Veteran Black Journalist’s New Novel Explores Love, Hip-Hop and Magazines in the 1990s

With more than two decades of experience in journalism, including editor-in-chief positions at Honey Magazine, Teen People and Ebony, Amy DuBois Barnett has unique insight into the world of journalism and the challenges Black women face as they navigate it. Now, she’s poured all of that experience into a juicy new novel set to hit shelves next week.

Set in New York City in the late 1990s, “If I Ruled The World” (Flatiron Books, Jan. 27, 2026) follows Nikki Rose, the only Black editor at a well-known fashion magazine. After being told too many times that “Black girls don’t sell magazines,” Rose decides to step out on faith and take a position running Sugar, a struggling hip-hop music and lifestyle magazine.

With just months to turn the magazine around, Rose throws herself into her job and the fast-paced music industry, making tons of mistakes along the way. With the help of her friends, she tries to overcome her personal and professional obstacles and find success in love and life.

The Root caught up with Barnett to discuss her debut novel and why the story, which takes place over 30 years ago, is so relevant today.

Barnett says that while “If I Ruled The World” is a work of fiction, the storyline is inspired by her own experience in journalism in the late 1990s and early 2000s, during what many people believe was a golden age of hip-hop.

The story has been living in her head for more than 15 years, but as things like Netflix’s Diddy doc “The Reckoning” have put a spotlight on some of the darker aspects of the music industry, Barnett says it became urgent that she tell this story and that her protagonist’s journey was a reflection of the times – both good and bad.

“It is really a behind-the-scenes picture of what New York City was like at one of the most important cultural moments of our lives. I think that we’re seeing a lot of information about what that era was like, as so many women come forth and talk about their experiences in the music industry,” she said. “There were themes that were more urgent than ever, about misogyny in the music industry, about racism in the publishing industry, about the challenges of being an ambitious Black woman, and what it’s like to find your voice.”

Barnett said she wants readers to root for Nikki Rose by the end of the book and see her as a character who is flawed but relatable.

“I really wanted to write about this character who is messy, who is making mistakes, but is driven by purpose,” she said. “I wanted the reader to follow her along this journey and see her as somebody who’s relatable but who’s also ambitious, smart, good at her job – and wants to find love and have good relationships.”

She added that she hopes her novel will give readers a picture of what was sexy, glamorous and fun about music and magazines at the time, as well as the danger that lurked beneath the surface.

“‘If I Ruled The World’ is a love letter to New York City. It’s a love letter to hip-hop. It’s a love letter to magazines, and it’s a love letter to all of the women who have survived the rampant misogyny and sexual violence and come out on the other side with their souls intact,” she said.

You can check here for a schedule of Amy DuBois Barnett’s book tour stops.