Our story
A book, a promise, and two names.
Evamaya Publishing House began more than a decade ago with a father who wanted to see whether he could write a book. There was no publishing strategy, no ambitious business plan, and no expectation of starting a publishing house. Writing had simply been a lifelong dream — the kind that stays somewhere in the background while careers, family and everyday responsibilities occupy the foreground. Eventually, our founder decided to try.
One evening at the dinner table
“A book! Wow, Daddy, you’re writing a book! Can we read it?”
Eva and Maya, still young children
01
More than a decade ago
A private ambition becomes a promise
For a while, writing was a quiet undertaking. Then, one evening at the dinner table, someone asked how the book was coming along. His daughters, Eva and Maya, were still young children, and their reaction was immediate.
“A book! Wow, Daddy, you’re writing a book! Can we read it?”
That was the moment a private ambition became a commitment. He could live with writing a book that did not become a bestseller. What he could not quite bear was the thought of his daughters growing up to say, “Our dad always said he was writing a book, but he never finished it.” The book would have to be finished.
02
The first manuscript
Learning what comes after the last page
That first manuscript became Hearts & Spades. Then came a discovery familiar to many first-time authors: finishing a manuscript and publishing a book are two very different undertakings. Submissions to traditional publishing houses brought prompt rejections or silence — and those closed doors prompted the question that would become the beginning of Evamaya.
What would it take to publish this book ourselves — and to do it well?
Answering that question required a substantial education: covers, interior layouts, ISBNs, printing, distribution, pricing. Our founder established a small publishing company to do the work properly. Naming it was the easy part — Eva and Maya had helped turn an unfinished ambition into a finished manuscript. What better names could the company carry?
03
The family story
The next generation picks up the pen
During the COVID pandemic, a close friend proposed writing a book about leadership, and Evamaya returned to active work. Then the family story came full circle: one of the daughters whose enthusiasm had helped inspire the company decided to write a book of her own. To give science fiction a distinct home alongside its nonfiction works, Evamaya launched Distant Star Books.
The company named for two young readers was now helping bring the next generation’s stories into the world.
We describe Evamaya as a Craft Publisher — small by choice, giving each project the care it needs, and letting the books speak for themselves.
The short version
More than a decade ago
A founder sets out to write the book he had always wanted to write.
The first manuscript
Hearts & Spades is finished. Traditional publishers answer with rejections or silence.
The answer
A small publishing company is formed, named for Eva and Maya.
The pandemic
A friend’s idea for a book about leadership puts Evamaya back to work.
The next generation
One of the daughters writes a book of her own; Distant Star Books launches.
Today
Roadmarks, our annual whitepaper on the state of the publishing industry.
Why we still publish
Evamaya began because two children heard that their father was writing a book and wanted to read it. More than a decade later, that remains a good reason to publish: someone has a story to tell, someone else may want to read it, and the work of bringing the two together is worth doing well.