We are professional publishers and book lovers.

We’re passionate about books. We love their heft, their crisp pages, the smell of fresh paper and ink or the dust of ages trapped in their leaves. We tingle when we enter libraries and bookstores and enjoy a frisson of desire when we see a beautiful cover.

And we love words: reading them, writing them, editing them. We love wrangling a sentence into shape, finding an elegant transition, tweaking a title to perfection, and experiencing the pleasure of opening a new book to chapter one.

We like working with authors who feel the same.

Why Publishing with Luminare Press?

Our goal is simple. As your publishing partner, we want to help you make a book you will be proud of. We pledge to guide you through the maze of book creation and provide the high­-quality, affordable services you need to have the best publishing experience possible.

We have high professional standards

Luminare will help you produce a book that stands out in the crowd. From our long and varied experience in the publishing industry, we know how to pay attention to often unconsidered details that make or break a book—an effective and appealing cover, a font that’s easy to read, a page that’s professionally formatted, the appearance of the front and back matter. We scrutinize all the elements that go into creating a polished book.

Delivered with a personal touch

We know that self-publishing offers a confusing array of options. We’ll walk you through the steps one at a time and make sure that YOUR book has the attention that it deserves. We know it can be a daunting process, but at the end of it, we guarantee that you’ll have a great book and you’ll have a deeper understanding of your role as a self-­published author. We work with you, providing options, information, and education throughout the entire development of your self-published book.

And affordable, transparent pricing

When you sign up with Luminare, you’ll have a team that will help you choose the most effective, affordable options. We’re not going to sell you things you don’t need, and many of the “add-ons” that other companies will charge you for are all included in our packages. See the pricing page for all the services you receive for one basic cost.


Luminare (Loo-­muh-n­ar­-ee) is an Italian word that translates to “light” or “star.” We chose the name because we like the idea of helping authors bring their work to light. (We also like Italian words.) And we’re passionate about getting it right, about making books that we can be proud of.

We’re located in Eugene, Oregon, but can work with writers in any location. Contact us today or schedule a free consultation to see how we can help you join the ranks of published authors.

Our Staff

Patricia Marshall,
owner / editor

Patricia Marshall,
owner / editor

Patricia is a writer, editor, and publisher with a passion for helping authors produce the best books possible.

She is the former editor of Forest Magazine, published by a national conservation group located in Eugene, Oregon, and she has extensive experience producing marketing and promotional materials, both for print and online. She is currently writing a non-fiction book about Burley Design Cooperative.

Patricia has a degree in journalism from the University of Oregon, an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College in Baltimore, and a certificate in Digital Journalism from Media Bistro in New York. She is a member of the Northwest Independent Editors Guild, Willamette Writers, and the Eugene Chamber of Commerce.

Claire Flint Last,
graphic designer

Claire Flint Last,
graphic designer

Claire Flint has been an accomplished graphic designer, illustrator, and fine art painter for almost twenty years. She has executed design and illustration work for many high-profile clients including Coldwater Creek, PhotoTidings, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Princeton HealthCare System, University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History and Cardways.com.

In 2010, Claire was voted “Best Visual Artist” in the Eugene Weekly’s reader polls and was accepted into the Mayor’s Art Show. Claire currently divides her time between mothering her daughter, Penny Lane, painting in her home studio, illustrating children’s books, and designing book covers and author marketing materials for Luminare.

Kim Harper-Kennedy,
project and operations manager

Kim Harper-Kennedy,
project and operations manager

Kim Harper-Kennedy has a Master’s degree in arts/non-profit management and museum studies from the University of Oregon. She spent fourteen years as a content and project manager for a local exhibit and architectural display company writing, developing, and managing hundreds of exhibits and displays for major institutions across the United States.

Kim brings her love of writing, story-telling, and organization to Luminare as the project and operations manager, returning her to her first love, books.

In her spare time she “manages” her husband, daughter, and two feisty fur-babies through the manuscript of life.

