Why I Created Ash & Thorn Publishing Co.

There are some decisions you make quickly because you already know the answer, and then there are the ones you circle for months. You read everything you can find, compare one path against another, change your mind, change it back, and keep waiting for some magical moment when the right answer will suddenly become obvious. For me, publishing was the second kind. When I first started thinking seriously about what would happen to my books once they were finished, I did what I always do when something matters to me. I researched it to death.

I looked at traditional publishing, independent publishing, hybrid publishing, distribution, ISBNs, imprints, editing, formatting, cover design, advance review copies, retailers, libraries, bookstores, marketing, metadata, printing, returns, rights, royalties, contracts, timelines, submission windows, agents, query letters, and everything in between. The more I learned, the more I realized there was no universally correct answer. Only the answer that made the most sense for me.

Traditional publishing has value. For the right author, the right book, and the right goals, it can be an incredible path. It offers expertise, established infrastructure, industry access, distribution, and the chance to work within a system that has published books successfully for a long time. But there are trade-offs too. Timelines can be long, and authors may have less control over covers, pricing, release schedules, marketing decisions, and sometimes even the book’s direction. There is also no guarantee that getting an agent will lead to a publishing deal, or that getting a publishing deal will lead to the kind of support an author imagines when they first picture seeing their book out in the world.

Independent publishing comes with its own realities. You gain control, but you also gain responsibility, and every decision becomes yours. The cover is yours. The editor is yours. The formatting is yours. The marketing is yours. The release strategy is yours. If something goes beautifully, you own that, and if something goes sideways, you own that too. That can be intimidating, but for me, somewhere along the way, it also became exciting.

During all that research, I realized I didn’t just want to independently release a book. I wanted to build something around the books I intend to write for years to come. I wanted a publishing home, and that realization eventually became Ash & Thorn Publishing Co.

The name felt right because it reflects the kinds of stories I am drawn to telling. Beauty and danger. Strength and vulnerability. History and shadow. Love, betrayal, mystery, survival, and consequence. I wanted a name that could hold all of those things and still feel like it belonged to the stories I am building. Stories that are not meant to disappear the moment the last page is turned. Good stories leave a mark, and somewhere along the way, that became more than a tagline for me. It became the reason behind the company.

I didn’t create Ash & Thorn because I believed traditional publishing was wrong. I made it because I wanted to build a structure that gave me the freedom to make long-term decisions about my own work. I write across genres. Some of my stories are historical, some are dark fantasy, and others lean into mystery, suspense, romance, folklore, or the supernatural. They don't all fit neatly into one box, and I realized fairly early that I didn't want my future as a writer to depend on whether every new project fit neatly into someone else's list.

I wanted room to follow the story, and I wanted ownership over the way those stories reached readers. That includes everything from the cover someone sees first to the pacing of the release schedule, the editions available, the marketing, the branding, and the way each book connects to the next chapter of my writing career. None of that means this road is easier, because it is not. If anything, building your own publishing house forces you to understand how many moving parts exist behind a book before it ever lands in a reader's hands. Writing the novel is only one part of it.

There have been moments when I have stared at screens full of publishing specifications, distribution requirements, ISBN information, trim sizes, metadata fields, account setups, and things I never imagined I would need to understand when I first sat down to write a story. There have absolutely been moments when I wondered why I did not choose the simpler option. Then again, I am not sure the simpler option actually exists. Every publishing path requires patience, resilience, work, and a willingness to hear no, make mistakes, learn something new, and keep going. The difference is deciding which challenges you want to take on.

That is why I do not believe anyone should tell another writer that independent publishing is better than traditional publishing, or that traditional publishing is somehow more legitimate than publishing independently. That decision is deeply personal. Some writers want the experience of querying agents and working with an established publishing house. Some want complete creative and business control. Some want a hybrid approach. Some will publish different books in different ways throughout their careers. All of those choices can be valid.

The important part is understanding what you are choosing. Do the research. Know what you want from your writing career. Know what you are willing to give up and what you are not. Know what you want to control. Know how involved you want to be in the business side of publishing, and be realistic about the time, money, and work involved in every option. Then make the decision that fits you.

For me, that decision became Ash & Thorn Publishing Co., and now it is official. There is something strange about seeing a name that once existed only in my notes become a real company, a logo, a publishing imprint, and a name that will eventually sit on the copyright pages of books that, not very long ago, existed only inside my head. It feels a little surreal, but it also feels right.

Ash & Thorn will be home to my books going forward, starting with the stories I have already been building and the many others still waiting their turn. I know there is a lot ahead of me. There will be mistakes. There will be things I have to learn the hard way. There will probably be moments when I question every decision I have made, but that is part of building something.

There will also be the first book released under the Ash & Thorn name, the first reader who discovers one of those books, the first shelf it sits on, and the first time I see that little publishing mark printed inside something I created. Those are the moments I am building toward.

So this is not just the formation of a publishing company. For me, it is the beginning of another chapter, and I am very ready to see where it goes.

Ash & Thorn Publishing Co.
Good stories leave a mark.