LaNette Kincaide ’09 struggled to find someone to help her reach one of her biggest goals — publishing her first book. Hours of research, writing and talking to several publishers left her feeling like there wasn’t enough information out there for people who were looking to self-publish books. And after publishing her fourth book, she became determined to help other writers, which led her to open her own writing coach business, I Write Writing Academy, LLC., in 2020.

“What I realized when I started it was it was a lot of information out there, but it was very confusing. If you didn't read all the way to the fine print, there wasn't a way that you would publish a successful book,” she said. “I wanted to be the one that taught people.” 

As a writing consultant, Kincaide offers consulting calls, checklists, a 12-week publishing class, one-on-one training and a writing conference for people looking to become published authors. 

“It’s a lot of work,” she said. “But I'm passionate about it because I feel like everyone has a story.”  

It was wanting to tell her own story that made her want to publish her first book, “Words of Inspiration: 100 Days of Words.” Her experience of being a caregiver her entire life played a huge role into the woman she’s become. Her mother had bipolar disorder, which affected her ability to attend class at Texas Wesleyan University. The book became a best seller on Amazon. 

“I wanted to share how I was being a caregiver and trying to go to school and better my life — how I had to make a sacrifice,” she said.  

Kincaide laughed as she mentioned the obstacles she faced when putting together the book, like using free Amazon book covers and forgetting to number the pages. But her hard work paid off — becoming the first person in her family to write a book. 

“I felt like I had broken barriers because I was the first one in my family to publish a book,” she said. “And I just felt like maybe I was breaking generational curses. Now my children and children’s children will know that it's a possibility to not only read books but be a part of and make history.”  

Kincaide is now the author of seven books, and another one of her books “Women Are Roses” — a co-authored anthology book — became a top seller on Amazon in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. She’s also been featured on Fox News, CBS and NBC, as well as in many magazines. 

But Kincaide didn’t start her entrepreneurial spirit with writing. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Texas Wesleyan, she ran her own costume jewelry business and eventually also sold purses and outfits.  

“I’ve always been an entrepreneur,” she said. “One thing that let me know that I could be an entrepreneur and be lucrative was the information I was passing out. I started seeing the need of my community." 

Her entrepreneurial spirit is still flying high as she’s finishing up a 14-week business bootcamp in Colorado, where she now lives. She also received a Women’s Entrepreneurship Certificate from Cornell University in early 2023.  

“The whole class has blown my mind,” she said when she explained her time getting the Women’s Entrepreneurship Certificate. “It’s been a big learning process for me to be honest.”  

Kincaide feels very proud of her journey, noting that she was the first one in her family to graduate from college.  

“Graduating college was something, like writing [my first] book, that I had to do to break generational curses,” she said. “It was a really big deal.”  

She transferred to Texas Wesleyan in 2008 after having taken several courses at Tarrant County College and said it pushed her to get out of her comfort zone. She met several professors who were able to help her accomplish her goal of getting a bachelor’s degree, even allowing her to bring her 5-year-old to class.  

“It really felt like another family — it was small, it was intimate,” she said. “I was welcomed in and felt like [the professors] understood my journey. I absolutely loved it.” 

Kincaide hopes that her story will inspire others that are going through their own journeys to become educated, tell their stories and accomplish their dreams.  

“My goal is just always in life, in general, is just to be the example,” she said. “I've had it rough but look at me — if I can do it, anybody can do it.”  

You can learn more about LaNette Kincaide by visiting her website. 

Photo courtesy of Portraits for Patriots.