About Imperative Press Books

Imperative Press Books is an independent publishing house owned and operated by Emma G. Rose, author of contemporary fantasy and mythological weirdness. Born and raised in Maine, Emma inherited an independent streak from her parents who own and work with small businesses. After getting fed-up with the traditional publishing process (so. many. queries.), Emma decided to take the knowledge she’d gained from running a content writing and marketing strategy business to create her own publishing house, and thus, Imperative Press Books was born. So far we’ve published Emma’s first four novels Nothing’s Ever Lost (2019), Near-Life Experience (2020), Assembling Ella (2021), and On the Bank of Oblivion (2022). Our anthology of work by Mainers during and about the COVID-19 crisis has made more than $2000 to benefit the United Way of Eastern Maine.

What do you publish?

We publish fiction, creative memoir, and stories that don’t fit neatly in a single genre. Our ultimate goal is to help niche voices share their story.

Okay but what does that mean?

That means if you want to write a fantasy story about two teenagers wandering through the afterlife and throw in a bunch of pop culture references, we’ll probably love it. If you have an idea for a novella about a young man who saves the kingdom by quilting, we want to read it. If you have something to say that a small group of people will be ecstatic to read, we’re here to help.

Are you taking submissions?

Yes. Please keep in mind that we are a tiny press. We have a staff of one plus two contractors. That means we can’t publish more than a couple of books a year. We vet work carefully to make sure it’s a good fit for our press. To learn more about working with us or getting help with publishing, visit our submissions details page.

Is this whole page basically just Emma writing about herself in the plural form?

You caught me.

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How can I stay up to date with what you’re publishing?

Find us on your favorite social media platform:

Facebook @imperativepress
Instagram @imperative_press
Twitter @emmagwriter

Or listen to our podcast Indie Book Talk on your favorite podcast platform.

What if I still have questions?

Contact Emma