MISSION POINT PRESS can help you with your book project, from evaluating your book idea to the very critical challenges of marketing and publicity. We can design a custom website, show you the ins and outs of marketing your book on Amazon, set up a blog, alert you with monthly marketing reminders, and write press releases for targeted publications—all with affordable packages.
We bring to our work a Midwestern honesty—we state right upfront how much we charge and exactly what you’ll get. And then we deliver on time and to your high expectations.
Please take your time perusing our website for samples of our work and compare our prices and quality to others. Pay careful attention to the very nice things our past customers say about us.
We hope you’ll choose MISSION POINT PRESS!
““This has been a great experience. The final product is terrific.””
About Us: The THREE founders
Mission Point Press was founded by Anne Stanton, Heather Shaw, and Doug Weaver, who remain primary owners of the company. In July 2024, operational management of MPP was turned over to Jen Wahi, the company’s general manager. The three founders now operate as the company’s board of directors.
Anne Stanton
ANNE STANTON is an award-winning journalist, editor and ghostwriter, who has assisted with books ranging from two New York Times best-selling accounts of war to a highly lauded cancer memoir and vegan weight-loss guide.
Anne began her career with a Sacramento Beestory about elderly Cambodian refugees, who suffered deeply from culture shock and isolation. Her first foray into journalism garnered the Detroit Press Club’s highest collegiate award.
After receiving a Master of Arts degree in journalism in 1988 from the University of Michigan, Anne worked as an investigative reporter, writing stories of human drama and resilience. Her award-winning articles have covered a wide range of issues—from Catholic nuns accused of sexually abusing their young wards to a rural barber charged with murdering her troubled, teen-age son. She has also extensively written on health, business and education issues.
In the last decade, Anne has used her interviewing, research, and writing skills to expand into ghostwriting and editing. She can provide insights into book marketing, having co-authored the book, Publish to Win: Smart Strategies to Sell More Books, with indie publishing guru Jerrold Jenkins.
Anne’s emphasis at Mission Point Press is editing and writing.
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Doug Weaver
DOUG WEAVER is a journalist and book publisher who has produced more than 400 book titles in his career on topics ranging from regional history to entertainment, art, architecture, travel, crime, and the craft of quilting.
He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Rockhurst University in Kansas City and a bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Illinois.
Doug was the business editor at the Springfield (Illinois) Journal-Register, editor of Corporate Report Wisconsin, and business editor at The Kansas City Star. In 2000, The Kansas City Star named him Manager of Strategic Business Development to develop niche revenue opportunities for the newspaper, including book publishing and retailing.
In 2004, he was named publisher of Kansas City Star Books, the newspaper’s book-publishing division that resulted. Star Books operated three imprints under Doug’s direction – Kansas City Star Books, Kansas City Star Quilts and Rockhill Books – until January 2015, when The Star made the strategic decision to sell the book-publishing operation. Kansas City Star Quilts had grown into the third-largest quilt-book publisher in the United States.
Weaver was named a Davenport Fellow by the University of Missouri in 1984. He also has won a variety of journalism awards from the Missouri Press Association, the Associated Press, UPI and Copley Newspapers.
Doug’s emphasis at Mission Point Press is managing the business and strategic side of the company, including advising clients on the most efficient way to manage the costs of a book project. He also owns Chandler Lake Books.
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Heather Shaw
HEATHER SHAW was Managing Editor of Spirituality & Health magazine when they won the FOLIO Bronze Award for Editorial Excellence and the Utne Independent Press Award in Health/Wellness for outstanding journalism in 2009.
She was also Editor in Chief and Creative Director for ForeWord magazine and Editor in Chief of Spirituality & Health Books.
In 2008, Heather attended the Stanford Publishing Course for Professionals.
Heather's emphasis at Mission Point Press is design and production.
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JEN WAHI - General Manager
JEN WAHI now leads all operational activities for Mission Pont Press.
