Valerie Brandes

{{Short description|British book publisher}}

{{Sources exist|date=July 2020}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Valerie Brandes

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| birth_place = London, England

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| nationality = British

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| occupation = Publisher

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| known_for = Founder of Jacaranda Books

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}}

Valerie Brandes is a British publisher who is the founder and CEO of Jacaranda Books, a diversity-led publishing house established in 2012.{{cite web| url=https://bytethebook.com/listing/valerie-brandes-founder-publisher-jacaranda-books/ | title=Valerie Brandes – Founder and Publisher of Jacaranda Books |website=bytethebook.com |date=2021 |access-date=5 March 2021}} She was born in London, and studied American and Commonwealth Arts{{cite web| url=https://www.afronoire.com/stories/valerie-brandes-founder-and-publisher-at-jacaranda-books-noiretitude | title=Valerie Brandes, Founder and Publisher at Jacaranda Books |website=www.afronoire.com |date=8 March 2018 |access-date=5 March 2021}} before taking a master's degree in Publishing Studies. She worked for the publishing companies Barnes and Noble and Profile Books, before setting up Jacaranda Books.

Brandes was listed consecutively in the Powerlist 2018{{cite news | url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/jacarandas-brandes-one-most-influential-black-britons-660321 | title=Jacaranda founder named on 'influential black Briton' list |first=Heloise|last=Wood| newspaper=The Bookseller | date=26 October 2017 |access-date=10 March 2021}} and Powerlist 2019{{cite news | url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/brandes-honoured-influential-black-briton-second-year-882006 |newspaper=The Bookseller | title=Brandes honoured as influential black Briton for second year |first=Heloise|last=Wood|date=25 October 2018 |access-date=10 March 2021}}{{cite web | url=https://melanmag.com/2018/10/27/influential-black-britons-honoured-in-powerlist-2019/ |website=Melan Magazine | title=Who are the influential Black Britons honoured in Powerlist 2019? | date=27 October 2018 |access-date=10 March 2021}} as one of the 100 most influential black Britons. In June 2021, she was an invited speaker at the online London Book Fair.{{cite news | title=Online at the London Book Fair | newspaper=Publishers Weekly | date=4 June 2021 | url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/international/london-book-fair/article/86568-online-at-the-london-book-fair.html | access-date=6 July 2021 }}{{cite news | title=London Book Fair unveils full line-up for online edition | newspaper=The Bookseller | date=17 June 2021 |first=Mark|last=Chandler| url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/london-book-fair-unveils-full-line-online-edition-1265100 | access-date=6 July 2021 }}