MONDELLA JONES

ABOUT MJLA MEDIA

MJLA Media was founded in 2003 as The Mondella Jones Literary Agency. Our mission then was to help writers develop and maintain lasting careers. Along the reoad we recognized that most of our guidance focused on brand building. The forecast for the ever-changing landscape of  the publishing industry was simple: build your brand or bust. We expanded our capabilities beyond books because creativity has no boundaries and exists across all platforms. Our specialties include literary, lifestyle, entertainment, hospitality, non-profit, and academic sectors. Our background and diverse netwrok of contacts provide our clients with unique growth opportunities.

MONDELLA JONES, founder of MJLA Media

For more than a decade Mondella Jones has been an advocate for creativity.  As an editor, publicist, event producer, literary agent, and consultant for various creative projects, Ms. Jones has dedicated herself to helping creative people reach their full potential. She began her media career in 1999 at the Howard University Bookstore in Washington, DC where her responsibilities included planning, marketing, and executing all bookstore programs and events. During her first year at Howard, Ms. Jones produced more than 70 successful events for authors and dignitaries including for Tananarive Due, the late E. Lynn Harris, Hans Massaquoi, Terry Mc Millan, Nathan Mc Call, Colin Powell, Tavis Smiley, Sister Souljah, Omar Tyree and many others.

Ms. Jones later served as senior editor of the renowned magazine Black Issues Book Review, which covered books by black authors, industry trends, book clubs, self-publishing, and other related topics. As senior editor she developed content for BIBR’s website, including reviews, features, and special reports. She also supervised BIBR’s department editors and freelance reviewers, and wrote the popular “Between The Lines” column covering industry news, events, and publishing deals.

In 2003, Ms. Jones established MJLA Media (formerly The Mondela Jones Literary Agency). She has worked with many authors including Keith Boykin (Beyond the Down Low), Clay Cane (Ball-Shaped World), Donna Deloney (Journey to Jordan), Lisa Druxman (Stroller Strides), Faith Evans (Keep the Faith), and Sibylla Nash (DreamCity and Baby Modeling and Beyond), and Imani Powell (The Young and the Stressless). Ms. Jones has appeared as a panelist/presenter for the Baltimore Book Festival, Black Writer’s Reunion & Conference, Capitol BookFest, Frederick Douglass Creative Arts Center, Harlem Book Fair, Nassau Community College, Queens Public Library, and the University of Maryland, College Park. She provided marketing, public relations, and consultant services to the City University of New York, DC Public Library, The New York Historical Society, Pentouch, Smithsonian Institute,  Cline, Davis & Mann, and The Village Nation to name a few. Her writing has appeared in ESSENCE, Written, and Mosaic magazines. In 2004, she was profiled in USA Today Weekend Magazine (along with her mentor, pioneering literary agent Marie Dutton Brown). Also, she is featured on page 46 of the book Seven Soulful Secrets: For Finding Your Purpose and Minding Your Mission by Stephanie Stokes Oliver (Doubleday), Ms. Jones is a Los Angeles native and alumnus of the University of Southern California. She also received a publishing certificate from the Stanford University Publishing Program.