Founded 2016
Margot
Founder & Publisher
SilkThorn was founded in 2016 above a print shop in Bloomsbury and a stubborn idea: that romance, the oldest and most slandered of genres, deserved the design, editorial care, and shelf-presence of literary fiction.
Eight years and a small, deliberate list later, the idea hasn't really changed. We publish fewer than ten titles a year. We design every cover in house. Our authors come back to us because we don't ask them to whisper.
“Beautiful on the outside. Dangerous underneath.”
The Work
What we publish, how we work.
We publish romance with a pulse: dark academia, gothic contemporary, slow-burn fantasy, noir suspense. Stories that trust the reader, that are written for adults, that don't soften their edges to find a wider shelf.
Our list is deliberately small. Every manuscript is edited line by line by the publisher and editorial director together. Covers are designed in house and printed on uncoated stock with foil and emboss treatments we choose title by title.
Editorial
Two editors per book. Three passes minimum. No ghost-edits, no farmed work.
Design
Every cover, jacket, and case binding designed in house — sketch to press.
Authors
We take on books to keep them — and look after them for the long run.
The Team
Six people, one imprint.
Margot
Founder & Publisher
Founded SilkThorn in 2016 after a decade in literary fiction.
Henrietta
Editorial Director
Acquires for the House of Veils and Hours After Midnight imprints.
Sara
Art Director
Oversees every cover, jacket, and case binding from sketch to press.
Yusra
Rights & Translation
Places SilkThorn titles in twelve territories and counting.
Cassian
Production & Print
Manages paper, cloth, and press relationships across every print run.
Devlin
Publicity & Marketing
Builds the launch around each title — from galleys to bookseller dinners.
Submissions
Your book deserves a lasting home.
SilkThorn takes on a small number of books each year — new manuscripts and established titles alike. If you've written romance that refuses to whisper, or you're looking for a better home for a book you've already built, we want to hear from you.