WELCOME TO THE WAY BACK BOOKS
The Way Back Books is the new boutique hybrid publishing imprint from The Way Back to Ourselves, focusing on soul-care, authentic relationships, creative excellence, and telling “beauty from ashes” stories that beautify the Kingdom.
The Way Back Books partners with authors through their writing journey, meeting them exactly where they are. We provide services from start to finish: mentorship, counseling, editing, typesetting, graphic design, publishing, marketing, and more. We take time to care for the author and the art they are creating. This makes us different from beginning to end when compared with other publishing experiences, and it’s an inventive and faithful model we are deeply proud of.
Currently, our submission window is closed until the new year. We are only accepting complete poetry collections for publishing for now. However, we work with nonfiction writers and children’s book authors for self-publishing and publishing elsewhere. If you would like to learn more about publishing with The Way Back Books or using our services for another project, please visit our services page and send us an inquiry. Because we are a deeply rooted community, we often give priority to faithful creatives who are familiar to us and our community members. So, we warmly invite you to get rooted with us if you feel like The Way Back Books might be home to your future collection. You belong here.
Rosa Lia Gilbert’s debut poetry collection from The Way Back Books, Under the Saman Tree, will be available Fall of 2025. Check back soon to purchase this stunning bilingual collection on home, longing, and belonging from one of Christianity Today’s Young Storytellers.
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ROSA GILBERT
debut author & poet
Rosa’s debut poetry collection is a stunning bilingual meditation on marriage, motherhood, and the immigrant experience and how God blesses and redeems the journey. Exploring themes of longing and belonging, Rosa’s fresh and passionate voice is one that takes the reader by the hand and says, “Come with me. Let’s find our home in this wild world together and make it beautiful.” It will be published in 2025.
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KIMBERLY PHINNEY
founder, editor, & best-selling author
Kimberly’s second poetry collection, Exalted Ground: Poems of Praise and Lament for the Living, was published in April of 2025 as a bestseller. To answer God’s urging and show her commitment and dedication to the success of THE WAY BACK BOOKS, Kimberly prayerfully left the publisher of her best-selling debut poetry collection, Of Wings and Dirt, to join her authors in this space.
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DEBORAH RUTHERFORD
debut author & poet
Deborah’s debut poetry collection, Prodigal Daughter: Poems of Light for the Lost Ones, is a tenderly written love letter of hope for all the wayward daughters of God. Part memoir, part devotional, Deborah’s poetry goes boldly into the darkest parts of the human soul and comes out singing the most beautiful song of all: the one we call “Redemption.” It will be published in 2025.
