Frequently Asked Questions

For readers

What is Strong Girl Publishing?

Strong Girl Publishing makes athletically-oriented books + content for middle grade and young adult girls, written by young women athletes. Our mission is two-fold:

1. Help girls see themselves in sport and outdoor adventure, inspiring them to try new activities by creating engaging stories around girls in sport
2. Make a space for young women athletes who are looking for a platform to share their voices.

Why are you focusing on young women athletes as your authors?

Our goal is to improve visibility for young girls in sport, and who can do that more authentically than young women who are currently there themselves? We believe that young women athletes can share real stories—often fictionalized, but based on their own experiences—in a way that can really reach young girls who don’t necessarily see themselves in sport (yet).

How do you give back and get more girls in sport?

We’re glad you asked! While we think visibility in the form of books about girls in sport is an amazing way to bring more girls into the athletic + outdoor world, we also are huge fans of organizations like Fast & Female, Little Bellas and NICA’s GRiT program that are bringing girls into sport in amazing, fun ways. Because of that, five percent of net profits from everything we publish are donated to the girls-in-sport organization of the author’s choosing. Pretty cool, right?

We’re also helping our authors stay in sport and race professionally by giving them a new stream of revenue. These young women are often working side jobs to keep their athletic dreams alive, or they’re fully focused on their athletic careers, and publishing their work will provide them with another revenue stream to essentially sponsor themselves. Despite being a tiny company, getting profits into author’s wallets is much more important to us than growing our bottom line. That’s why, compared to other publishing companies, we offer higher royalty rates to our authors because we know just how hard they work on and off the field and we want to help be a part of their success. As a longtime author herself, founder Molly Hurford is aware of how hard it is to make money writing books, and wanted to make sure that her authors are taken care of.

Can my club/troop/group/team buy bulk copies of a book?

Definitely! Fill out the Form here and we’ll be in touch!

Can one of your authors speak at our conference/to our team/at our school?

Most likely! Get in touch here.

Can one of your authors come on my podcast?

Also most likely! Get in touch here.

Why are the book order pages taking me to Amazon?

Unfortunately, the print-on-demand model and the high cost of shipping for small businesses in Canada make it impossible for us to ship books ourselves. (Seriously, it would cost 2x the price of the book itself just for us to ship it from Ontario to BC, let alone to the US!)

This model enables you, the reader, to get the best prices, free shipping on books, and faster delivery times. As a small and scrappy company that doesn’t have a warehouse or a wide distribution network of our own, we’re operating using print-on-demand technology for our books as well as our merchandise.

But what if I don’t want to buy a book from Amazon?

We absolutely get that. If that’s the case, head to your local bookstore with the book title and author and ask them to place an order for you—they’ll be able to do that, and bonus: They might even start stocking the book in the shop! You can also check with the author by reaching out to them on social media—they may have books available at an event you’ll both be at! You can also shop on other online retailers including Barnes and Noble, Indigo, and Target as well as any other major bookseller—the books will be there too!

How can I help Strong Girl Publishing grow?

Glad you asked! There are a few ways you can help us spread our message:

• Leave reviews wherever you purchased your book/clothing!
• Leave a review on this site! Just go to our Shop page, click on the item you purchased, then scroll down next to Description and click on REVIEW.
• Tell your friends! On social, IRL, just tell anyone and everyone you know!
• Lend the books to friends!
• Recommend any of our books to teachers, librarians, book clubs, coaches, sport clubs in your area, bookstores, local running and bike shops, et cetera
• Subscribe to the newsletter to stay up to date with new books + product drops!

Who runs Strong Girl Publishing?

That’s Molly Hurford, author of the Shred Girls series and longtime endurance sport journalist. Learn more about her and the company here.

Why are book and clothing orders taking me to separate checkouts?

Because we use print-on-demand, our books are all sold through third party retailers like Amazon, while our clothing and other merch is fulfilled through another vendor. We know it’s annoying to not be able to fill up your cart in one place, but for now, it’s the most cost-effective way to grow the company!

Why isn’t my order next-day delivery?

Print-on-demand is cost effective for tiny companies like ours, but it does take a little extra time. We appreciate your patience!

Can I get a review copy for my news outlet?

For sure. Get in touch here.

How can I stay up to date about new book releases?

Subscribe to the newsletter to stay up to date with new books + product drops!

My club/business/foundation needs content for girls in sport. Can you help?

Definitely! Our authors can help produce workbooks, anthologies + so much more for your specific group. Get in touch here and let us know what you’re looking for!

For Authors

What kind of publishing company is Strong Girl Publishing?

We’re a small press publisher, a very tiny dedicated crew who just loves bringing sport and books to young girls and women! (For more on what a small press publisher is and how they work with authors, we highly recommend listening to this short episode of The People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast.)

Do I have to be a pro athlete to write for Strong Girl Publishing?

Definitely not! We are looking for authors who are currently racing or have recently raced at a high level, but that could easily be collegiate or even recent high school varsity athletes with a great story. We also are happy to look at pitches from adventurers in sports where there aren’t necessarily ‘pro’ contracts available—if you’re the youngest person to sailboat around the world and want to write a book about it, we are all ears!

That said, it’s worth mentioning that we are a small company, and our marketing largely relies on our authors’ own marketing efforts (on their social channels and in traditional media) and authors with a larger fan base are more likely to see a higher profit on their project.

Do I have to pay to write for Strong Girl Publishing?

Absolutely not. While we don’t have big budgets to give authors huge advances, we will NEVER take money from our authors. (Often, you see vanity publishers masquerading as small press publishers. That ain’t us.)

I’m older than 29, can I still write a book for Strong Girl Publishing?

While we’re focused on young women athletes aged 18-29 as part of our mission to empower this generation of athletes, if you have a great idea for a young adult or middle grade audience of sporty girls, feel free to submit a proposal. (Just please don’t lie about your age!)

Does the book have to be about my sport?

Books should have a theme of sport running throughout the narrative, but they definitely don’t have to be about sport. For instance, in The Long Run (coming soon!), while the two main characters are on the high school cross country team and there are plenty of running moments throughout the book, the main narrative is much more focused on their relationship with each other and struggles with a former friend. If you do prefer to hone in on your sport, consider how the Shred Girls series is set up, where cycling is the primary focus, but there’s a strong theme of friendship, dealing with competition, and coming to terms with identity as a pre-teen.

Do I need to write the whole book before I pitch it to you?

You’ve probably realized that Strong Girl Publishing is, well, a little different than your average publisher. We’re looking for strong women athletes who want to create content, but we also know just how busy the life of a pro athlete is—especially if you’re working other jobs or are still a student. So, unlike most traditional publishers, we don’t require a full book proposal in order to get started, because we know for many athletes, the first step is finding someone who wants to help you bring your vision to life. Check out our submissions page here.