Jen’s career in publishing spans over 20 years, marked by significant achievements and roles in the industry. Recently, she served as Director of Creative Services at Cherry Lake Publishing Group and Sleeping Bear Press, overseeing creative initiatives for a prominent national children’s book publisher. Prior to this role, Jen held the position of Senior Art Director at Cengage Learning, a leading global educational content publisher, where her award-winning designs and marketing initiatives contributed significantly to the company’s success.
Jen holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design and Advertising from Eastern Michigan University, complemented by postgraduate studies at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. Her passion for both education and design was fostered early on by her university professor parents, guiding her career path in publishing. In addition to her corporate experience, Jen founded and operated her own successful book design and marketing business.
Before entering the publishing world, Jen played a pivotal role in advertising at Cramer-Krasselt, a national advertising agency, where she helped develop marketing and brand strategies that drove growth for both the agency and its clients alike.
Jen's home away from home is in the Traverse City area, where her family has spent summers at their family cottage on Torch Lake. Jen and her husband, Kevin, reside in the Metro Detroit area on a large wooded property, where Jen enjoys gardening and outdoor activities.
And Our Talented Team
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AMY WOODS BUTLER
Team leader, developmental, line editing, coaching
Leading our effort in Missouri and Kansas, outside of Kansas City – including St. Louis – is Amy Woods Butler. Amy is the founder and owner of The Story Scribe, a writing service that has been helping individuals and families document their history in privately produced books since 2010. (www.TheStoryScribe.com.) Amy is a former book reviewer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and has published interviews, essays and reviews in a number of local and regional publications. She conducts workshops and seminars on the craft of writing, with a special focus on memory and story, and delights in helping authors bring their books to life.
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BOB CAMPBELL
Developmental, line editing, coaching
Bob Campbell is the author of Storm Struck: When Supercharged Winds Slammed Northwest Michigan, published by Mission Point Press.
Campbell worked for the Detroit Free Press for nearly 30 years as an editor and reporter before moving to the Traverse City area to spend more time doing what his license plate – IF1SH – suggests.
Before becoming an editor in 1989, Campbell was the environmental writer for the Free Press, Michigan’s largest newspaper. As a reporter he won national and state awards for feature writing and investigative reporting and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for a series examining the implications of climate change for the Great Lakes.
As an editor he was in charge of political coverage in Lansing and Washington. Campbell also wrote columns and stories about politics and the outdoors for the Free Press and other publications. After graduating with a journalism degree from Michigan State University, he was a political writer for 7 years at the Macomb Daily.
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RUTH PERLBERG CAMPBELL
Copy editor
Ruth Perlberg Campbell was a copy editor for the Detroit Free Press for 14 years, editing entertainment, food and lifestyle features as well as the annual Free Press Summer Dreams and Celebrate Michigan sections. Before that, she worked for 10 years at the Detroit News, editing breaking news and business copy; USA Today, and the Port Huron Times Herald, where she was a reporter and editor. In addition to her collaboration with Mission Point Press, Campbell — now retired and living in Traverse City — edits Kappan, the national education policy magazine of Phi Delta Kappa; and does editing work for the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health and the National Writers Series.
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JENNIFER CARROLL
Coaching, developmental, line editing, ghost writing
Jennifer Carroll has a lifelong passion for helping others write, find personal connections, tell stories.
She worked at three Michigan newspapers in reporting, writing, coaching and top editing/management roles, including as managing editor of the Lansing State Journal and then at The Detroit News. She joined the Burlington (VT) Free Press as executive editor.
She also served as a digital content vice president for Gannett in Washington, D.C.
She collaborated with writers, videographers, web designers and editors across Gannett, leading extensive training on digital storytelling tools including video and mobile design. She won several awards for her work on innovation in digital publishing, and for launching a series of print entertainment publications and related niche products.
She enjoys editing, writing coaching, ghost writing and helping others synthesize thoughts into words. She has edited several books for authors with Mission Point Press.
She retired from Gannett and returned to Michigan in 2015. She also is a glass artist with displays in Charlevoix area art galleries.
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hart cauchy
Proofreading, copy editing
Hart Cauchy is currently enrolled in Author Accelerator, a course for coaching writers at any stage of the writing process.
