ABOUT
Publishing is our passion. It is not just our business.
Our Story
Amazing things happened when a graphic designer and bibliophile joined forces intent on bringing a new approach to self-publishing. From the very beginning, our goal at What If? Publishing was to be different by design.
By combining their divergent skills, they created a self-publishing experience that focused not only on creating unique, beautifully designed, high quality, professionally printed books, but also on a process that put the author firmly in control, offering them a wide range of publishing and service options, and brought choice and creativity to every aspect of their project. Different by design starts and ends with them. Different by design means delivering an unprecedented level of value, service, creativity, and individual attention to every author they work with.
And they knew that they were onto something when their first client book project won two national and international awards as well as an Amazon #1 New Release status. To date, they have worked with countless authors, across just about every book genre, and are proud to have won 11 national and international book awards.
We are:
Liz Mrofka is the What If? Chief Creative and Artistic Director.
Fresh out of design school, Liz was hired at Interweave Press, an international publisher of handcraft publications. There she acquired her love of publishing and learned the nuances of the publishing business. For the past 28 years she has had the opportunity to work with several publishers, designing award winning books and magazines, as well as develop branding, marketing materials, advertisements, digital media, packaging, conducting photoshoots, creating event booths, for a wide variety of applications.
Curious and problem-solving by nature, her creativity is also expressed through mixed medias and a new found love of creating designs for laser and CNC carving.
Prior to co-founding What If? Liz not only did graphic design but also invented and patented the Fobbie, Gift Wrapping in a Cinch® product. She won the Best New Product Award at the National Stationery Show which garnered attention in the industry leading to an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Berwick Offray, the largest ribbon and bow manufacturer in the world. The Fobbie has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX networks, as well as the Today Show and the QVC Shopping Network. It has also been featured in a variety of publications and blogs and has been sold at Michaels® Craft Stores in the United States and Canada. Liz is the past Vice President of the Rocky Mountain Inventors Association, where she helped fellow inventors and has spoken about how to take an idea from conception to market.
Robin Denise Shukle is the What If? Publisher and Chief Bibliophile
Robin is a self-avowed bibliophile and loves nothing better than to talk books, authors, and ideas. An early reader, Robin won every library summer reading program competition, and to this day counts her library card as one of her most prized possessions. Books and prime numbers are her calling. Her natural curiosity, love of a good story, and appreciation for beautiful language motivates her to read across a remarkably diverse group of book genres. In 2021, both personally and for client research, she read a combined 158 books.
With 36 years of project management, customer service, and business development experience, Robin manages project details and decisions to ensure that an author’s project runs on time and smoothly. She is the liaison, a real person, who authors can reach, at any time, with ideas, questions, or concerns. As a bibliophile, Robin’s extensive reading history is invaluable when working with authors on book genres, comparable works, author voice, and reader niches.
Prior to co-founding What If? Robin was the Executive Director of the Loveland Center For Business Development (LCBD) for eight years. Before relocating to Colorado, Robin had a lengthy career in Chicago that included technology positions in Fortune 100 corporations as well as international consulting experience with Andersen Consulting and McKinsey Consulting. She was recruited to manage the technology development in a Silicon Valley venture capital funded start up, continuing to build her career in positions as Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer, and Chief Quality Officer. When the venture-funded high- tech bubble burst, not wanting to return to corporate America, Robin bootstrapped two of her own business ventures in Chicago. Owning her own businesses as well as the experience in the technology start up world, gave her the true hands-on experience and understanding of what it takes to be an entrepreneur and build value-based businesses. In 2007, she sold both businesses and relocated to Colorado to be closer to her folks who reside in Loveland. Robin holds multiple degrees from the University of Wisconsin in business and technology.
Hadley Rose Dawg is the What If? Chief Fun Officer.
Her natural talents and abilities, including exercise promotion, adventures and napping, provide comic relief and stress management.