A few months ago, I made a huge decision. I opened my own publishing company.

It wasn’t something I did on a whim. It wasn’t because I had a bunch of money lying around or because I thought, “You know what sounds relaxing? Starting a business in the middle of trying to launch multiple books.” No. It came from a place of deep frustration and, honestly, exhaustion.

Like many writers, I tried for years to break into the traditional publishing world. I queried agents. I did the research. I followed the formatting rules. I waited months for responses that never came. And when I did get replies, they were often vague, impersonal form letters. “This isn’t the right fit.” “Loved the concept but didn’t connect with the voice.” Or worse: silence.

Getting ghosted by agents became part of my writing routine. You write a query. You hope. You wait. You refresh your inbox. You wait some more. And then—nothing. It’s like shouting into a void and being told that if you just shout louder or better, maybe this time someone will care.

I started to realize something: I wasn’t just getting rejected. I was being excluded from an outdated system designed to keep the door closed for most. Traditional publishing is filled with invisible gatekeeping. It prioritizes the same voices, the same narratives, the same “marketable” trends (especially, nowadays, those with 50k followers on social media or more). And if you don’t fit neatly into a box—especially if you’re queer, trans, neurodivergent, disabled, or telling stories that don’t follow a commercially predictable path—you can do everything “right” and still be left out.

So I got fed up. Not with writing, not with storytelling, but with the hoops I was expected to jump through just to be taken seriously.

That’s when I decided to stop waiting for permission and start building my own space. I launched my own publishing company.

It felt radical and terrifying at the same time. Suddenly, I was responsible not just for my own work, but for defining a mission, setting up a brand, building infrastructure, and deciding what kind of stories I wanted to put into the world. But more than anything, it felt liberating.

I started this company because I believe in stories that challenge the status quo. I believe in giving authors power over their own work. I believe that publishing doesn’t have to be a gate-locked castle. It can be a wide open door.

My company is built on a simple idea: publishing for rebels. For storytellers who don’t need to ask for permission to write what matters. For creators who are tired of waiting and ready to take control.

Self-publishing showed me that I could make high-quality books on my own. But starting a publishing company means I can help others do the same. It means creating a space where marginalized authors don’t have to code-switch to be heard. Where weird stories, quiet stories, and loud, unapologetic stories can live. Where indie doesn’t mean inferior.

Don’t get me wrong… this road is hard. Starting a press means wearing a hundred hats, balancing creativity with logistics, and learning things like copyright law and book distribution when all you really want to do is write. But every day I wake up excited to do it because I know somebody out there needs it.

So if you’re out there feeling the same frustration, if you’re tired of being ghosted, tired of feeling like your work is never quite “enough” for the gatekeepers, I want you to know there’s another path. It’s not easy. But it’s yours.

We don’t have to wait for someone to tell us we’re allowed to succeed.
We can open the door ourselves.

And maybe, just maybe, hold it open for others too.

If you’re interested in jumping aboard the Liminal House Press ship, I’d be thrilled to have you. Click here to be taken to my brand new press’s website.