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SCOTT COUTURIER
Developmental, line editing, coaching
Scott Couturier is a poet and writer of fantasy, Weird-and-science fiction, currently living in Traverse City. He is a 2008 graduate of Knox College; while attending he was a founding editor of Knox Quiver, an online genre publication that has since become a campus institution. Most recently his poetry and prose has appeared in such venues as The Audient Void, Weirdbook, the Test Patterns anthology series, & Spectral Realms. His work focuses on blurring, distorting, & otherwise transmuting the conceptual walls dividing the fantastic, grim, and literary: currently he is writing the fourth volume of an ongoing dark fantasy quintet collectively titled The Magistricide.
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C.D. Dahlquist
Proofing
After teaching German and English for several years, CD enjoyed a decades-long career in various aspects of the veterinary profession. She is once again wielding her red pen as proofreader and web content editor for Traverse, Northern Michigan's Magazine, and freelancing as proofreader for local authors and publications. She is currently renovating her century-old farmhouse, and also spends time in Germany, living with the same family who hosted her as an exchange student when she was in high school.
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SUSANNE DUNLAP
Coaching, developmental, line and copy editing
Susanne Dunlap is the author of ten historical novels for adults and teens. Her young adult historical novel, The Musician’s Daughter, was a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Bank Street Children’s Book of the Year, and was nominated for the Missouri Gateway Reader’s Prize and the Utah Book Award. Her most recent book, Listen to the Wind, is the first book in a trilogy that takes place in 13th-century Languedoc. The second book, The Spirit of Fire, was released in December 2019, and the third book will be released in 2021.
Susanne’s varied resume includes decades of writing advertising copy in New York and London, a PhD in music history from Yale University, and co-founding a tech startup. She has worked with authors on everything from speculative fiction to contemporary YA to memoir to academic writing, helping them polish and hone their writing. Susanne is an Author Accelerator Advanced Certified Book Coach, and has a fluent reading knowledge of French (although she’s out of practice a bit speaking it).
Susanne also teaches workshops on historical fiction, scene construction, book structure, and book marketing.
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Todd Fettig
Line editing, developmental editing
Todd worked most of his career at The Grand Rapids Press, and he embraced leadership roles as The Press merged with MLive Media Group. When he left newspapering in 2020, Todd was a regional director for Advance Local’s Print Lab, which edited newspapers in Alabama, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.
After newspapering, Todd somehow ended up as executive director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition, guiding the nonprofit organization as it transitioned from a university-affiliated organization to a standalone entity.
Today, he’s back in his groove — editing, writing, and managing projects.
Todd holds degrees from Central Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, and Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
He’s an active bicyclist and volunteer in West Michigan. His wife, Erin Fettig, teaches at Grand Rapids Public Schools; their son, Carter, attends Eastern Michigan University; and their daughter, Tatum, attends Michigan State University.
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Kevin Fitton
Kevin Fitton is the author of a forthcoming short story collection from Fomite Press (fall 2021) along with the children's picture book, Higher Ground (Radiant Hen, 2012) with Caldecott-winning artist, Mary Azarian. He has published stories and essays in many literary journals and magazines, including Jabberwock, Limestone, and The Saturday Evening Post.
Kevin's greatest passion is story-telling. He loves telling stories in many different forms-- through short story, novel, songwriting. And he loves helping other people tell their stories.
Kevin is a graduate of Hope College. He also holds an MA in New Testament from Gordon-Conwell Seminary, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Bennington College. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Creative Writing from Western Michigan University.
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CHELSEA FLAGG
Ghost writing, developmental, line editing
Chelsea Walker Flagg is the author of adult and children's books alike. Aside from studying Communications and English in college, she has worked alongside editors and publishers throughout her career. Through a lot of trial and error, she's really found her spot in the kidlit realm. She lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and three daughters.
