First of all, let me state; There is nothing stopping anyone from starting their own publishing company.

As a minimum it is just a significant investment in time. After that you can choose to make your own publishing house as small or as large as you want, based on what you are prepared to invest.

As for us? We were inspired by our observations of the Australian publishing landscape, before making broader observations of the global publishing scene and the direction it has taken in recent years. Let me qualify both of those vague statements;

The Australian publishing landscape appears to be a high quality market, but one of little opportunity for unestablished authors, or ‘unsolicited manuscripts’. With that in mind, why not add one more opportunity into the market, with an open-minded approach and a commitment to new and undiscovered talent.

When we refer to the global publishing scene and it’s recent direction, we are referring to a VERY SMALL but concerning addition to the market; hybrid-publishing, or ‘shared-contribution’ contract offers.

Book publishing by nature is an industry that revels in the phrasing of words, so authors will inevitably see this trend described in many different ways. But a small piece of advice from your friendly SkyGoat Publisher; if you receive one of these offers, we encourage you to be brave. It can be a lonely and scary road when you are looking for support getting your work out there, but many of the best authors had to return to the drawing board, more times than you could count.

While we are mindful not to write dangerously critical statements on our website, we also encourage authors to research some of the other general commentary on the internet regarding this form of publishing.

So where does SkyGoat Publishing house fit into all of this?

Well as described in our about us description; we believe that working harder and smarter can still compete with established capital. This means that titles can be published outside of the major publishers around the world and still expect a fair chance at success. Small publishers are different from your typical press (publishers with their own printing facilities). However, by utilising print-on-demand services this is no longer the disadvantage it may have been many years ago. Amazon kindle, Kobo, and Smashwords are available to all, so again this is not such an uneven playing field.

The biggest difference is that the major publishers have agreements with bookstores around the world. If you are picked up by them, your hard work will immediately be printed and put in front of readers in shopping centres everywhere, and the promotional capital invested will also ensure immediate exposure. What we are trying to say, is that if you are lucky enough to receive an offer from them, take it! We are happy for you!

Otherwise, if you are not fortunate enough to be a former athlete, musician, or high profile entertainment personality with a biography that MUST be read, don’t be disheartened. The world is still an amazing place, and technology is an incredibly innovative resource. Your stories can still succeed by other channels.

We may not have the processing power of larger publishers to review thousands of manuscripts a year, but when we are open, we will give all of them the time and consideration that they deserve. In the meantime, check out our Author Resource – The most comprehensive list of fantasy publishers accepting unsolicited manuscripts. It is a great resource, just don’t send your first draft to all of them at once! You only get to make one first impression!