Caitlin McCrum,
publication assistant

Caitlin McCrum,
publication assistant

Caitlin received her BFA in Sequential Art (comic book illustration, design, writing) from Savannah College of Art & Design in 2019, with a double minor in Conceptual Illustration and Art History. She has always found joy in editing her brother and sister’s high school and college papers, often doing so in the dark of the night while they were unaware. Writing has always been a passion of hers, and she’s excited to help make your book the best it can be. Caitlin flitters around the office assisting in all stages of the publishing process.

Caitlin currently resides in Oregon, but she was born and raised in Anaheim, California; went to college in Savannah, Georgia; and even spent several months studying in both Hong Kong and in a small medieval village located in the Provençal region of France.

One of Caitlin’s main hobbies is making and self-publishing mini-comics, art zines, and coloring books to sell at various comic and other media-based conventions along the coast.

Melissa Thomas,
graphic designer / author services

Melissa Thomas,
graphic designer / author services

Melissa has over fifteen years of graphic design and marketing experience from her time working in fast-paced marketing departments for national companies. She brings that experience to her roles of graphic designer, branding, and author assistant services at Luminare.

Melissa is an accomplished photographer and artist. Her work can be found in homes and businesses worldwide and internationally on book covers. Locally her art can be found in the Portland Art Museum’s Rental Sales Gallery in Portland, OR.

In her spare time, Melissa enjoys dancing, reading, learning the drums, cycling, and spending time with friends.

Kristen Brack,
graphic designer

Kristen Brack,
graphic designer

Kristen has worked as an illustrator and designer since she graduated art school with honors in 2004. As an avid reader and lover of all visual forms of communication, designing books quickly became a passion and long-term career. Her previous clients have included a range of businesses from tech companies, landscape designers, tea makers, a home goods boutique, a board game entrepreneur, and several non-profits.

Kristen loves to sing, dance, hike, and to go camping near rivers or lakes. An outdoor enthusiast and adventurer with her husband, she is also bonus mom to three amazing sons who make her laugh every single day.

Nina Leis,
graphic designer

Nina Leis,
graphic designer

Nina has a BA in Art & Technology from University of Oregon and specializes in book design—from cover to page layout to ebooks.
As a former bookseller and freelance graphic designer, she brings familiarity with the industry and a love for books to the backstage of bookmaking. Her strengths lie in technical skill and software troubleshooting—not to mention office plant care.

In her free time, Nina enjoys an array of arts and crafts, baking, and spontaneous adventures around the Pacific Northwest.

Sallie Vandagrift,
managing editor

Sallie Vandagrift,
managing editor

Sallie is an editor, writer, and teacher. She’s served on the editorial team at Wipf & Stock Publishers, and was the assistant editor and publicist at Slant Books. She has a BA in English from the University of Oregon, where she also studied fiction in the Kidd Creative Writing Workshop.

Before working in publishing, Sallie was the coordinator for Writers In The Schools (WITS) in Lane County, Oregon, and taught creative writing with all age groups through Wordcrafters, Salmon House Writers Workshop, and Young Writers Association.

Her essays have appeared in Minding Nature, Sun Magazine, and Coffee Talk. She is currently working on a novel set in Astoria, Oregon.

Christine Scaduto,
sales assistant

Christine Scaduto,
sales assistant

Christine spent sixteen years at a personal injury law firm in Ohio, where she was born and raised, before moving to Oregon in 2010. She continued in the legal field in Oregon for more than a decade, first as a legal assistant for a transactional law attorney and then as an executive legal assistant for a pharmaceutical company, before transitioning to publishing.

She brings her organizational skills, attention to detail, and love of helping people to LuminarePress. She is thrilled to have made the switch to publishing and only wishes she had done it sooner.

In her spare time, Christine enjoys singing and songwriting, reading (obviously!), baking, and hanging out with friends and family. She also gets a kick out of annoying her two teenage children

Luigi Ricco,
marketing manager

Luigi Ricco,
marketing manager

Luigi has a master’s degree in marketing management and more than ten years of experience in digital marketing and advertising. Before moving to the US in 2019, he worked as a marketing specialist, consultant, and professor in Italy. In his role as marketing manager at Luminare Press, he brings new ideas and a passion for technology and innovation.

Luigi loves running, hiking in the Pacific Northwest with his family, and swimming in the Mediterranean Sea.