Perceptions Press is a small, independent publishing house located in Victoria BC. Established in 1992 by Stephanie Castle, a Canadian transwoman, activist, author, and activist. Perceptions Press came into Margot Wilson’s possession in 2017 when Stephanie died. Perceptions Press is the parent company of TransGender Publishing, Stephanie Castle Publications, Castle Carrington Publishing, and All Genders Press.
Our mission is to empower authors to share their unique stories with the world. Through our hybrid publishing services, expert editing, personalized writing coaching, creative marketing strategies, and captivating cover design, we are dedicated to perfecting every aspect of your literary journey. Together, we strive to inspire, uplift, and connect readers and authors, bridging the gap between imagination and reality. Join us in redefining perceptions of storytelling, one book at a time and create a literary landscape that captivates and inspires readers everywhere.
Our vision is to uphold the genuine voice of each author, ensuring that their stories are brought to light in a way that captures their true essence, preserves their authenticity, and highlights their unique perspectives.
Margot Wilson is an anthropologist who retired in 2018 from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. Over the past 30+ years, Margot has undertaken anthropological research in South Asia. She has lived in a bamboo hut with no running water or electricity in a rural village in northwest Bangladesh, learning to be a village woman by living as one. Margot has also undertaken research at a shelter for abandoned women and children in Dhaka (the capital city) and at the Danish-Bangladesh Leprosy Missions in rural northwest Bangladesh.
In 2014, after attending the “Elders Panel” at the Moving Trans History Forward conference at the University of Victoria, Margot began collaborating with three trans elders to write their life stories. The first of these, Girl in the Dream, is the life story of Stephanie Castle. Girl in the Dream was published in 2018 by TransGender Publishing, the first publishing house in Canada to focus specifically on transgender issues. A preview is available here. Since then, many other life histories have been published along with a number of edited volumes that address trans issues.
Perceptions Press was originally opened in 1992 as a vehicle for publishing Stephanie Castle’s early non-fiction writing, including Feelings: A Transsexual’s Explanation of a Baffling Condition (a second edition is now available through TransGender Publishing), Prisoner of Gender (co-written with Katherine Johnson), and The Zenith Experience: Encounters and Memories in a Transgender Setting. Perceptions Press also published some of Stephanie’s early fictional novels based on trans themes, including Shadows in the City, A Tale of Two Wives, The Partnership (a second edition is now available through TransGender Publishing), and Tales from Cascadia. At the time, Stephanie’s non-fiction books (especially Feelings) and her novels were ahead of their time and considered by some to be provocative and cutting edge.
In 2005, Perceptions Press became part of Vibrant Publishing, although Stephanie retained a 50% ownership in the company. Stephanie’s more recent novels, including A Dilemma in High Places, The Enchantment of Margot Tyson, The Miracle Workers, Quatsino Gold, and Far Side of the Moon (a second edition in now available) were published under her second publishing company, Stephanie Castle Publications.
In 2016, prior to Stephanie’s death in the spring of 2017, Margot and Stephanie agreed to open a joint publishing company, Castle Carrington Publishing, as a parent company under which Margot would bring TransGender Publishing and Stephanie would bring Stephanie Castle Publications. When Stephanie passed away, her executor signed over Stephanie Castle Publications along with Stephanie’s 50% ownership in Perceptions Press to Margot.
In March 2020, the owner of Vibrant Press retired and signed over the remaining 50% ownership in Perceptions Press along with the remaining book stocks to Margot. These are available under the Back Stock- original books on sale tab.
In keeping with Stephanie’s original intent, Perceptions Press focuses on innovative, avant-garde, and (occasionally) provocative transgender fiction and non-fiction.
If you are a trans author and/or have written a novel with trans characters and would like to talk to Margot about publishing your manuscript, please use the contact form below. Also see our Information for Authors page.