Veteran media executive Amy DuBois Barnett is officially stepping into the fiction spotlight with the release of her debut novel, If I Ruled the World, a roman à clef inspired by the high-pressure worlds of late-’90s magazines and hip-hop culture.
Per the Macmillan website, the book hits shelves January 27 via Flatiron Books and is already being positioned as one of 2026’s most anticipated releases.
Set in 1999 New York City, If I Ruled the World—a callback to Nas' best-known track—follows Nikki Rose, an ambitious editor navigating an industry that repeatedly tells her she doesn’t belong. As the only Black editor at a prestigious fashion magazine, Nikki walks away after hearing the familiar refrain that “Black girls don’t sell magazines.” She lands at Sugar, a struggling hip-hop and lifestyle publication, and is given six months to turn it around—or watch it disappear.
The novel traces Nikki’s attempt to rebuild both a magazine and her own confidence while balancing newsroom chaos, after-hours access to powerful tastemakers, and the personal cost of visibility. Her biggest threat isn’t just industry pressure, but a powerful, married ex-lover determined to block her success.
Barnett is uniquely positioned to tell this story. Over the course of her groundbreaking career, she broke barriers as editor-in-chief of Ebony, Teen People, and Honey, and served as deputy editor at Harper’s Bazaar, becoming the first Black woman to run a major mainstream magazine in the United States, per The Chicago Tribune. She later held executive roles at ESPN’s The Undefeated, TheGrio, and BET Digital.
The book’s momentum is already extending beyond publishing. According to Variety, Hulu has acquired the rights to adapt the novel into an hour-long drama series, with Lee Daniels attached to co-write the pilot alongside Barnett. The adaptation is being produced with veteran studio executive Emma Watts, and Barnett will also serve as an executive producer.