Rootstock Publishing

10/10/2025

! For the cover of this tragicomic story about human entanglements, the author worked with publisher Samantha Kolber and designer Vance Kiviranna to evoke small town, rural New England life, pig farming, death and the afterlife, and music. Look for The Lawnmower Lady, a novel by Edith Forbes, releasing March 10, 2026!

10/10/2025

Fall Into Reading with our October eNewsletter!

Welcome to Offshoots, our monthly eNewsletter! Rootstock Publishing is a woman-owned, curated hybrid and traditional press collaborating with authors, whom we think of as the rootstock—the primary source—of our creative content. We support authors in all stages of their writing career, from debu...

10/06/2025

We wish this book wasn't as timely as it is. But here we are. Rick Winston's 2018 book "Red Scare in the Green Mountains: Vermont in the McCarthy Era 1946-1960" us referenced in this Editorial from The Times Argus:

It would appear we live in a time of another hysteria.

10/05/2025

What a fantastic book launch for Melissa Perley and her new picture book THE VIOLIN FAMILY PLAYS NEW MUSIC! Thanks for all who came on this beautiful fall morning to Bear Pond Books to listen to words and music—it was a full house! And it was wonderful to hear the harmony of clarinet and cello, just like the characters in the book! If you missed it that’s ok, Melissa and Tom Will be playing music and reading TODAY at 11 am at Inklings Children’s Books in Waitsfield! See you there 🎵 📖.

10/02/2025

We're relieved that none of our books are on this list of books stolen by Anthropic for AI training, though if you do find your books on this list, you are eligible to file a claim for settlement money. Authors, check your status here: https://secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/lookup

10/02/2025

We are so proud of C.O. Moed, who, in addition to winning multiple indie book awards for her debut IT WAS HER NEW YORK, was featured on BookLife by Publishers Weekly! Watch the short video below where she shares how the BookLife Prize boosted her debut’s visibility, and how thoughtful critics’ reviews shaped her journey.

C.O. Moed, author of "It Was Her New York: True Stories and Snapshots" shares how the BookLife Prize boosted her debut’s visibility and how thoughtful critics’ reviews shaped her journey.

09/29/2025

Spotted on the shelves just now at Bear Pond Books in Montpelier, THE VIOLIN FAMILY PLAYS NEW MUSIC! Written by teaching cellist Melissa Perley and illustrated by Tim Knickerbocker of Shadowbox Arthouse, this picture book for ages 4-7 and beyond is sure to make an impression with its colorful pictures and musical story. Meet Melissa and hear her play the cello and read from the book this Saturday at 11am!

09/26/2025

It was so good to see Katy Farber read from her debut adult novel THE BOARD, just released this month by Blackstone Publishing, at Bear Pond Books tonight! She was flanked by the beloved Sarahs, Sarah Strohmeyer and Sarah Stewart Taylor for a wonderful evening of mystery book readings and discussion. We hope you’ll read all these new books and now we can’t wait to launch Katy’s next book, a YA novel in verse that’s another feminist manifesto, in spring 2026!

09/22/2025

Poet Joyce Thomas will read from her collection SOME THINGS IN THIS WORLD at Stone Valley Arts in Poultney, VT on Sunday, September 28 at 3pm. Learn more at https://www.rootstockpublishing.com/author-events/2025/9/28/poet-thomas-reading-at-stone-valley-arts

(Picture from Joyce’s book launch last April at the Castleton Free Library.)

09/18/2025

Advanced Reading Copies have arrived! We’re so excited for this collection, coming November 14! Thirty-seven Vermonters take a half-serious, half-humorous approach to imagining Vermont’s future. The compilation of essays begins on a serious note by novelist Stephen Kiernan about the many challenges already facing Vermont. Then it moves to a mixture of humor, fantasy, and serious concern by a wide variety of Vermonters, from young people and octogenarians, businesspeople and academics, to poets and journalists. What they all have in common is a deep love of Vermont. The afterword by Bill Schubart reminds the reader of the pleasure Bill Mares, who began this project in 2024 before his passing, took in challenging people to think. “2050: Vermonters Take a Swipe at the Future” will make you think indeed. Preorders at this link: https://www.rootstockpublishing.com/rootstock-books/p/2050-vermonters

09/16/2025

Meet Meg Richman, author of “Freya the Deer,” which we revealed yesterday! A native of Seattle, Meg studied painting in college but transitioned to film in graduate school. She worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood for ten years where she wrote the original treatment for Tim Burton’s “The Co**se Bride,” a draft of “Up at the Villa” for Sydney Pollack’s company, and the pilot for Aaron Spelling’s series “Malibu Shores.” The film she wrote and directed, “Under Heaven,” was a jury selection at the Sundance Film Festival and a nominee for an Independent Spirit Award for Joely Richardson’s performance.

Motherhood brought her home to the Pacific Northwest where she became a teacher for thirteen years. She currently writes fiction and has stories published in Louisiana Literature, Isele Magazine, and Judith Magazine. “Freya the Deer” is her debut novel, releasing in March 2026 with a book launch at Third Place Books Seward Park!

Photo 📸 by Mark White.