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TRICIA FREY
Marketing Director
Tricia Frey’s professional resume includes a broad spectrum of endeavors including sales and marketing director for a nonprofit organization, radio personality, promotions director, mobile DJ, event planner, wedding officiant, retail manager, and business owner. Most recently, Tricia added author to her profile when she published her memoir River Love - The True Story of a Wayward Sheltie, a Woman, and a Magical Place Called Rivershire through Mission Point Press in 2020. Each venture has helped hone her marketing and social media skills. Early on, Tricia developed a love of writing that she continued to pursue throughout her high school and college years, culminating in a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations and Professional Writing from Capital University, Columbus, Ohio. Tricia is delighted to be part of the Mission Point Press team and comes to the position with a unique perspective—that of a Mission Point Press author. She looks forward to helping her fellow authors promote their books while also spreading the word about Mission Point Press.
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ED HOOGTERP
Developmental, line editing
Ed Hoogterp enjoyed a 30-year career as a newspaper writer and editor, including time as a member of the Michigan capitol press corps and a dozen years as the “on-the-road” reporter for Booth News Service and MLive.com.
Today he finds joy at Mission Point Press in helping authors express their own visions in fiction and non-fiction genres.
Ed is author of the West Michigan Almanac. He has done publication work for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and has written Watershed Plans for two of Michigan’s iconic rivers: the Betsie and the Little Manistee. He’s an avid reader of all genres, with poetry bookshelves that extend from Maya Angelou to Kevin Young, and with everything from Ginsberg to Oliver in between.
Ed earned his Political Science degree at Grand Valley State University. These days, he tends a small apple orchard at home, serves as Benzie County drain commissioner (“the smallest job in Michigan’s smallest county”) and is a member of several community boards.
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Chris Johns
Coordinated Marketing Director
With 25 years of publishing experience in sales and marketing, Chris began his career as the Director of Specialty Markets at Abrams Books, a preeminent art and illustrated book publisher. He then expanded his role as Sales and Marketing Director, leading the global efforts at Tuttle Publishing, an internationally renowned Asian-interest book publisher.
Chris brings his publishing acumen to Mission Point Press, launching the national coordinated marketing package. For authors participating in the national program, Johns serves as their point person—overseeing every step of the way alongside outside partners, while adding own specialty soliciting national and trade publicity and pitching booksellers.
Chris recently completed the summer Writers’ Workshop at University of Iowa. He is working on his first novel and currently lives in Kansas City, Missouri.
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Jack LessEnberry
Developmental, line editing, ghost writing
Jack Lessenberry has been a writer for many national and regional publications, including Vanity Fair, Esquire, George, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Boston Globe. Currently, he is a contributing editor and columnist for Dome Magazine, the Toledo Blade, and occasionally other newspapers. He recently launched a new podcast on the Zing Media network, and is working on a book on a historic newspaper family and race. He also is The Toledo Blade's ombudsman and consultant, is a past president of the Historical Society of Michigan and recently retired after many years as head of the journalism faculty at Wayne State University.
Lessenberry is the co-author of the book, “The People’s Lawyer, The Life and Times of Frank J. Kelley, the Nation’s Longest-Serving Attorney General,” published by Wayne State University Press. He has also ghost-written “True Colors”, the autobiography of Patricia Hill Burnett, a famous portrait painter who founded the National Organization for Women in Michigan, and was a major feminist spokesman in the 1970s and 80s. Lessenberry has edited and ghostwritten a number of other books, articles and speeches, including Phil Power’s recently published book Turning Points. For several years, he was a board member of the Wayne State University Press, and reviewed many manuscripts and helped determine which works would be published.
Lessenerry won a National Emmy award in 1995 for one of two Frontline documentaries he helped report and produce on Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Lessenberry was featured in a March 1996 A&E Biography he helped produce on Kevorkian, and has assisted on others for British television and Court TV. He was played by actor James Urbaniak in the 2010 HBO Film, “You Don’t Know Jack,” about the life and times of the doctor who made assisted suicide famous.
Leesonberry was named the Journalist of the Year in 2002 by the Metropolitan Detroit Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Lessenberry, 67, has a master's degree in Journalism and East European studies from the University of Michigan.
