Philanthropist Melinda French Gates is getting her own imprint at Flatiron Books, the publisher announced in a news release.
French Gates, the former Microsoft general manager who co-founded the powerhouse charity the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation with her then husband, will launch her imprint, Moment of Lift Books, in 2023.
The imprint is named after her book, The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World, which was published by Flatiron in 2019. A reviewer for Kirkus called the book “affecting and inspiring.”
Moment of Lift will focus on nonfiction books by authors “working across a broad range of fields to advance equity for women and girls,” Flatiron said.
The first three books to be published by the imprint will be by nonprofit CEO Jina Krause-Vilmar, Sierra Leone education minister David Moinina Sengeh, and feminist and human rights activist Joanne N. Smith.
“While we’ve made tremendous progress towards gender equality in recent decades, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately affect women’s lives and livelihoods,” French Gates said. “As the world works to advance an equitable recovery, Moment of Lift Books will publish visionaries who are helping ensure women’s voices and perspectives are not left behind. I hope their stories will inspire readers to join in the global fight for equality.”
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
