Writing

Shiraki Press Publishes Hopeful Fiction

Recently launched Shiraki Press specializes in short form adult fiction with a “hopepunk” vibe. We met the founders at the 2026 Norwescon, a Northwest science fiction and fantasy convention. Brianne Shiraki and Josh Sutphin share a background in creative work but are new to book publishing. They decided to concentrate on novellas for their first year.

With their business located in Western Washington, Shiraki’s print editions are now available at independent bookstores like We Be Book’N in Monroe. According to a recent Instagram post from the founders: “We are offering wholesale prices to local booksellers and it feels like a big step in the right direction for us. And it’s just amazing to see our books on the shelves, waiting to find the right readers.”

After a fun conversation about their upcoming books during Norwescon, we followed up with a few questions about their plans. The following interview was conducted by email. You can see all of the Shiraki Press titles and learn more about their upcoming works at https://shirakipress.com/.

What prompted you to launch an independent press in 2026?

Brianne: I firmly believe that the chaotic social climate that we’re in can only be addressed by learning to empathize and collaborate with each other. It’s so easy to feel helpless and alone in our society. But telling stories is the oldest human storytelling tradition. I can’t gather everyone I know around a fire with me, but I can publish and support the stories that make me believe in the potential of humanity again.

In an earlier conversation, you mentioned you were focusing on the novella length (around 40,000 words). Why do you think this length works well for your press?

Josh: Everyone we know says they wished they could read more, but they can’t find the time. We’re all so busy surviving late-stage capitalism… but we do reliably find a couple hours to binge-watch or doomscroll most days. We thought: what if we had more books that fit into those windows of time, without any demand for a long-term commitment? Maybe they would feel more easily accessible in these difficult times.

Brianne: As the parents of young kids, we’re time starved and we’ve really struggled to maintain our own identities some days. Access to short fiction feels more feasible as a busy adult reader. Additionally, in our first year of publication it was a practical, financial necessity for us to focus on getting stories to market quickly. 

In your first year, you announced five books. Three launched between February and May 2026 with two more coming this fall. How many books do you plan to publish each year?

Josh: Our initial goal is 5-6 titles per year, mostly novellas, though we have also taken on a couple of longer works for 2027/28 (not yet announced). We aim to keep our title count low enough that we can give each book our full attention, and the press is just the two of us for now.

Can you tell us a little about the “hopepunk vibe” in the books that you publish?

Josh: Hopepunk is the opposite of grimdark. It doesn’t mean there’s no conflict, but it does mean there’s some optimism and hope pushing back against the darkness. God knows we need some more of that in the world right now.

Brianne: For me, hopepunk is about believing that you can work together to build a community that is better for everyone. We aren’t looking for solo heroes. Hopepunk is taking action to make things better, together.

What’s the most difficult part of publishing in the first year of operation?

Josh: Unlearning bad work habits that were ingrained in us by the video games industry, like working to the point of burnout, trying to everything too big and too fast, and chasing market trends instead of listening to your creative professionals.

Brianne: Marketing. And reminding myself that it’s okay (and good) to do what I can, learn what I don’t know, and not expect myself to be an expert already.

Let’s end with the hopepunk vibe. What would you call the best part of your first year in publishing?

Josh: Making our authors happy has been a singularly wonderful experience.

Brianne: Seeing our authors support each other makes me genuinely emotional. I love meeting new people. Building a new community of authors, agents, publishers, and readers who believe things don’t have to stay the way they are and work collaboratively to that end has been a true honor.

Shiraki Press offers five titles for 2026: Accelerated Growth Environment, Wine for Roses, The Color of Time, Fruits of Our Labor, and Light & Earth & Marrow. Books are available for order or pre-order from shirakipress.com.

Book Publishers Northwest News welcomes articles about new publishing ventures in the Pacific Northwest and events of interest to indie publishers. Please use the contact form on our website: https://bookpublishersnw.com/.

Alaskan Authors Head to National Book Festival

The Alaska Center for the Book selected authors Michael Engelhard and Debbie Miller to represent the state at the 2025 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. on September 6.

Engelhard’s Arctic Traverse, A Thousand-Mile Summer of Trekking the Brooks Range was published by Seattle’s Mountaineers Books in April 2024. The author released three books last year, the memoir Arctic Traverse (Mountaineers); an essay collected What the River Knows (Hancock House); and No Walk In The Park:Seeking Thrills, Eco-Wisdom, And Legacies In The Grand Canyon under his own imprint Corax Books. For more about how this author juggled three books in one year, see our June 2024 interview with him. Photo below provided of the author at book signings for his 2024 titles:

The environmental picture book Glaciers are Alive by Debbie Miller was illustrated by Jon Van Zyle. The book introduces young readers to the wonders of glaciers and was published by Charlesbridge in May 2023.

