Meet Our Founder

J. Cerrone Smith is a Philadelphia native, independent author, ghostwriter, editor, and publishing strategist with roots in Southside Chicago and Harlem, New York City. After being gainfully employed in corporate financial services for over a decade, his life suddenly shifted trajectory when he returned to the streets to secure additional income to support his young family. This decision led to unpleasant encounters with the criminal justice system in 2010. After paying his “debt to society,” J. Cerrone founded Paper-Chase Publications in 2013 and has written and published over a dozen books since the publishing company’s inception. In 2018, Mr. Smith introduced the “Do For Self” Publishing Mentorship Program which he utilizes to help guide authors from first draft to launching their own profitable publishing imprints while helping them retain full rights and royalties of their intellectual property. J. Cerrone is an avid reader of multiple genres and lists Donald Goines as one of his favorite authors.