where we publish the love stories of the Global majority, LGBTQIA+, and disabled authors

Generous Press Founders

Elaina Ellis (she/her) is publisher and cofounder at Generous Press. She owns and operates A Trusted Reader providing literary book editing services for brilliant writers of all stripes. For ten years she worked at the Pulitzer Prize-winning publishing house Copper Canyon Press where she served as editor. She is the author of Write About an Empty Birdcage, and has received support from Artist Trust, Mineral School, Vermont Studio Center, Jack Straw, Tent, 4Culture, and Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. Ellis is a queer, disabled Jew who envisions a free, safe, and just future for all people, from the US to Palestine.

Elaina Ellis, Publisher

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Amber Flame is deputy publisher and cofounder at Generous Press. A multi-genre writer, educator, and arts administrator; Flame's writing has been published in diverse arenas and earned awards from Hedgebrook, Vermont Studio Center, Jack Straw, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Baldwin for the Arts, and more. Flame has served as a copyeditor, development editor, and general “fluffer” for all manner of texts, and is the author of the poetry collections Ordinary Cruelty, apocrifa, and The Ghost Formerly Known As Prince and Other Hauntings (forthcoming, 2027). Flame has also completed LIFT Economy’s MBA certificate in Next Economy (building a world that betters all people), and the Business Readiness Program with Enterprise4Equity. Flame is a queer, Black, dandy mama with a mission of joy, working for the liberation of all. Learn more about all Amber Flame does at www.theamberflame.com!

Amber Flame, Deputy Publisher

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Our Origin Story

We acquire, edit, publish, and sell lush, high-caliber romance fiction and other joyful content, centering LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and disabled love stories. Generous Press is an independent publishing startup already making an impact on the book industry, leading the conversation about the changing face of romance.

Generous Press was born out of isolation. When cofounder Elaina Ellis fell seriously ill in 2020, she found it difficult to read, despite her passion for literature and career as an editor. Grappling with a new disability, largely confined to bed, she found comfort in romance fiction.

She wasn’t the only one. While romance has long been a “hot” category in book sales, readership surged during the COVID-19 pandemic as isolated people reached for feel-good novels that promised a happy ending.

Having worked in book publishing for a decade, it wasn’t long before Elaina got curious about romance fiction as an entreprenureal venture. What would it be like to build a business that runs on love stories? That’s when she gave Amber Flame a call.

Cofounder Amber Flame grew up sneaking time with her grandma's Harlequin novels—then she grew up to be a writer herself, and a leader in the literary arts. When Elaina called Amber to pitch the idea of Generous Press, she asked, "What if we put our own twist on romance fiction? What if we invite our communities—queer people, people of color, people with disabilities, poets, artists—to write love stories?" That’s when the creative spark for Generous Press was lit.

At Generous Press, we are writing and building toward a world in which all people feel cherished and free. We are in the business of proliferating joy, at a time when it's in short supply. And we're inviting you to join us there.