Our Mission
Wildling Press is committed to breaking down barriers to publishing for those traditionally marginalized by the publishing industry.
What We Do
Through our traditional publishing work, we're looking to publish books by, about, or for people of color, the LGBTQIA+ community, non-binary folks, women, those living with disabilities, and others who fit within our mission. We also offer transparent educational resources about the publishing industry, to better empower authors to share their stories with the world.
Additionally, we offer our industry expertise through an assortment of book services such as editing, design, marketing, and more.
Additionally, we offer our industry expertise through an assortment of book services such as editing, design, marketing, and more.
How We Operate
Wildling is sustainability-driven. Our point, our purpose, is to sustain the work we do to traditionally publish stories that meet our mission at no cost to those authors. But it takes a lot of time, money, and other resources to do all that work, so we also offer fee-based book and author services. The money we make from those services is funneled back into paying for everything it takes to acquire, edit, design, produce, print, and market our authors' books, to support our authors throughout the process, and to provide transparency and educational resources about publishing to all authors.
Wildling Press is a proud member of the Independent Book Publishers Association and holds to its strict standards of high quality independent book publishing through transparent, author-focused business practices.
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Mary-Peyton Crookpublicist, public relations director, editorMary-Peyton has been editing and marketing in the publishing industry for over ten years. She has degrees in English and Psychology, so it makes sense that she's now a book publicity professional, a job that requires extreme interest in the complexities of language and the human brain. She loves working with authors to make sure they get the book (and attention for that book) they want.
When she’s not at Wildling, she’s taking in life’s greatest pleasures: an afternoon reading by the river, a soft matte cover on a thick trade paperback, the overwhelming sense of gratitude she feels for the people in her life, slices of a perfectly ripened summer tomato, and RVA's stellar selection of indie bookstores. favorite genres: middle-grade, magical realism, family stories, fantasy, business, psychology, self-help, advocacy, sci-fi, short stories, and any books that can surprise her, even after all these years of reading |
Grace Ballco-founder, operations manager, editorGrace was born in Roanoke, Virginia, and has spent the last several years living in Richmond. She received a degree in English literature from the University of Virginia and began working in independent publishing in 2015. At Wildling, Grace chats with authors, edits manuscripts, and generally manages operations.
When she's not doing any of those things, you can find her baking a cake, hanging out with friends, or vehemently refusing to close a tab on her computer she’s had open since 2019. favorite genres: young adult, new adult, mystery, fantasy, romance |
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Michael Hardison
co-founder, creative director, designer
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With over ten years of experience in independent magazine and book publishing, Michael has had the opportunity to work on various genres, from non-fiction to sci-fi. The fuel that keeps him going is seeing how excited authors are when their passion project is finally brought to life and in their hands.
When he's not designing books, you can find Michael out on the town with friends in search of new cuisines and experiences around Richmond. When he's at home, you can find him trying out new recipes (Have we mentioned that he loves food?), binge-watching the latest tv shows, and re-watching Golden Girls for the umpteenth time (You should see his collection of Golden Girls memorabilia!). favorite genres: suspense/thriller, mystery, horror, fantasy |
