Nichole Hansen is the CEO of Handersen Publishing LLC, a family-owned independent press focused on creating engaging books for young readers. The company started in 2016 in Lincoln with five books and a literary magazine. Three years later, the company has more than 40 children’s books published and distributed internationally. Handersen Publishing’s catalog includes picture, early reader, middle grade and young adult books. They are available in bookstores and libraries around the world, from Cambridge, England and Carmel, Indiana to Christchurch, New Zealand.
In September 2019, the Lincoln Journal Star newspaper presented Nichole with the “Inspire Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship” for her entrepreneurship, leadership and service to the community. The award was presented at the Inspire Awards Luncheon attended by more than 800 people.  
Hansen manages the business, marketing, design and financial side of Handersen Publishing. She works with authors and illustrators on four continents. Handersen Publishing books have won eight national awards to date and been featured in national and international media, such as Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Story Monsters Ink, NET Radio, The Lincoln Journal Star and The Bellevue Record.
Hansen is also a poet and the author of seven children’s books including the award-winning non-fiction book The Thumb Book of Kindness. Her poetry collection When I Was a Grownup is used by educators across the country.
Hansen presents poetry, theater and literacy workshops at libraries, schools, YMCAs, after-school clubs, community learning centers, museums and arts festivals across the Midwest. Active in her community, she has partnered with local nonprofits such as the Lincoln Housing Authority’s “Reading Matters” program (getting age-appropriate books to children whose families reside in low-income housing) and the Lincoln Arts Council’s UpstArt program for Title I schools in Lincoln, Neb.
To serve both a global audience, Handersen Publishing translates its most popular books into many languages including Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Chinese.
Hansen is also an active parent to two young children. She and her husband Tevin Hansen have made their family life and their children part of the Handersen Publishing business – even incorporating their children's handprints in the company logo.