Imagine a Door

A Writer's Guide to Unlocking Your Story, Choosing a Publishing Path, and Honoring the Creative Journey

By: Laura Stanfill, Beth Kephart - foreword

Narrated by: Allyson Ryan

Foreword by Beth Kephart, author of Handling the Truth

Imagine a Door intersperses craft insights, case studies, and checklists with personal stories about publishing and the emotional complexities of sending your work into the world. Is a writing routine worthwhile? How do you pinpoint the why behind your storytelling and use it to improve your manuscript? What makes a query letter stand out? What exactly is distribution? Does success mean selling a certain number of books or can we reframe our expectations in a less capitalistic way?

While prioritizing genuine community over platform building, Laura Stanfill, publisher of Forest Avenue Press and author of Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary, explores these questions from both sides of the desk. She peppers her material with original interviews with authors Omar El Akkad, Fonda Lee, Amy Stewart, Wendy Chin-Tanner, Keith Rosson, Rosiee Thor, Kesha Ajose-Fisher, Emme Lund, and agents, editors, and publishers.

©2025 Laura Stanfill (P)2025 Tantor Media