The National Center for the Book’s 2025 Great Reads from Great Places program features books and authors representing the unique literary heritage of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Marianas.  Since 2002, each Affiliate Center for the Book has selected a book written for children or young adults that reflects local literary talent and topics. In 2022, a selection for adult readers was added to the program.

“We are thrilled to showcase these two captivating books that highlight Alaska’s amazing natural wonders at this year’s National Book Festival,” said Patience Frederiksen, president of the Alaska Center for the Book, in her announcement of the 2025 selections

Representatives from the 56 affiliates of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress will staff tables promoting their book selections and state programs at the 2025 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. on September 6. Great Reads selections will be sold at the festival and placed on the permanent list of honored titles on the Library of Congress’s Great Reads from Great Places webpage.

More information about the National Book Festival can be found at https://www.loc.gov/events/2025-national-book-festival/ (photo from 2024 festival courtesy of LOC).

Book Publishers Northwest News is an all volunteer news site for indie authors and publishers located in the Pacific Northwest. Have a story idea? Submit it via the article form on the website or email us if you are a subscriber.

Publishing Conferences and Book Fairs in 2025

Start marking the calendar with conferences and book fairs of interest to indie authors and publishers.

IBPA Publishing University: This year’s three-day conference will take place May 15–17, 2025 at the Intercontinental Saint Paul Riverfront in Saint Paul, MN. It will feature hands-on sessions, workshops, and other educational opportunities for independent, hybrid, and author publishers, as well as university and association presses. The Independent Book Publishers Association is in the process of finalizing the schedule. To find out more, check https://www.publishinguniversity.org/.

 U.S. Book Show: Formerly known as Book Expo America (BEA), this conference takes place in May 2025.  No details posted yet on the website but sign up for further information at https://usbookshow.com/.

Looking to sell books at book fairs? Connect with readers? Here’s a few ideas for the Pacific Northwest:

Get Lit! Festival, April 10-13, 2025; Spokane, Washington. The state’s “longest-running annual literary festival” (as per organizers) offers four days of readings, writing workshops, craft classes, panel discussions, literary happy hours, virtual events, and a book fair. Find more information at https://inside.ewu.edu/getlit/.

Worldcon 2025, August 13-17, 2025; Seattle, Washington. A giant international science fiction and fantasy convention that shifts cities every year, Worldcon is coming to Seattle. Applications for dealer tables and for author participation in panels are currently being accepted at https://seattlein2025.org/.

Portland Book Festival, November 8, 2025; Portland, Oregon. Run by Literary Arts, this festival offers spaces for authors to meet readers and sell books. Sign up for information at https://literary-arts.org/about/programs/portland-book-festival/.

We’ll be adding information on other book festivals and conferences as these become available. Staging an event of interest to indie authors and publishers? Send us the information at bpnwnews at aol.com.

Portland Book Festival Turns Ten

Literary Arts is celebrating a decade of producing a successful book festival in Portland, OR. This year’s Portland Book Festival, presented by Wells Fargo, returns Saturday, November 2 to ten stages at six partner venues in downtown Portland’s south Park Blocks. More than 100 authors and interviewers, drop-in writing workshops, pop-up readings, a book fair, and local food trucks return for this 10th annual celebration of books and stories.

Tickets range from $5 to $18 for a general pass. Some author readings require additional tickets. Veterans and youth passes are available for free. Some passes also include a $5 voucher for purchase of books.

Full details on guests and events can be found at https://pdxbookfest.org/.

SPECIAL READERS NIGHT

Literary Arts offers readers an exclusive peek of the Portland Book Fair on the evening of November 1 including complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Supporters get early access to the many book sellers and vendors. The Readers Night is an all ages welcome event. The event takes place from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the Portland Art Museum’s Mark Building. Tickets are $75.

More information available at: https://literary-arts.org/event/readers-night-2024/

Publicist Finds Our Region Very Book Friendly

Publicist Jenni Tyler promotes the books of Arcadia Publishing. Her “territory” is the West Coast so we took the opportunity to ask her about promoting books and authors in our region. Here’s what she had to say about her job and our friendly book scene.

How did you become a publicist?

