Our Story

I set up Santtu Matias to remedy a problem.

When I was offered a publishing contract, it felt like recognition. The years of writing, refining, and reworking had paid off. Someone believed in the book. It was exciting. Validating.

But the publisher would take most of the revenue and I would retain no real creative control. Once the initial excitement faded, I read the contract again, this time with a more realistic eye.

I’d still have to do my own promotion, build my audience, organise events, and market the book myself. Yet the publisher would profit more than I would from my work. It weighed on me.

It didn’t feel like a partnership. It felt like a trade-off: they offered legitimacy, but only if I gave up ownership and creative control.

This isn’t unique to publishing. Music, art, and journalism are shaped by the same logic: gatekeepers decide what counts, who gets in, and who gets paid.

Santtu Matias Press was born out of the desire to restore balance.

We offer a serious imprint, full editorial and production support, and ISBN registration. But we don’t take your rights. We don’t control your voice. And we don’t take a commission.

You keep what’s yours.

Santtu Matias is for authors who want to publish seriously without surrendering their autonomy. A home for independent thinkers, careful writers, and creators who want to do things differently — and well.