Our Imprints
Rowan Prose Publishing was founded in 2023 and launched in January 2024 by Kelly Moran, Shelly Small, & Katie O'Connor to be a unique publishing experience. Who else knows the readers better than those who write books themselves?
Large publishing houses have dominated the market with titles they pick, and for years, those were the only options. But then, the indie boom happened, giving a voice and opportunity to not only authors, but to readers, too.
However, the book world is saturated with titles. It's inundating. How does one stand out among the fray? Who helps indies get seen? When a traditional publishing contract has run out, what do those authors do with their books once they've left the shelves? What about authors who want the cushion of a publisher, yet the freedom of self-publishing?
That's exactly what Rowan Prose was created for. We bring a fresh approach to the industry by publishing books readers want with tropes others won't touch. We publish second or third edition runs by your favorite authors whose contracts elsewhere have ended. We publish newbie authors just emerging from their cocoons. Plus, we offer separate services like editing, cover design, and formatting for indie authors who want to keep total control. Our authors maintain their audiobook and film options. Our authors get a say in their cover design. Our authors get to keep more of their royalties than from our competitors. And, all of this is done with the backing of great marketing that utilizes distinctive, alternate, unconventional means so our authors shine.
Like we said. By authors. For authors.
Kelly Moran is an international bestselling author of paranormal & contemporary romance, and also writes horror under Kelly Covic. She has exceptional experience with editing, formatting, marketing, and foreign translation contracts, as well as some graphic design. She's always been a strong advocate for authors and has been in the industry for almost 20 years. She resides in South Carolina.
Shelly Small is a prolific author with novels in the mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, crime, paranormal, & contemporary romance genres. She's a military veteran and travels often with her spouse, who is also a veteran. Her love of reading inspired her to not only write books, but to launch her own company Small Edits. She's particularly talented with proofreading & copyedits. She resides in Wisconsin.
Katie O'Connor is a bestselling paranormal & contemporary romance author of stories that will warm your heart and fill you with hope. She's uber gifted at content editing, being able to spot plot holes, problematic flaws, and pacing issues to get the best manuscript possible. She's dedicated to helping writers thrive, and created the Creative Career Planning Workbook for Authors. She resides in Canada, and divides her time between Calgary & her retreat in Northern Alberta.
Shakera Blakney has been an avid reader and author advocate for many years. She is the founder of the blog More Books Please, where she writes reviews for ARCs and books she's read, and she is on a number of author street teams. She's working hard to earn a Journalism degree. She is excellent at getting the most depth out a story and grammatical editing. She resides in New Jersey.
HOW WE GOT OUR NAME:
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Rowan trees are small but mighty, and have a long history of lore and magic, which is why we at Rowan Prose Publishing were inspired to adopt it as part of our business name. We could all learn from the past and could use more magic in our lives.
Rowans are deciduous trees, with leaves that look like feathers, and each berry has a tiny five-pointed star or pentagram opposite its stalk. They are often called mountain ashes, though they have no relation to the ash tree. Rowan wood is hard and dense, and reputed in the magical realms to be more protective than any other wands if used. In Sami mythology, red berries of rowan were holy. In Norse mythology, the rowan is called "the salvation of Thor" because Thor once saved himself by clinging to it. In European mythology and folklore, the rowan was thought to be a magical tree that gave protection against malevolent beings, and supposedly prevents those on a journey from getting lost. British folklorists of the Victorian era reported the belief in apotropaic powers of the rowan tree, in particular in the warding off of witches. In Scotland, the tree was often planted near a gate or front door. Rowan also serves as protection against fairies by placing a rowan branch over doors. In Neo-Druidism, the rowan is known as a portal tree and considered the threshold between this world and otherworld.