Editor’s Letter: Introducing Michelle Kenneth Media

For some time, I have been quietly thinking about what comes next.

Perfectionist Wannabe (“PW”) has changed considerably since I first created it. What began as a personal space on the internet has grown into something I approach very differently today: as an editor, a writer, a photographer, and, increasingly, a publisher.

The work has changed. The relationships have changed. My ambitions for what I want to create have changed.

So it was time for the structure behind it to change, too.

I am pleased to introduce Michelle Kenneth Media, an independent media company created to develop, publish, and support the stories and creative work I want to put into the world.

Its mission is simple:

Create Meaningful Stories from the Soul.

What Happens to Perfectionist Wannabe?

Perfectionist Wannabe isn’t going anywhere.

In fact, quite the opposite.

PW becomes an editorial publication under Michelle Kenneth Media and remains the home for the books, culture, fashion, travel, food, photography and other stories that have defined it—and the more ambitious editorial work that is now being developed for its future.

The change is less about replacing PW than recognizing what it has become.

I’ve spent the last several years reconsidering what I want this publication to be. I am less interested in producing content simply because the internet demands more content. I want to make things worth reading, photographing, collecting, and returning to.

That means fewer assumptions about what PW should cover and considerably more intention about what deserves to become part of its archive.

From Influencer to Editor

There is another change that comes with this.

I have officially sunset my previous status as a book influencer.

I remain enormously interested in books and publishing. Books will continue to be an important part of PW. But the relationship is changing.

PW’s coverage will increasingly be approached as editorial placement rather than influencer coverage.

Publishers are welcome to contact PW regarding titles they would like considered for placement. Several publishing houses and imprints have already begun doing so, and I am grateful for their early support of this next phase.

A request for placement does not guarantee coverage. Editorial decisions will remain independent and will be based upon what makes sense for PW, its readers, and the larger body of work being created.

Likewise, previous relationships with authors or publishers should not be interpreted as guaranteed future coverage.

That boundary is important to what I am building.

Why Michelle Kenneth Media?

Because PW is only one part of what I want to create.

My work increasingly moves between publishing, photography, fiction, visual storytelling, and other forms of creative work. Rather than forcing everything into Perfectionist Wannabe, Michelle Kenneth Media gives those ideas somewhere to grow independently while still belonging to the same larger creative house.

Some of those projects are already taking shape.

Others will take years.

I’m okay with that.

I don’t want to build for the sake of appearing busy. I want to build deliberately.

MKM gives me the room to do that.

What Comes Next

For PW readers, much of what you see immediately will remain familiar. The publication will continue to evolve editorially, with greater emphasis on original features, thoughtful curation, photography, and stories that deserve more than a fleeting moment online.

Behind the scenes, Michelle Kenneth Media will provide the home from which that work—and future projects beyond PW—can grow.

There will be more to share as those pieces are ready.

For now, this is simply the beginning.

After years of creating under the Perfectionist Wannabe name, I am incredibly excited to finally build the larger home I’ve imagined for the work.

Welcome to Michelle Kenneth Media.

Create Meaningful Stories from the Soul.

— Michelle Kenneth
Founder & Editorial Director