The Empowered Press Team
Giving Voice to the Stories that Matter
Our Story
The seeds for The Empowered Press were planted in late 2017 by author/publisher Jill Carlyle. After graduating from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in English, Jill's passion for studying literature naturally segued into writing her own stories. She quickly learned that today's world of traditional publishing routinely rejects important stories that need to be told for the likes of celebrities and social media influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers. Jill quickly discovered how frustrating and deflating traditional publishing can be.
She decided to take matters into her own hands, publish her own work and help other marginalized voices do the same.
Jill Carlyle
Founder & Publisher
Jill is a graduate of the University of Central Florida and holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, and a double master’s degree in English and Creative Nonfiction from Southern New Hampshire University. She is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Fiction.
Jill is the bestselling author of Finding Fifty: A Memoir of Rising in Midlife and the highly anticipated novel Her Story So Far. She resides in Las Cruces, New Mexico with her husband and three furbabies.
Sherry Anisi
Senior Editorial & Publishing Director
Sherry Anisi has bachelor’s degrees in English and psychology with a minor in Japanese from the University of Minnesota, and she attended the Denver Publishing Institute in summer 2014. She has almost ten years' experience working in both books and board game publishing, primarily in licensing. She has a passion for editing and loves to read sci-fi and fantasy novels. Sherry resides in Seattle, and you will most often find her at a concert or show.
Tea Chai
Assistant Publishing Coordinator
Tiffany Chai, known as Tea Chai, is a University of California, Riverside alumna with a BA in History and a minor in Film. She furthered her education at the Art Institute of California-Hollywood, earning a BS in Filmmaking, followed by a Master's in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. Her career spans the entertainment industry in Hollywood, where she worked with both mainstream and independent filmmakers, and the library sector as a reference and instructional librarian. Tiffany is passionate about motivating dreamers to create and disseminate captivating, educational content.
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Having spent three decades in California, Tea, recently moved to Maryland. She is enthusiastically adapting to the new environment, finding delight and surprise in the changing seasons and the fall of leaves, a novel experience after her long Californian residency.
Chelsey Drysdale
Editor
Chelsey is an enthusiastic editor specializing in developmental editing, line editing, copyediting, and proofreading.
She has more than 20 years of experience editing and writing. Chelsey's goal is to provide honest, compassionate, thorough feedback, whether your project is autobiographical, fictional, or professional. As a careful editor, Chelsey listens intently, and provides a safe emotional space, meets all deadlines, encourages revision, and contributes to elevating your work to its fullest potential.
To learn more about Chelsey and inquire about her services, please visit her website: Drysdaleeditorial.com
Katie Moody
Creative Director & Social Media Manager
Katie Moody is a PNW native who loves all things media - movies, tv shows, books, songs and, you guessed it, social media! She has a holistic approach to managing online presence and a balance of both creative and analytical skills developed over 5 years in the industry. She believes there is nothing better for a team than a color-coded calendar and a notebook full of ideas. Her desert island movie is The Princess Bride, her favorite animal is a bat, her current obsession is Ben & Jerry's non-dairy P.B. & Cookies ice cream, she's living happily ever after with the love of her life, and she is so excited to be a part of the Empowered Press team!
Karch Caedmon
Art Director & Marketing Strategist
Karch Caedmon is a bold creative with a knack for content creation, graphic design, and illustration. Featured in The FADER magazine and The Lucky Brand, Caedmon is a young voice in the queer art space and only getting louder - while balancing time for exploring the Pacific Northwest, baking vegan treats, and spending time with his family.
Onur Aksoy
Book Cover & Graphic Design
Onur Aksoy has been a graphic designer for two decades. His work includes professionally designed bespoke book and album covers that make a statement.
Onur currently lives in Melbourne, Australia and works with clients internationally.
To see more of his work or to inquire about his services please visit his website Onegraphica.com
Joseph Perry, Esq.
Literary Attorney
Joseph counsels authors, editors, agents, publishers, and other creatives in the book and magazine publishing industries. Joseph is also the founder of the literary agency, Perry Literary, Inc. He currently works as an Associate Editor at Thomson Reuters. He received his juris doctor from St. John’s University School of Law, where he was an Articles Editor for the St. John’s Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Journal. Prior to founding The Law Offices of Joseph J. Perry P.C., Joseph worked as a legal analyst at Sony Music Entertainment.
Joseph holds a BA and MA in English from St. Bonaventure University.