I always knew that I wanted to work in publishing, but I initially thought I wanted to be an editor. I attended the Denver Publishing Institute at the University of Denver in 2010, and there I got to see what each role was in the book publishing process. And I just fell in love with publicity. At the time it seemed so glamorous getting to speak with the media and go to events. After DPI, I ended up moving to Charleston, South Carolina and saw that Arcadia Publishing had a job opening in their publicity and marketing department. I’ve been there ever since.

Could you tell us a little about your job for Arcadia Publishing?

Arcadia Publishing is a publisher of local history books, and as such we very much work by territory. I manage the West Coast for publicity and marketing. I reach out to and work with the media, and set up events for my authors to give their book the best coverage possible. Our books are different in terms of publicity because they are so localized – while we would love to see our books reach a national audience, the local audience is going to be our primary audience.

How many books are you currently promoting?

I’m currently working on about 25 books. We work on a rolling schedule so I always have books that have already published, are about to publish, and are pre-publication.

How would you describe the book culture of the Pacific Northwest? 

From what I can see from my vantage point, the PNW is made up of readers. Most of our books do well there. I can only speak to this from that local history perspective, but it seems like people love to learn about the history of their towns and the stories surrounding them. Maybe it’s the rainy/foggy atmosphere, it definitely makes great reading weather!

Is it easier or harder to promote a book in the PNW than other regions?

I have worked on the East coast and the Midwest to promote our books, and I would say it is definitely easier to promote in the PNW. Everyone is generally enthusiastic about seeing new books come through and there is not as much competition when it comes to booksellers. The East coast is so small and congested, it feels like there’s a bookstore on every other corner (which, as a book-lover, I fully support!) but that makes it hard to market. If a bookstore has a signing event, the other bookstores within a mile radius aren’t going to also want to host the author because it will bring in the same (but smaller) audience. Whereas in the PNW everything is a little more spread out without taking hours to get between locations.

What do you think is the best thing a publisher or author can do to get their work noticed?

Social media is key these days. Authors need to have a strong social presence to get noticed. Again, our books are very localized, so the media attention we get are also localized (think the local paper or a regional radio station) – so in order to get noticed by a broader audience you have to have a strong social media presence (both the author and the publisher).

Picture of Jenni Tyler and Arcadia Publishing book courtesy of Tyler. To find out more about Arcadia Publishing, visit their website at https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/. Please note an earlier version of this article was attacked by autocorrect and misspelled Tyler’s last name. Our sincere apologies!

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Have Fun in June at Kent Nerd Party

Local authors and indie publishers specializing in science fiction, fantasy, and horror will be partying in Kent on June 1. The Kent Nerd Party features a cosplay contest, Lego museum, indoor and outdoor vendors, and more. Small businesses on 1st Ave S and Meeker St will host local makers, artists, authors, and exhibits.  

Among the authors expected is Nathan Crowder, creator of Cobalt City (currently being published by DefCon One). Meet the creators of Offscript, a podcast where the hosts read different books that have been adapted, watch the corresponding movie, and compare the two. Participating Kent businesses include Retro Emporium featuring vintage 80s/90s collectibles and retro themed goods; Page Turner Books offering sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, movies, and more; Big Wu’s Gym hosting SeaLUG; and Sweet Themes Bakery serving sweet, nerd-themed treats!

The fun begins at 2pm on Saturday, June 1, and runs until 7pm. Vendor tables will be located inside and outside vendors on 1st Ave S between W Gowe St and E Titus St. The Kent Nerd Party takes place throughout downtown Kent at participating businesses.  

To learn more, visit www.downtownkentwa.com/event/meeker-street-nerd-party-2/.

Seattle Literary Events Calendar Launched

Seattle City of Literature started a calendar in February “to celebrate the people and organizations that make Seattle a UNESCO designated City of Literature.” Organizations are encouraged to contribute information on “all literary adjacent events open to the public — readings, workshops, open mics, comics classes, discussions, lectures, youth programs, book clubs, residency deadlines, festivals, talks, plays — anything you might dream up that’s “literary” in the loosest sense,” according to the announcement.

Seattle City of Literature aims to email a biweekly digest of all the literary events listed to their subscribers.

“The calendar will also serve as an important way to benchmark the health of our literary community and track all of the events that are happening every year,” said José L. Montero, President of the Board, Seattle City of Literature.

More information about the organization and its new calendar can be found at www.seattlecityoflit.org/community-calendar.

The UNESCO Cities of Literature network of 53 cities represents 6 continents and 39 countries, and a combined population of over 26 million. Seattle received its designation in 2017.

Map of the current Cities of Literature from the UNESCO press kit about the program.