The idea for this company did not come out of thin air as some ideas do.
The idea for this company was founded in the depths of the query trenches alongside other women fighting for their voice to be heard.
It came from being avid readers desperately searching for our next favorite book.
Remember the first stories you heard as a child?
The princess in her tower waiting for her prince?
The damsel in distress saved in the nick of time?
We loved those stories too, but as we grew older we discovered the empowering feeling of a woman saving herself. We started to find ourselves growing more fond of a woman who could wield her own sword and sleigh her own dragons (even if those dragons were metaphorical).
As authors ourselves, we had a specific interest in why it was so hard to find women written well in traditionally published books. So we started digging.
While the book industry is starting to become populated by more women than men, men still hold executive positions.
In fact, the Lee and Low Baseline Diversity Survey, says "males still ascend to positions of power more easily" even in the female dominated workforce.
To go beyond that, the majority of the workforce is cis, white, and straight. Meaning that as readers, were only getting the work that those demographics see as publishable.
Gatekeepers and socioeconomic status are keeping women all over the world from telling the stories of their heart. It limits our view of what a woman in fiction can be and stifles our ability to experience other cultures and lifestyles through fiction.
Enter Sword and Silk:
As a publishing company, we have the ability to change that.
To give a voice to women who are struggling to get their stories told.
To help reshape how the publishing industry looks at the demographic that provides most of their sales.
To help bring about a revolution of what it means to be a female in the industry.
We have a chance to bring beautiful books full of badass women to the forefront. To promote and support both our authors and our readers.
And while we do it, we might as well have some fun.
Which is why not only will S&S books have amazing covers and breathtaking content, readers will also have a chance to connect with the author and purchase book boxes and other swag to ensure they are receiving the full experience possible.
Sword and Silk will officially launch April 16th, 2020 - meaning we will open for submissions at that time and begin the publishing process of our first round of books.
Until that date, we are running a Kickstarter campaign to increase our reach and our capabilities. Kickstarter has recently named us a "Project We Love" and were already getting backers.
From signed swag to a Backer Only Book Box (for EVERY book published in the first year), check out the amazing rewards you can get for being a backer by heading over here.