On September 26, 2026, viral sensation Quan Millz officially signed with Verve Talent & Literary Agency. Millz built a multimillion-dollar literary empire through his millions of TikTok fans, operating entirely outside the traditional corporate publishing pipeline. The deal represents another success in the rise of self-publishing and Hollywood's continued move to bypass Big Five publishers to acquire digital-first intellectual property for screen adaptations.
In 2017, Colby Durden was let go from his proposal writing job at a Chicago law firm. Durden was burned out by corporate life and in urgent need of income. A few years earlier, a friend had suggested he try writing for passive income, and he used a pen name to write generic romance novels with little success. Now unemployed and writing under his new pen name Quan Millz, he began experimenting with highly provocative “on-the-nose” titles designed to stand out in social media feeds.
Millz published his first book, Ran Off on the Plug Twice, in March of 2017 and began pushing toward more controversial titles with his second book, My Bad White Bitch, which featured a pre-made cover. NPR reported that Millz brought in roughly $10,000 in just two months, convincing him to lean fully into the niche. With the help of the occasional ghostwriter, he has since sold around 150,000 units and published just over 70 titles in about nine years. Millz told NPR, "I decided to try to experiment with different titles that were like very on the nose, very controversial, salacious that I just knew would just grab people’s attention. And it worked.”
Millz writes in the Urban Fiction genre, also known as Street Lit, whose predecessors include Iceberg Slim and Donald Goines, both foundational figures who established a literary market for stories about Black urban life. Millz's titles unapologetically embrace slapstick, dark comedy, and hyper-exaggerated urban melodrama as social satire.
Millz uses platforms like Amazon and Audible to publish digital e-books and print-on-demand copies and uses social media platforms to market his titles, where he’s built a massive following through meme content and live readings. Millz currently sits at 1.2 million followers and 38.1 million likes on TikTok. Amazon’s self-publishing tools removed the printing and distribution costs, and TikTok removed the marketing budget, and Millz is able to keep a much larger share of his sales revenue.
While critics and social-media users have frequently debated his style, Millz has been candid about running a high-output independent business and supplying what his audience demands.
Now, what does the Verve deal mean for the independent publishing industry?
A traditional publishing house's investment in an author through editing, marketing, and distribution has historically signaled market viability to film and television studios. Studio executives consequently rely on traditional publishers to validate an author before buying adaptation rights.
By signing Millz under packaging agents Isaiah Williams and Emma Kapson, Verve is positioning itself to bring his voice directly to streaming networks and theaters, and Millz has already taken to social media to announce his plans to adapt his works for the big screen.
Traditional publishing still offers editing, distribution, and legitimacy many writers want, but the Millz deal is one of many ways we’re seeing audiences vet market viability in real time through views and shares, and agencies like Verve are following.
3 Salacious Quan Millz Titles
This Hoe Got Roaches In Her Crib
Neglected six-year-old Myyah suffers severe abuse from her mother, Fredquisha, in a filth-ridden apartment. When Myyah temporarily stays with her incarcerated father's mother, Mrs. Watkins, a bitter custody battle begins.
Mrs. Watkins fights to protect the child from the unsafe home as the broken welfare system fails to intervene, and tragedy strikes when the system's neglect leads to a devastating outcome for Myyah.
Pastors Eat Pwussy Too
Chicago hustler Nashawna "NuNu" Spearman takes a plea deal to avoid prison time after a failed money-making scheme, requiring community service at a local church where she meets Pastor Wilson, a flashy, prominent South Side minister running a high-profile mayoral campaign.
Sensing an opportunity, NuNu resumes her scheming ways and blackmails the pastor with a sex tape. The pair's toxic dynamic unravels into an FBI investigation, a secret pregnancy, and a mind-blowing family twist.
Old THOT Next Door
Vernita Ernestine Washington is a feisty 76-year-old retired Illinois DMV worker and Chicago widow who decides to make up for a stale marriage by dating young felons. After a major health scare forces her to confront her own mortality, she resolves to live out her final days as an unapologetic super freak.
Her wild urban escapades quickly spiral out of control as she navigates dangerous relationships with men decades younger.
Featured image: Jessica Ruscello / Unsplash
