to another label, Suitt began building businesses. One of his first calls was to Patti LaBelle. He saw not only a legendary performer, but a lifestyle authority whose cooking, taste and audience connection could support a business she owned. Together, they built a consumer-products enterprise with a major bakery presence at Walmart. Ownership also shaped 13A. Suitt did not want to lead the imprint simply as an employee. Independence gives him room to advocate forcefully and build something his children can carry forward. He does not romanticize entrepreneurship. Owners assume the risk, meet payroll first and often pay themselves last. But they retain the value they create. For Suitt, that is the difference between influence and generational wealth

BLACK BOOKSTORES AS ESSENTIAL PARTNERS

Suitt's belief in Black ownership extends to the bookstores that bring Black books directly into Black communities. He sees his work as aligned with NAB² because both are invested in getting Black stories into readers' hands and proving that Black booksellers are vital business partners, not charitable afterthoughts.

"One book-tour stop can pay for a Black bookstore's month," Suitt said. A sold-out appearance can move hundreds
or thousands of books in a day, volume a small independent store may otherwise need weeks to reach. He saw that power with Wallo's book. A Black bookseller in New Orleans organized an event, then connected the book with two local high schools. Together, the store and schools sold roughly 1,800 copies. Suitt credits that work with making the difference in Wallo reaching the New York Times bestseller list.

When he shared the results with Simon & Schuster, his message was simple: "He's important."

The success helped Suitt connect NAB² leadership with Simon & Schuster and secure Black booksellers as partners for future releases. He is realistic that Amazon and Barnes & Noble will remain central to major publishers because of their volume. But he believes the conversation is changing as Black-owned stores demonstrate their reach and expertise.

"It's proven that Black booksellers know what they're doing," he said. "I try to talk to all my authors about supporting Black bookstores, because it means something to me." The stakes are larger than sales. Technology changes and platforms disappear, but books endure.

"Somewhere, in some dust, there's going to be a book," Suitt said. "Our stories will be told."

THE LEGACY BEHIND THE WORK

For all Suitt has built, he does not begin his definition of legacy with a bestseller or business valuation. He begins with his children.

"My legacy is already defined by my children, who are better than me," he said. He speaks proudly of their character, education and the lives they are building. His oldest son has followed him into entertainment through a legal path, including an internship at Universal, the company Suitt helped launch. To Suitt, that full-circle moment shows that what he began can move through another generation. His mother taught him to turn difference into fuel. His father showed him that books could grant access to worlds beyond the one in front of him.

Music taught him to recognize what culture was ready for. Universal taught him that influence without ownership could disappear. Publishing gave him a room, and 13A gave him a voice within it. Now, through the books he chooses and the ecosystem he is helping strengthen, Suitt is making sure that voice travels beyond the room - and that the stories remain.