“It is never too late to be who you might have been.”
– Author George Eliot, Middlemarch
Melissa W. Myers
FOUNDER
Never Too Late Publishing Company was founded in the middle of the night.
As I reached the age of way more years behind me than before me, the future became less of a luxury. Regrets of what was left undone began poking me hard enough to wake me from sleep. I laid in the dark and asked myself a version of poet Mary Oliver’s question:
“What is it you plan to do with (the rest of) your one wild and precious life?”
The answer was the same as it was in the third grade when I finished my first chapter book, Mandy by Julie Edwards. As I turned the last page, I fell in love with reading and books. And, at that moment, I knew I wanted to be a writer.
I have written almost every day of my life. But creativity, of any kind, requires a large amount of space, time, solitude, and support. To make the leap from writing to publication takes great focus, tenacity, patience, and a big dab of luck. The pulls of life—relationships, family, work, finances—can tug relentlessly at the creative space needed to write, polish a manuscript, and pursue publishing. It is easy to find yourself, as I did, making the hard choice to shut down my creative passion and tuck away important dreams. I quietly promised myself I would get back to it... someday.
But in the middle of the night, many somedays later, I wondered if I’d left it too long. Was it too late to be considered relevant as a writer? Would a publishing house take a chance on me at my age?
Victorian author George Eliot published her first novel in her 40s. In her most famous work, Middlemarch, published in her 50s, she wrote, “It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
I keep that quote taped to my wall. During my wakeful nights I began asking myself, what if it isn’t too late? What if now is the perfect time to claim my creative relevance and publish my first novel? What if I speed up the process by starting my own publishing company? What if I publish not only my work, but the work of other late bloomers like me who still burn with creative passion and the desire to live fully in the last decades of their one wild and precious life?
It is in this spirit and with this belief—that it is never too late for anyone at any time who has the courage and desire to start something new—that myself, and others like me, have created Never Too Late Publishing Company. Now is the perfect someday.
Jon Klusmire
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
I spent a career writing other people’s stories. As a journalist, I documented their concerns, challenges, victories and defeats, joy and heartbreak. My task was to accurately convey their truths in a readable, accessible way. But to accomplish that goal, I could only focus on a small part of their lives--condensing, summarizing and often skipping over details and experiences.
Now, as Editor-In-Chief at Never Too Late Publishing Company, I don’t have to make those compromises. I get to help authors tell their story in the way that completes them, honoring their words and experiences. With a soft editing hand, I encourage and validate the creation and completion of those stories while also providing feedback on clarity and readability.
This is a new direction and challenge for me. As an editor and writer tiptoeing into my final chapters, I am happily surprised by the burst of excitement I felt when landing at Never Too Late Publishing Company. I embrace this new adventure and look forward to providing a supportive forum for mature writers who, like me, are moving in a new creative direction with passion and wisdom.
Tamara Cohn
CONTINUITY DIRECTOR
I love books, and I read from my heart. I cherish entering into new worlds created by writers who have the courage to tell their tale. My favorite works provide a glimpse into the feelings and internal challenges of characters who are striving, loving, failing, and succeeding.
I don’t aspire to be a writer, but I do have a technical relationship with words cultivated during my 40-year healthcare career. As a county public health director, I helped develop strategies, programs, and secured funding to improve healthcare access for our small rural communities. Our success required deep listening, careful observation, and clear, exact communication. My team and I used those skills to review and write grants and inform the public. I was intensely passionate about my work and in the belief that everyone has a right to healthcare.
I now serve as Continuity Director at Never Too Late Publishing Company. This role gives me the opportunity to merge my intense love for the written story with my professional experience of exacting quality, precision, and clarity from all written communication. I bring my commitment to the written word to support and honor the mature writer’s goal to publish. I will bring their creative courage to your reading heart.