Questlove has been writing books for over a decade and has said he felt ready to start publishing meaningful stories through his publishing imprint AUWA. The first young adult novel is geared toward inspiring “Black nerds” like him.
The Rhythm of Time was released Tuesday (April 18) and has already reached the Top 5 on Amazon’s bestseller list under the “Children’s Action and Adventure Books” category.
He’s been spreading the word about the book and during a recent appearance on The View, he said he wrote the book because he never saw himself represented in the books available to him.
“I want Black nerds to see themselves as well,” he said.
Questlove recently announced the launch of his publishing imprint, AUWA Books, which is under the umbrella of the much-respected Macmillan Publishers.
“We are embarking on this new imprint with Questlove with great excitement. Questlove’s vision and many talents will add tremendously to our list,” FSG president and publisher Mitzi Angel said in a statement at the time of the imprint’s launch “and we can’t wait to publish our first book on the AUWA imprint with Questlove this fall, Sly Stone’s much-anticipated memoir, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).”
“I have been writing books for over a decade,” added Questlove in a statement, “so it seemed like a natural step to publish them too. I’m very excited about AUWA Books, from the books we have lined up to the books we haven’t discovered yet. Let’s take it to the page.”