ABOUT MARGINWAKE
Every book starts somewhere. So did we.
Marginwake grew out of Nicholas Patterson’s experience as a novelist and a simple ambition: help more stories find their way into the world. He also knows the other side of submitting: putting years of work into a manuscript, sending a query, and receiving a rejection.
One paragraph. Six novels. A press.
Nicholas Patterson’s path to founding Marginwake.
2007
A paragraph finds an audience
In third grade, Nicholas received Magna Cum Laude recognition for a paragraph of writing and read his winning piece aloud to school audiences.
2013
A longer story begins
In tenth grade, he began writing long-form novels.
2014
The first finished novel
Completed his first novel.
2015
A second novel
Completed his second novel.
2017
A third novel
Completed his third novel.
2018
A fourth novel
Completed his fourth novel.
2022
A fifth novel
Completed his fifth novel.
2023
A deeper study of craft
Earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing.
2025
An MFA. A sixth novel.
Earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and completed his sixth novel.
2026
Marginwake begins
Founded Marginwake LLC to help bring others’ stories to life and teach people about the stories behind the stories.
Along the way: The experience behind the press
Throughout his writing years, Nicholas received hundreds of query rejections. That experience informs the care he brings to conversations with writers and the belief that every submission deserves clear expectations.
A small press, built thoughtfully.
A good story asks something of its reader. We believe a publisher should bring the same attention to the work, the writer, and the conversation that follows.
The work comes first.
Our focus is complete adult fiction manuscripts. We’re interested in the decisions that hold a novel together: what drives it, how it develops, and whether the ending delivers on the book’s promise.
Authors belong in the conversation.
Behind every manuscript is a person who has put time and thought into it. We want clear expectations to be part of that relationship from the beginning. Review and publication are separate steps; any publishing offer would be set out in its own agreement.
The story doesn’t end on the last page.
Notes from Marginwake is our space to explore how fiction happens: where ideas begin, how a draft changes, and why particular choices make it onto the page. It’s a closer look at the craft for writers and curious readers.