1998 alumnus Kevin Harvey, Harvey Books
By Sage Moore
When Kevin Harvey first arrived at Florida State University in the mid-1990s for college, he did not know what he wanted to study or what career he hoped to pursue.
“I just knew I wanted to go to Florida State,” he says.
After his first year, when deciding to pick a major, his advisor pointed out that he had already taken several literature and writing courses and suggested to Harvey that he choose English.
“I did always love to read and write stories,” he says. “So, I became an English major.”
Harvey graduated from FSU in 1998 with an English degree with an emphasis in creative writing. In mid-February 2026, the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, in partnership with the FSU Alumni Association, recognized Harvey as one of four FSU English alumni to be featured on its annual Seminole 100 list.
Known for highlighting successful entrepreneurs and businesses, the Seminole 100 honored Harvey and his publishing and editing firm, Harvey Books, in the 26th position in 2026. In 2025, Harvey was in the 16th position. This tradition has been in place for nearly a decade, beginning in 2018, to celebrate innovation, growth, and the diverse career paths FSU students take after graduation.
Although English majors take up only four of the 100 spots on the list, Harvey and the other three alumni demonstrate that the humanities can thrive in the entrepreneurial world. Harvey’s path to entrepreneurship, however, did not begin with a clear plan.
Even after graduating in 1998, Harvey still was not certain what direction his career would take. After moving to North Carolina with his wife, whom he met during his first year at FSU, he began working in education at a tutoring center and considered becoming an English teacher.
His career changed direction when his wife’s company asked if he could help edit some of their materials. The small request quickly revealed a skill that would shape the next two decades of his career. “I said ‘Sure, I’d be happy to do that,’” Harvey says. “Turned out that I was really good at it, and I really enjoyed it.”
Soon after taking on that first editing job, Harvey picked up a second client. Faced with the choice between continuing his job in education or pursuing editing full time, he took a professional risk and become a freelance editor and proofreader.
For the next 17 years, Harvey worked independently, editing and proofreading books for authors and publishing companies. The steady work allowed him to build connections throughout the publishing industry while refining the skills he first developed as an English major.
About five years ago, in March 2020, Harvey expanded his workload into something more substantial. Instead of completing each project himself, he created Harvey Books, which would connect publishers with editors, proofreaders, and writers.
The firm, located in Wake Forest, North Carolina, now employs about 75 editors, proofreaders, designers, and writers who all collaborate on projects for publishing companies across the industry.
Publishers contact Harvey directly when they need editorial or design work completed, and he connects them with the right specialist on his team. The company’s client list includes HarperCollins Christian Publishing, HarperCollins Focus, Cider Mill Press, and DaySpring, among many others.
That network of connections eventually led to national recognition through the Seminole 100. When Harvey and his wife first applied for the award after their company’s third year in operation, they did not expect to be selected.
“When we got the invitation that we had made the Seminole 100, we were blown away,” Harvey says. “It was surreal that this little thing we started was going to be honored like that.”
The ninth annual Seminole 100 celebration was held Feb. 21, 2026, at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center in Tallahassee. Seeing Harvey Books ranked and mentioned alongside large and well-known companies at the event was an especially memorable moment for the couple.
“We get in that ballroom and see all these companies whose ads you see everywhere,” Harvey says. “And then there’s just us, Harvey Books. It felt like we didn’t belong there.”
That sense of disbelief aside, their company was there, and Harvey credits his English degree and the skills he developed during those years as an important foundation for his success.
Reflecting on his path, Harvey encourages current English students to think broadly about how their skills might translate into future careers.
“Whatever it is that you love—reading, writing, teaching others—there’s a business in there for you,” Harvey says. “There’s nothing like starting your own business and seeing that actually succeed.”
Sage Moore graduated from Florida State University at the end of the Spring 2026 semester with her bachelor's degree in English-Editing, Writing, and Media, and a minor in women’s studies.
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