Game Over Books? Why?

80% of the US book trade is controlled by five main publishing houses (often referred to as The Big Five). Game Over Books is a small Black and Queer-owned and operated publisher run collaboratively by a group of writers and working artists. Our goal is to bust down the gatekeepers of traditional publishing while printing high-quality books by diverse writers. We strive to make our editing and publishing process honest, transparent and inclusive.

In an industry that is 76% White, 97% Cis, and 81% Straight*, GoB has published 12 poetry collections by primarily LGBTQIA+ and POC authors. Almost 90 percent of our writers are first time authors whose manuscripts would not typically be picked up for publication by larger publishers. Our team of staff, editors, and readers is made up of over 50% POC, 100% LGBTQIA+, and 100% writers or creatives. All of the money that we make off of this Patreon goes directly to paying staff.

Our books have been reviewed and recognized by a number of major literary outlets including Entropy Mag, Buzzfeed, Vagabond Lit, Harvard Review, The Boston Globe, BOOG City, Motif, and the Boston Book Fest. Our writers have received awards and honors from National Association of Latino Arts & Culture (NALAC), Write Bloody, Spotify, Button Poetry, Mass Poetry, SlamFind, The Sidewalk Poetry Project, the Prelude Festival NYC, and more.

What started out as a group of writers trying to break into the publishing world has grown into a press providing access to print and continuing to stretch the parameters of who and what gets published today. Our books can be found at a number of independent and major bookstores across the country, including The Harvard Bookstore, Beastly Books, El Museo del Barrio, City Lights, Brazos Bookstore, RiffRaff, Trident Booksellers, Barnes and Noble, Boulder Bookstore, Bookshop, Skylight Books, and more. We are primarily based out of the Boston area, but are seeking to publish innovative and boundary-defying work from artists everywhere.

Publishing can change and be better for everyone. It's going to take time but we will get there!

What We Can Offer:

In addition to continuing to bring you new books, we are offering:

• Monthly discounts at our online store

• Access to behind-the-scenes information; be the first to know what books we are publishing and when they will be released!

• Early access to books and products sold at our online store

• Answers to your publishing questions. You can send us messages anytime. We only ask that you be patient while we work to respond as quickly as possible.

In the future, being a Patron will also come with Patron-only content like poems, blogs, and interviews with our writers.

All tiers get all benefits! We value each and every person who is able to support our efforts!

Important Note: Game Over Books is a publisher and not a vanity press. We opened a Patreon for community support. Becoming a Patron and supporting Game Over Books does not mean that your work will be automatically considered for publication. Manuscripts are only considered for publication during open reading periods or by reading invitation. Becoming a Patron helps us keep publishing books and supports our authors and volunteers.



*Source: Diversity Baseline Survey 2019 - https://blog.leeandlow.com/2020/01/28/2019diversitybaselinesurvey/