Awards
- Winner of Oregon Literary Fellowship for Publishing 2014 (United States)
- Winner of Oregon Literary Fellowship for Publishing 2021 (United States)
- Winner of Regional Arts and Culture Council Grant 2023 (United States)
- Winner of Scholarship to Yale Publishing Course 2018 (United States)
Overview
If you want to get your manuscript published, read this book. There's no secret handshake or golden key in these pages, but Imagine a Door offers a more equitable and empowering prize: information delivered with gentleness. Author and publisher Laura Stanfill started working on this project in 2016, ultimately interviewing more than seventy-five authors and industry experts, including Wendy Chin-Tanner, Tove Danovich, Omar El Akkad, Erin Harris, Ari Honarvar, Juhea Kim, Dan Lazar, Fonda Lee, Emme Lund, Daniel A. Olivas, Rosanne Parry, Keith Rosson, Amy Stewart, Sonja Thomas, Addie Tsai, and Lidia Yuknavitch. Is a writing routine worthwhile? How do you pinpoint the why behind your storytelling? What exactly is distribution? Can we reframe success in a less capitalistic way than defining it by sales numbers? While prioritizing genuine community over platform building, Imagine a Door intersperses case studies, sidebars, and checklists with personal stories about writing, revising, and the emotional complexities of sending your work into the world. Foreword by Beth Kephart, author of Handling the Truth.
Full Product Details
Author: Laura Stanfill
Publisher: Forest Avenue Press
Imprint: Forest Avenue Press
ISBN: 9781942436652
ISBN 10: 1942436653
Pages: 518
Publication Date: 15 May 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Not yet available
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.
Reviews
Foreword by Beth Kephart, author of Handling the Truth A Powell's Books best-seller and staff pick Featured New Release, Annie Bloom's Books ""Radical empathy runs throughout, making Imagine a Door a likely mainstay on writer’s shelves throughout the whole of their careers—a supportive reference to return to again and again."" —Foreword Reviews ""Reading Imagine a Door is like taking a course in book publishing with field trips into the writing process and a writing life itself. Author Laura Stanfill is our warm and generous teacher and guide who answers our questions with knowledgeable insight, real-life examples, and sincere caring about the art and the artist."" —Judy Reeves, author of A Writer’s Book of Days ""This book contains vital information, especially if you are anxious about putting your work into the world. Imagine a Door is a guide, a balm, and a blessing."" —Mo Daviau, author of Every Anxious Wave and Epic and Lovely ""The new essential guide for writers."" —Kevin Sampsell, bookseller at Powell's Books ""A treasure trove for writers."" —Nancy Townsley, author of Sunshine Girl ""This is a generous guide that aims to help writers unlock the story they were meant to tell."" —The Bookmonger, Discover Our Coast ""Full disclosure, Laura is a friend. But I can honestly say if you are looking for the insider's guide to publishing, this is it."" —Lori Tobias, author of Storm Beat and Wander ""Offers readers a gentle method for setting realistic and sustainable goals."" —Christina Vega, publisher at Blue Cactus Press and author of Decay, Vega, and Maps ""Stanfill holds tremendous wisdom and empathy."" —Joe Biel, author of A People's Guide to Publishing ""Authentic, honest, vulnerable, and encouraging."" —Michael Gettel-Gilmartin, Project Mayhem ""With the wisdom and thoughtfulness gained from her experience as an author and publisher, Laura Stanfill provides answers that writers haven’t even thought to ask. As a bookseller I am so happy to confidently offer this book to writers seeking practical, honest guidance as they pursue their goals."" —Cheryl McKeon, bookseller, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza
"""Laura Stanfill does what the best, most inspirational publishers do: she identifies gaps on the shelf and fills them with things that are inspiring and make so much sense that they are obvious in hindsight. Stanfill holds tremendous wisdom and empathy, holding our hands and delivering each author to locate a door that nobody ever noticed. She helps everyone to feel seen."" --Joe Biel, author of A People's Guide to Publishing Praise for Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary ""Lyrical."" --Shelf Awareness ""Delicately gilded writing."" --Publishers Weekly ""Enchanting."" --The Oregonian ""A charming debut."" --Buzzfeed ""Enrapturing."" --Foreword Reviews ""Reads like a fairytale.""--Oenobooks ""Utterly beguiling."" --Cleaver Magazine ""Highly recommended."" --Independent Book Review ""A fine and fun listen."" --Audiofile ""Captivating and memorable.""--Small Press Picks"
""Laura Stanfill does what the best, most inspirational publishers do: she identifies gaps on the shelf and fills them with things that are inspiring and make so much sense that they are obvious in hindsight. Stanfill holds tremendous wisdom and empathy, holding our hands and delivering each author to locate a door that nobody ever noticed. She helps everyone to feel seen."" --Joe Biel, author of A People's Guide to Publishing Praise for Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary ""Lyrical."" --Shelf Awareness ""Delicately gilded writing."" --Publishers Weekly ""Enchanting."" --The Oregonian ""A charming debut."" --Buzzfeed ""Enrapturing."" --Foreword Reviews ""Reads like a fairytale.""--Oenobooks ""Utterly beguiling."" --Cleaver Magazine ""Highly recommended."" --Independent Book Review ""A fine and fun listen."" --Audiofile ""Captivating and memorable.""--Small Press Picks
""Imagine a Door is the book I needed when I first embarked on my publishing path as a writer. Part mental health book, part publishing industry primer, Imagine a Door offers readers a gentle method for setting realistic and sustainable goals for their writing practice and publishing endeavors. In these pages, Stanfill re-establishes the writer and their unique wants, needs, and aspirations as the center of the publishing journey. Imagine a Door is a toolkit, a lifeline, for writers treading water in the vast ocean of the publishing industry landscape."" --Christina Vega, publisher at Blue Cactus Press and author of Decay, Vega, and Maps ""Laura Stanfill does what the best, most inspirational publishers do: she identifies gaps on the shelf and fills them with things that are inspiring and make so much sense that they are obvious in hindsight. Stanfill holds tremendous wisdom and empathy, holding our hands and delivering each author to locate a door that nobody ever noticed. She helps everyone to feel seen."" --Joe Biel, author of A People's Guide to Publishing Praise for Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary ""Lyrical."" --Shelf Awareness ""Delicately gilded writing."" --Publishers Weekly ""Enchanting."" --The Oregonian ""A charming debut."" --Buzzfeed ""Enrapturing."" --Foreword Reviews ""Reads like a fairytale.""--Oenobooks ""Utterly beguiling."" --Cleaver Magazine ""Highly recommended."" --Independent Book Review ""A fine and fun listen."" --Audiofile ""Captivating and memorable.""--Small Press Picks
Author Information
LAURA STANFILL is the award-winning publisher of Forest Avenue Press and the author of the historical novel Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary. She's a graduate of Vassar College and the Yale Publishing Course, which she attended thanks to a scholarship from the Independent Book Publishers Association. She lives in Portland, Oregon, where she wishes on bookstores like stars and wears a sparkly top hat while walking her dog.
