Mad Goat Press (MGP) is an independent hybrid publisher. 

While we offer many author services, we also share a few critical responsibilities with our authors. In return, our authors enjoy higher royalties than a traditional publisher can offer. All services we offer are included in our royalty structure. No upfront frees are paid to us; however, we do ask our authors to maintain a small marketing budget (discussed in greater detail upon acceptance).

What We Offer*

Professional Cover Design: Covers are arguably the most important element in marketing your book. We love great covers at MGP and we love working closely with our authors to make sure they love their book covers, too. We will work closely with you to create and design a fabulous cover that reflects your story. If you already have a cover, we will consider it only if it meets our conditions. It must be professionally made in Photoshop (no exceptions) and all original files must be provided to MGP. This includes the psd file, all image files with full copyrights to produce, and all font files with full copyrights to produce. If these files cannot be provided or the cover does not meet our minimum standards, we will provide a professional cover. Sometimes covers may look great, but simply are not marketable in today’s climate. If your cover is not marketable, we will provide a professional cover.

Interior Layout: We will design the interior of your book to meet industry layout standards, and to be appealing to readers. We will format and design your eBook and print books to stand out visually from the crowd. You’ve done the grueling and laborious work of writing a great story, now let us make it look great, pulling the reader in before they ever read the first word.

Proofreading: We do not provide developmental or line editing services, but we do proofread each manuscript prior to publication to ensure they are free from typographical errors.

Printing & Distribution Management: We will make your book available in every appropriate format (eBook, soft cover, hard cover, audio, etc), and make it available to retail outlets such as Amazon, national bookstore chains and independent bookstores. While Amazon may be the top book seller in the nation, we take book distribution a step further to reach bookstores and libraries. We work with a major print distributor, making it possible for independent authors like you to reach additional readers by getting your books on the shelves of bookstores and libraries.

Launch Marketing: One thing that really separates MGP from other publishing companies is our marketing strategies. Our team brings decades of marketing and sales experience to our authors. We offer a major marketing push to launch your book successfully from the start. Our marketing strategies get you, the author, the attention you deserve by connecting your books to the right readers, national bloggers and local media. We will optimize your Amazon profile and book page to increase reader traffic and maximize Amazon ad performance. Let our experience work for you and in turn, we will help you set your book up for long-term success. You are also encouraged to contribute to your own pre-launch and launch campaigns as well. This means a small upfront budget on your end. Outside the marketing we provide, there will be additional marketing responsibility we will ask of you. We will provide guidance of known strategies that work and are cost effective and easy for you to implement. We are in this together and we need you to be just as dedicated as we are to seeing your book succeed.

Author Website & Social Media Platforms: It’s critical that authors have a modern, professional and well-branded website. If you do not have a website, or it does not meet the minimum standards, we will build a website for you. Your author website is your gateway to your readers. It needs to clearly reflect your genre and writing themes. We have the tools necessary to concisely convey your brand to build your tribe that will support you as a leading author in science fiction, fantasy, or horror for years to come. Consistency in branding is critical across all social media platforms and everything should lead readers back to your website. We will create media boards for all social media platforms you are active on to tie your brand together. We recommend, at a minimum, that you maintain a Facebook business page (not a personal page), Twitter account, Instagram account, and GoodReads page specific to you as an author. We will conduct an author online presence evaluation and provide you with recommendations to maximize your branding potential.

What We Don’t Offer

Developmental & Line Editing: You are responsible for having your manuscript professionally edited prior to submitting it to MGP for consideration for publication. If we conditionally accept your manuscript but ask you to seek additional editing services to improve it, it is your responsibility to hire a professional editor to get your book publication-ready. Refusal to professionally edit your book will result in immediate rejection. This process is critical in order to meet our standard of quality. If you desire to be published by MGP, this is where the majority of your time and money should be spent. A developmental editor will help you find plot holes and further develop your character arcs to create an engaging and thrilling story. A line editor will clean up your writing and make it error free. Not all stories will sell, nor will they all be accepted by MGP, but the editing process will get you one step closer.

Long-term Marketing: While we will heavily market the launch of your book, it will be your responsibility to maintain long-term marketing campaigns. We will provide you with the best tools and knowledge we have to do this, but the costs will be yours once the launch campaign has ended.

Social Media Management: We will provide you with media boards and marketing tools to promote your books on your social media platforms, but we do not manage those promotions for you. It is your sole responsibility to promote your book on the platforms you maintain.

Already self-published?

No worries! We’ve got you covered at MGP. We are in business to help self-published and independent authors just like you. It doesn’t matter how many books you’ve sold or how your sales statistics compare to others in this market. We encourage you to submit your book as long as it has been professionally edited first. We understand that thousands of great books are published every year that never get the attention they deserve. Maybe it’s the cover design or marketing strategies or placement on Amazon. If your book meets our criteria and standard of quality, we will consider it for publication.

*Disclaimer: There are no guarantees in the book publication world and we make no guarantees. We do promise to do everything in our power to make your book a success. If you are accepted into our publication program, then we are confident you have a book that will sell. We are taking on all the risk and if your book doesn’t sell, we lose too.