About

Black Ember is a trauma informed publishing studio rooted in storytelling, ownership, and creative integrity.

We support authors who want more than a finished book. We work with writers who want clarity, alignment, and full ownership of their voice. You keep your rights. You keep your royalties. We provide structure, strategy, and steady guidance from manuscript to publication.

Black Ember was created from the belief that story is more than expression. It is reclamation. Many of us learned to survive quietly. To carry strength without softness. To keep moving without being fully seen. This studio exists as a counter to that silence.

Healing is not about becoming someone new. It is about returning to who you were before you learned to hide.

Our Why

Black Ember exists to honor lived experience. We create visibility without performance and structure without exploitation.

This studio was built for authors who want ownership without isolation and support without surrendering control. We believe strength and softness can coexist. Stories deserve both.

Our Values

We value trust, clarity, and human dignity. Structure and softness are not opposites here. We work with steadiness and hold each story with care.

Our Approach

TRAUMA INFORMED PUBLISHING

Black Ember provides author owned publishing support for writers who want to retain full rights and royalties.

Our services include manuscript guidance, editorial direction, design coordination, and strategic clarity from draft to finished book. We support memoirists, first time authors, and purpose driven writers who want their work to feel honest and aligned.

We do not take ownership of your voice. We help you strengthen it.

PRESENCE DRIVEN PHOTOGRAPHY

While publishing is our foundation, we also offer intentional photography for authors and creatives who want their visual presence to reflect the depth of their work.

Portrait, branding, and event sessions are centered on steadiness and authenticity. We prioritize human connection over performance. The result is imagery that feels grounded, powerful, and true to you.

Our Founder

Black Ember was founded by Rashida Saunders, author of Permission to Break and a public safety leader with nearly two decades of community centered experience.

Her work is shaped by lived experience, resilience, and a deep commitment to truth. With academic training in criminal justice and administration of justice and security, she brings both structure and humanity to creative work.

Black Ember was built from her belief that publishing can be both strategic and deeply human.

Rashida Saunders seated in a studio portrait wearing a blazer and pink top.
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