His partner in life, Elizabeth, is a rare book and private collections archivist and librarian. They live in Huntington Woods and Charlevoix, Michigan, with their dog Ashley, and a copy of every Michigan Manual since 1869 and every Almanac of American Politics since they were first published in 1972.
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STEPHEN LEWIS
Developmental, line editing
Throughout his career, he has been both a writer and a teacher of writing. As a teacher, he has worked with college level and adult learner students in a variety of settings from standard classrooms, to online, to one on one tutorials, to small group workshops. In all of these environments, he has had success encouraging student writers to improve their skills. In a number of instances, these successes have led directly to publication.
His writing career began with a college textbook publication in 1970, followed by four more texts over the next twenty years. During this period, he also published short stories, poetry, and articles. His first novel, The Monkey Rope was published by Walker & Company in 1990, followed by And Baby Makes None (1991) two mysteries set in Brooklyn. He turned his attention to a different time and place, New England in the seventeenth century, for Mysteries of Colonial Times, written for Berkley, and drawing upon his expertise as a scholar of New England Puritanism.The Dumb Shall Sing, the first of this series was published August, 1999, followed byThe Blind in Darknessin May, 2000, and The Sea Hath Spoken January, 2001. His historical novel, Murder On Old Mission, put out in 2005 by Arbutus Press, was a finalist in the historical fiction category of ForeWord Magazine’s book of the year awards. His mystery novel, Stone Cold Dead, was submitted by Arbutus to the 2007 Edgars. Mission Point Press in 2017 reissued Murder On Old Mission and published its sequel Murder Undone.
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Mark Lewison
Team leader, developmental, line editing, coaching
Here is something said by almost no one, ever: “You know what I really love? Sitting at a desk and waiting for the writers to call or send me their stories.” Mark Lewison said it, though, and really meant it. And he did just that for years. A longtime journalist who was usually on the editing side of the reporting process, Mark also was director of the Hope College Writing Center. There, 30-plus student tutors he hired and trained annually conducted more than 2,000 writing-help sessions per year. Mark is also the campus advisor for student media (print+digital) at Hope College. After helping hundreds of writers over the years at The Grand Rapids Press and other regional publications, Mark is now working with area authors on memoir, middle-grade (youth) fiction, and long-form products such as the Mission Point Press murder mysteries The Pink Pony and The Gray Drake. Mark received his master’s degree in journalism from The University of Michigan, and his emphasis at Mission Point is on team-leading book projects and working with young and/or first-time authors.
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Kelly Ludwig
Design
Kelly began designing professionally since graduating from the University of Kansas with a B.F.A. in Visual Communications. Before joining DEG Digital as the creative director, she taught at the Kansas City Art Institute as an assistant professor. Prior to that she launched Ludwig Design, a graphic design and marketing agency, with clients ranging from new businesses to major pharmaceutical, as well as book design, publishing and app development.
Her design work has been recognized in many national and international publications and award shows, including: Print Regional Design Annuals, the Rx Club of New York, Print’s Best of Logos and Symbols, Society of Illustrators, as well as Kansas City’s Art Directors, Omnis and Addys. She blended her passion for photography, design and travel experiences with the latest technology, and created two travel apps for the iPhone, the award-winning “Best Road Trip Ever” and “Road Trip 66.” She authored Detour Art, Travel-o-Pedia, and Home Court Advantage as well as having designed a long line of books (over 90!).
Her photographs have been exhibited in a number of museums, magazines and books, including the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, SFO Museum in San Francisco, WeeGee Exhibition Centre, Espoo, Finland, Museum of Everything, London, UK, and the American Folk Art Museum in Brooklyn. Her photos will also be seen in the upcoming Ken Burns documentary on country music.
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Tom McCormally
Line editing, developmental editing, evaluations
Tom McCormally is an editor for Mission Point Press and thoroughly enjoys helping authors elevate their work by telling good stories that resonate with and enrapture readers.
