Our Story
Owners from 2020-2023: Stacey Spain, Jessica Santina, Cindie Geddes, and Sarah Katreen Hoggatt
Jessica Santina – Owner
Sarah Katreen Hoggatt – Owner
A new approach to publishing
Judith Harlan and Cindie Geddes were enjoying lunch outside on a beautiful summer day in Reno, Nevada in 2010. Talking about e-books and publishing in general, they were excited by the possibilities unfolding as e-readers hit the market and new opportunities unfolded for authors to publish their books.
As an industry never fond of change, most of publishing took a wait-and-see approach on the e-book format and authors being able to oversee the publishing of their own books. But what Judith and Cindie saw was the writing on the wall. As the sales of e-books doubled and new avenues opened for printing new books, authors publishing themselves became more than a passing fancy.
Enter Lucky Bat Books
The problem, as Judith and Cindie saw it, was that writers were still stuck in old New York thinking – the writer gets 20%, publisher gets 80% – for the life of the book. This hardly seems fair. A book that sells, sells because of the writing. A story that endures, endures because of the writing. If Cindie handed her husband The Old Man and the Sea written in crayon, he’d still want to buy it.
While we at Lucky Bat Books like to think we’re fathoms above writing in Crayon, we also recognize it is the story that sells. Therefore, Cindie and Judith founded a company for writers run by writers to help authors take advantage of these new opportunities by taking control of their own stories and the resulting income.
Creating Our Team
Judith and Cindie knew this new company needed a team of book publishing experts. This group would manage authors’ projects and provide the editing, design, and marketing services. Thus, they gathered around them a team of professionals who guide you through your publishing experience. They are our managing editors.
All our managers have their own individual areas of expertise. They may be editors, and they may be artists, designers or marketers. All of them have organizational talents that make it possible for them to wrangle all the bits and pieces of your project through, from manuscript to book cover to online and print reality.
Lucky Bat Books owners from 2020-2023: Stacey Spain, Jessica Santina, Cindie Geddes, and Sarah Katreen Hoggatt
Widening
the Circle
of Ownership
In 2019, Judith Harlan decided it was time to retire from Lucky Bat Books so she could spend her days taking walks and spending more time with her partner. As Cindie wanted to continue running Lucky Bat Books as part of a team, Cindie and Judith offered ownership to three of the managing editors who had been with Lucky Bat Books since the early years and who were proven leaders and experts in their fields: Jessica Santina, Sarah Katreen Hoggatt, and Stacey Spain.
Coming Full Circle
At the end of 2023, Cindie decided to step back to focus on her health and family, while Stacey moved on to focus on being a full-time director of a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ youth. With their departure, ownership transitioned to the capable hands of the remaining partners, Jessica Santina and Sarah Katreen Hoggatt.
Jessica, an accomplished editor, and Sarah, a skilled book designer, have been integral to our team from the early on. Their strong partnership and friendship provide the foundation for our continued success. Jessica handles most of the editing work, while Sarah specializes in book layout, ensuring every project is polished and professional. We continue working with other talented publishing professionals.
Our passion for guiding authors through the publishing process remains steadfast. We are committed to nurturing each person and their books, staying true to the original vision of Lucky Bat Books. Although Cindie and Judith have stepped away from daily operations, they continue to offer their friendship and support, enriching the community they helped create. They are delighted Lucky Bat is being carried forward with another pair of talented women who share the mission of offering authors a supportive, alternate publishing experience. Both Sarah and Jessica are proud to carry forward their legacy, honoring the values and dedication that have always defined Lucky Bat Books. We hope you’ll join us.