She Writes Press is an Award-Winning Hybrid Publisher for Women Authors
As the first hybrid publisher recipient of the 2019 Independent Publisher of the Year, She Writes Press is unique in the world of publishing because we’re neither traditional publishing, nor are we self-publishing. As an independent publisher, we bill ourselves as a “third way” for authors, and we proudly occupy the gray zone, a much-needed alternative in a rapidly changing publishing landscape.
Unlike self-publishing platforms that publish whatever comes through regardless of quality, SWP is a curated press that works with authors to ensure that their books will be well-received in the marketplace. Unlike traditional publishing houses, which buy the majority stake in your book but often don’t deliver when it comes to providing the editorial and marketing help you need, SWP gives authors an experienced editorial and production team, while allowing them to retain full ownership of their project and earnings.
We have been called hybrid publishing, partnership publishing, and co-publishing, and all of these terms are representative of what we do.
Read She Writes Press and SparkPress publisher Brooke Warner’s 2023 article in Publishers Weekly about the importance of understanding a publisher’s business model and transparency.
WHY SHE WRITES PRESS?
Keep Creative Control
Authors get the best of both worlds with us: they are collaborative partners who get creative control!
Get Full Distribution
Get seamless distribution via Simon & Schuster to big retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as your local bookstore, libraries, and specialty markets.
Qualify for Reviews
Our books qualify for traditional review outlets that self-published authors are not eligible for.
Earn More Royalties
Authors invest in a publishing package while keeping up to 70% of net on their royalties.
Presell Your Book
We presell your book into national accounts and bookstores for you.
Fully Vetted Catalog
We carefully vet our books on literary merit alone for high standards.
PEOPLE ARE RAVING ABOUT SWP
She Writes Press was the first hybrid publisher recipient of the 2019 Independent Publisher of the Year. Our authors are regularly endorsed by high-profile figures, notable actors, and award-winning and best-selling authors. Our books have garnered dozens of starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, and Booklist; as well as multiple five-star reviews from Foreword Reviews, Manhattan Book Review, San Francisco Book Review, and Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews.
She Writes Press has published and helped create:
200+
best-selling authors.
Our authors have won:
2200+
medals and finalist titles.
Our authors have been endorsed by:
300+
award-winning and best-selling authors.
THE SWP STORY
She Writes Press was founded by Kamy Wicoff and Brooke Warner in 2012 as a response to the barriers to traditional publishing getting higher and higher for authors.
Kamy’s online community, She Writes, had been founded on the principle of connecting and serving women writers everywhere, offering a community for established and aspiring writers. Brooke had been the Executive Editor at Seal Press for eight years, and was witnessing firsthand the contracting publishing environment, where she personally was having to reject beautifully written books on a regular basis because the submitting author didn’t have a strong enough author platform.
Kamy and Brooke envisioned a company where authors would be invited to publish based on the merit of their writing alone. They wanted to found a press for women writers that would be a platform—that could launch their writing careers, and where they could legitimately compete with their traditional counterparts.
In 2013, She Writes Press secured traditional distribution through Ingram Publisher Services and established itself as a real player in the hybrid publishing world.
This relationship secured the right for SWP authors to submit their books for review through traditional channels, creating a more level playing field.
In 2014, She Writes Press became part of the SparkPoint Studio, LLC, family.
With a new CEO, Crystal Patriarche, at the helm, She Writes Press now has a powerful combination that no other hybrid publisher brings to the table: 1) a curated list with a strong editorial vision; 2) traditional distribution; and 3) an in-house marketing and publicity team (through SparkPoint Studio’s publicity company, BookSparks) that SWP authors can choose to utilize.
In 2016 She Writes Press wins the BISG Innovator award.
At the 2017 Book Industry Study Group Annual Industry Awards in New York, She Writes Press was the recipient of the Industry Innovator Award, which is given “to a company or individual who boldly reimagines what publishing is and can be.” This is a testament to the influence of She Writes Press and SparkPress, and how we are leveling the playing field for indie authors and hybrid publishing.
In 2018, She Writes Press and SparkPress launched the STEP contest.
In an effort to address the publishing industry’s lack of diversity, we launched the She Writes Press and SparkPress Toward Equality in Publishing (STEP) contest to offer a publishing package (plus a 500-book print run) to two authors to publish on either She Writes Press or SparkPress. Every season since fall 2019, a winner has been published on one of the imprints.
In 2019, She Writes Press was awarded Indie Publisher of the Year.
She Writes Press was awarded Indie Publisher of the Year by the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group (IBPPG) as part of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. This is the first year that a hybrid publisher has received this award.
As of 2022, She Writes Press reached another milestone, signing its 800th author, and began traditional distribution with Publishers Group West (PGW)
We are a mission-driven, female-run company with a strong vision, passion, and work ethic. Our roster of impressive, accomplished authors speaks for itself, and we’re proud of being an industry game-changer. We also went from being distributed by Ingram Publisher Services to Publishers Group West, a renowned distributor under the Ingram flagpole.