Tom is a recovering journalist with more than 15 years of experience as a print reporter, editor and columnist. He spent more than two decades in public relations for children’s hospitals, including writing two books: one a history of Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City and the other on the evolution of psycho-social care in pediatrics. Through the writing and publication process with Chandler Lake Books, Tom grew to fully appreciate the value of collaboration, teaming with strong editors and designers to create readable, attractive and entertaining books. Tom recently has been working with writers and editors at a marketing agency as a coach and mentor.
Tom is based in Kansas City where he spends time writing, playing drums, listening to and dancing to live music and drinking lots of coffee.
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Aimé Merizon
Line editing, developmental editing, evaluations
Aimé has been a freelance consultant since 1995. She started her publishing career at Harcourt Brace Jovanovich in the permissions department and then moved into custom publishing as a project editor. She’s worked as a book reviewer, copy editor, development editor, and proofreader. Her career also includes design layout for adult and children’s books and various production projects. She lives in Onekama, Michigan, and enjoys art, nature, tai chi, and spending time with her Jack Russell, Pip.
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BARB MOSHER
Copy editing, proofing
Barb Mosher has a degree in journalism from Central Michigan University where she also worked for the school's media relations department. She has served as press secretary for a U.S. congressional campaign and communications director for Michigan Special Olympics. She has been a contributing writer for weekly and daily newspapers and is a freelance proofreader for the National Writers Series. She researches, writes, and edits lectures for a regional Bible study program. Barb's keen eye for spelling, punctuation, grammar, and consistency errors may annoy family and friends but is much appreciated by writing professionals.
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TANYA MUZUMDAR
Team leader, developmental, line editing, copy editing, coaching
Tanya Muzumdar has 20 years of professional experience as an editor and writer, and 5 years of experience as a college instructor of English composition, creative writing, and poetry.
She worked as a freelance journalist for many years, and is the former senior editor of the Dunes Review literary journal. She was also a writer-in-residence at Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts. Her poems appear in Cherry Tree, Cimarron Review, Nashville Review, Pleiades, Prairie Schooner, THRUSH Poetry Journal, and elsewhere.
Tanya evaluates and edits in all of the major genres: novel, short story, poetry, memoir, essay, and other nonfiction. She has evaluated over 50 manuscripts for Mission Point Press, and is devoted to working with authors at all stages in the process.
She holds an MFA in creative writing from Pacific University and a BA from the University of Michigan.
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ANDREA REIDER
Design
Andrea has been a book designer and typesetter for twenty years, bringing creativity, accuracy, efficiency and the basics of good book design and readability to each and every project. Her publisher clients have included Addison-Wesley, John Wiley & Sons, Rowman & Littlefield and many self-publishing authors. See her design and layout samples at: http://andreareider.com/sample-book-pages/.
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ZINZI ROBLES
Team leader
Zinzi Robles graduated as a General Practitioner from the University of Monterrey in Nuevo Leon, Mexico in 2016. She moved to Austin, TX, with her husband 5 years later, and has since then been working in publishing. She ghost-wrote a book that is currently at the top of its genre, and is working with Mission Point Press as a team leader.
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TERESE DIMERCURIO
Graphic & Web Design
With a decade of experience in graphic and web design, Terese brings a unique blend of passion, creativity, and authenticity to her work at Mercury House Graphic Design, and for Mission Point Press and its’ authors. Known for her innovative approach and commitment to delivering distinctive designs, Terese excels in creating visually compelling and user-friendly experiences.
Beyond her professional life, Terese enjoys reading, writing, cooking and baking, and capturing moments through photography. She values quality time with her wife and two sons, drawing inspiration from their shared experiences. Guided by her straightforward and simple philosophy, "Be Kind," Terese is dedicated to fostering positive, respectful relationships both in her personal and professional endeavors.
Visit www.mercuryhouse.design to find out more.
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Darlene Short
Copy editing
After starting her career as a typographer, Darlene Short has worked as a proofreader and copy editor for various agencies and corporations, most recently with the National Board of Medical Examiners. She freelances now through her company, Proof Plus LLC. A graduate of Bowling Green State University, Darlene lives in Cleveland, Ohio, where she enjoys hiking, photography, spending time with her two adult sons, and learning something new every day.