Words, Freedom, and the Stories We Share

Reflections on Independence Day from AKALM

As fireworks light up the sky this week, I find myself thinking—not just about independence, but about expression. Because freedom, in this business, isn’t reserved for one day a year. It’s something we defend, nurture, and live every time we help a story find its place in the world.

It’s the quiet courage of a debut author daring to speak truth on the page.

It’s the thriller writer holding a mirror to power.

It’s the memoirist saying, This happened. This matters.

Publishing, at its best, is an act of freedom.

Not perfection. Not performance.

But presence.

We are fortunate to work in a space where words carry weight. Where stories cross borders. Where voices that once whispered now ring out in hardcover, paperback, and translation. That’s not something I take lightly.

Because freedom of expression—real freedom—comes with responsibility.

Responsibility to:

• Lift each other up

• Publish with care

• Advocate for the voices that challenge and change us

• Do the hard work of listening, even when it’s uncomfortable

• And show up—page after page, draft after draft—so the right story reaches the right reader at the right time

So this Independence Day, I’m especially grateful for:

• The authors who trust us with their words

• The editors and publishers who champion meaningful books

• The readers who lean into stories that illuminate and inspire

• And the sacred freedom we hold—to tell the truth, and imagine more

Let’s keep telling the hard stories.

Let’s keep lifting voices that need to be heard.

Let’s keep building something that outlasts us.

Because freedom doesn’t just live in fireworks.

It lives in books.

And at AKA Literary, we’re proud to be part of that story.

Happy Fourth, friends.

See you on the next page,

— Terrie