Crumb Trail Publishing Launches Ivan Sled Press, a New Imprint for Twisted, Imaginative Storytelling

Baltimore, Maryland Oct 19, 2026 (Issuewire.com) - Author and independent publisher Devans Eli announces the launch of Ivan Sled Press, a new literary imprint of Crumb Trail Publishing created to give his twisted, imaginative, and more complex fiction a spotlight of its own.

Described by Eli as "a shadow of Crumb Trail Publishing," Ivan Sled Press will make room for fantasy, folklore-inspired fiction, speculative storytelling, reimagined tales, and original stories that venture beyond the lighter whimsy of his previous work. The stories may still be adventurous and fun, but they are free to travel into stranger territory, wrestle with more difficult ideas, and leave something lingering beneath the pages.

The first Ivan Sled Press titles are planned for Spring 2027.

A New Door Inside Crumb Trail Publishing

Crumb Trail Publishing was established as the publishing home for Eli's creative work, beginning with the 2026 release of Nora Escapes the Bakery, an interactive children's picture book centered on courage, friendship, belonging, and adventure. The book introduced readers to a storytelling world designed to be experienced through reading aloud, discussion, baking activities, and of course those whimsical sound effects. 

Ivan Sled Press marks the next stage of that publishing vision.

Rather than functioning as a separate company, Ivan Sled Press will operate as an affiliated imprint of Crumb Trail Publishing. It gives Eli room to publish work with a different atmosphere, audience, and creative edge while keeping both bodies of work connected under the same publishing house.

Where Crumb Trail Publishing often invites readers to follow the crumbs, Ivan Sled Press asks them to go down rabbit trails full of shadows and secrets.

Wander into the Strange

Ivan Sled Press is built for stories that do not always fit neatly inside the brighter corners of Eli's work.

Its fiction may draw from fantasy, folklore, speculative traditions, familiar tales, or entirely original worlds. Some stories may play with something readers think they recognize. Others may introduce places, characters, and rules they have never encountered before.

What connects these stories is a willingness to venture into unfamiliar places. Eli intentionally invites humor, wonder, and difficult questions into the same room. Then the storyteller dims the lights and speaks.

Ivan Sled Press gives stories with sharper teeth, stranger possibilities, or a little more alarm the freedom to become whatever they need to be. 

First Through the Door: Once Overlooked

The first wave of Ivan Sled Press releases will introduce Once Overlooked, Eli's collection of picked-apart fairytales that turns its attention to the characters, creatures, objects, and truths left behind in stories readers thought they knew.

The deconstructed fables ask readers to look again.

A character pushed to the margins may have another story entirely. An object treated as a simple plot device may hold possibilities of its own. A familiar tale may change when the reader notices what was hiding in plain sight.

With humor, a touch of history, and a shadow that deepens with every turn, Once Overlooked will begin Ivan Sled Press's publishing slate in Spring 2027.

It is the imprint's first step into the shadows, but it will not be its last.

Founder Devans Eli on the Evolution of the Brand

"I love writing stories that invite readers to new perspectives," said Devans Eli. "Crumb Trail Publishing gave me a home for the stories that feel bright, adventurous, and silly. But not every story I want to tell dwells in the light."

"I created Ivan Sled Press (whose name itself is a twist) to be the alter ego or shadowy underbelly of Crumb Trail Publishing. Readers may recognize some stories and be surprised by where I take them. Others will be completely original and perhaps even stranger."

Eli added, "I want readers to wonder about the things that are usually pushed to the back burner. Because I'm bringing those things to the front. There are too many times when the world ignores communities, not-so-prominent places, and oddities that might make us have difficult conversations. Conversations that help us see things differently."

Looking Toward Spring 2027

Additional information about Ivan Sled Press, Once Overlooked, and the imprint's first titles will be announced ahead of its Spring 2027 publishing schedule.

For Eli, creating the imprint gives different kinds of stories the room they require instead of trying to fit them all into rigid categories. Crumb Trail Publishing can remain home to the warmth and playful adventure readers already know, while Ivan Sled Press can wander farther into the peculiar, complicated, and unexpected.

And there is plenty of territory left to explore.

Readers may want to keep an eye on the shadows.

About Crumb Trail Publishing

Crumb Trail Publishing is an independent publishing company founded by Baltimore author Devans Eli. The company publishes imaginative, story-driven work designed to encourage curiosity, connection, and deeper engagement with the stories readers encounter.

Its first children's title, Nora Escapes the Bakery, was released in June 2026 and introduced readers to an interactive story centered on courage, friendship, adventure, and belonging. Crumb Trail Publishing also supports author appearances, literacy experiences, workshops, and creative projects that bring stories beyond the page.

Ivan Sled Press is a literary imprint of Crumb Trail Publishing providing a home for Eli's original storytelling, imaginative fiction, and speculative, reimagined fables. 

For media interviews, author appearances, literacy programming, and creative collaboration inquiries, contact Devans Eli through Crumb Trail Publishing.

Learn More & Media Inquiries

Devans Eli
Founder, Crumb Trail Publishing and Ivan Sled Press

Author Website: devanseli.com

Facebook: Author Devans Eli

Media Kit: linktr.ee/iamdevanseli

Media Contact

Devans Eli, Crumb Trail Publishing

[email protected]

‪(240) 424-5859‬

P.O. Box 5149 Baltimore MD 21224

http://www.crumbtrailpublishing.com