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We are now partnering with nonprofits, learning centers, schools, businesses, and community orgs to host writing workshops and youth projects!
Lantern Literary is a literary services company providing book editing, author coaching, creative writing education, and self-publishing support for writers at every stage. We equip new and aspiring authors with the tools, guidance, and community they need to write with confidence and bring their stories into the world. At the heart of everything we do is a simple conviction: words can change the world, and the people who wield them can shape our collective story.
What We Stand For
What We Stand For
Our mission is to empower thought leaders, change-makers, and storytellers of all levels to use their unique voices and tell their truths through the written word.
Our vision it to be a trusted home for writers seeking growth, inspiration, and accountability grow into a premier source of learning and development for writers ready to make their mark on the world.
Our Values
Integrity – Say what you mean, and follow through.
Honesty – Commit to truth, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Excellence – Strive for quality and encourage the best in others.
Improvement – Learn, grow, and embrace mistakes as part of the process.
Humanity – Put people first, and support equity in all its forms.
Our History
Our History
Lantern Literary began in 2020 as a freelance editing endeavor rooted in one idea: words can change the world, and those who wield them can shape our collective story. Founder Andrae Smith set out to change the world one author at a time. After the first year, he realized the potential for broader impact if more writers could be supported at once. In 2021, the company took the name Illuminated Authors and launched its first coaching program to help thought leaders write and publish meaningful books.
Over the next two years, Andrae met countless inspiring individuals with powerful stories and a drive to make a difference. During a workshop with diverse high school students, many shared moving stories—and their frustration at the lack of opportunities to learn creative writing or make their voices heard. Their honesty affirmed two things: that every voice matters, and that Illuminated Authors, in its current form, wasn’t enough. By spring 2023, the company had evolved into Lantern Literary.
Lantern Literary grew with a renewed commitment to accessibility and empathy. Guided by the belief that “every writer can be great if given the knowledge, tools, and support,” the company diversified its approach, weaving people-first values into every aspect of its work. The goal: to help real people tell stories that might otherwise be forgotten, contributing to social dialogue and preserving powerful legacies.
Today, Lantern Literary serves writers of every kind—thought leaders, professionals, educators, community members, and creatives—living out the vision that while words change the world, those words should come from everyone.
Hey writer!
I’m Andrae, founder of Lantern Literary. To be honest, the road to this moment didn't begin with a business plan—in fact, I never saw myself running any sort of business. But let's back up a little.
Stories have been at the center of my life for as long as I can remember. As a teenager, I stayed up late with notebooks and messy drafts, chasing the dream of finishing a novel. That first attempt will never see the light of day, but it taught me something more valuable than technique: writing was how I made sense of the world.
In college at Arizona State, I studied English Literature and Technical Editing, devoured books on craft, and joined online writing forums where I found mentors—and eventually became one. I learned the discipline of feedback, the humility of revision, and the joy of helping other writers turn scattered drafts into something alive. That’s where I realized I loved helping people find their stories as much as writing my own.
Those lessons were the seeds of Lantern Literary. Before it had a name, I already knew this: writing takes courage, but it also takes community.
Since then, I’ve freelanced, worked as a developmental editor, coached first-time authors, and published my own book, Facing Racism, which became a bestseller in 2020. That experience—seeing how words can open conversations—confirmed my conviction that stories don’t just entertain us; they change us.
Today, I walk alongside writers—memoirists, thought leaders, entrepreneurs, community voices—through the messy, beautiful process of bringing a book to life. My passions lean toward memoir, self-help, spirituality, and stories rooted in justice and diversity, but what matters most is supporting anyone with a story they care about.
Outside of work, I’m a lifelong learner who loves bookstores, hikes, music, plant-based cooking, and evenings with family. I collect more books than I’ll ever finish and, yes, I’m still pretending I’ll learn the saxophone. These things keep me grounded and remind me writing is always, ultimately, about people.
Lantern Literary is, in many ways, an extension of that journey: a place where writers don’t have to go it alone, and where stories are honored not just as projects, but as pieces of a life. I’m glad you’re here—I can’t wait to see what you’re ready to create.
See ya!
Andrae Smith, Jr.
Andrae Smith, Jr.
Writer | Editor | Coach | Founder
Now that we're acquainted...
Now that we're acquainted...
We're excited to learn more about you and see how we can best support you along your journey!
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