A publishing partner for indie fiction authors

Romance, fantasy, thrillers, sci-fi, historical, mystery, and everything in between. If you write fiction and want to publish it well without giving up your rights, you are in the right place.

CHAPTER ONE: HOW WE GOT HERE

Mystic Valley Press began as a bookstore with a specialty. For years we filled our shelves with cozy mysteries: quaint villages, bustling bookshops, quirky sleuths, and the occasional body in the gazebo. We gave indie authors a place to sell their books directly to readers without handing a slice to the big stores.

Running that shop taught us something we had not expected. Week after week we met authors who had written a genuinely good book and then got lost somewhere between "The End" and launch day. They were paying for the wrong kind of editing. They were signing contracts they did not fully understand. They were rebuilding their whole launch from scratch every single time. And it was not just mystery writers. Romance authors, fantasy authors, and thriller authors were all stuck in the same places. The stories were never the problem. The road was.

So in October 2026 we closed the bookstore and turned the page. Mystic Valley Press is now a publishing partner for indie fiction authors in every genre, and we put everything we learned behind the counter to work for the people who write the books.

So this October we are closing the bookstore and turning the page. Mystic Valley Press is becoming a publishing partner for indie fiction authors in every genre, and we are putting everything we learned behind the counter to work for the people who write the books. 

Through October 25, every book in the shop is 25% off in our Farewell Sale.

CHAPTER TWO: WHAT WE DO NOW

Your publishing partner. We work alongside you on editing, cover design, formatting, distribution, and launch, and you keep your rights and your royalties. Every project starts with a conversation about your book and where you want it to go, not a one-size-fits-all package. 

Book a Publishing Path Call

The Indie Author Library. Ten free guides and toolkits on the questions most authors do not know to ask until it is expensive: what kind of editing you actually need, what publishing really costs, and which road fits your book. No account, no password, and everything is yours to keep. 

The Author Command Center. For established authors with a series or a backlist, our team sets up the business behind your books for you: your reader list, launches, ARCs and reviews, email, direct sales, and reporting, all in one place. 

Visit the LibraryLearn more about the Author Command Center

WHAT WE BELIEVE

Your book is yours. 
You keep your rights and your royalties. Always.

Every genre deserves a professional finish.
Dragons, duchesses, detectives, or starships: we bring the same care to all of them.

Plain answers beat polite ones.
If a contract looks predatory or a quote looks padded, we will tell you, kindly and clearly.

Good publishing should not be a secret handshake.
That is why the library is free, and why it will stay that way.

Systems give you your writing time back.
The admin behind a book should run on a process, not on your memory at midnight.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PRESS

Mary B. Barbee, Founder 
I am an independent author myself, and before I ever plotted a story I spent years designing CRMs and automation systems for businesses. Mystic Valley Press is where those two halves of my life finally met. I know what it feels like to finish a book and have no idea what comes next, and I know how much calmer the whole thing gets once the right systems are in place. I built this press to give other authors both.

Matt Partrich, Office Manager and Financial Wizard 
Matt keeps the numbers honest and the wheels turning. He can spot a wasted dollar a mile away, which turns out to be just as useful for authors' publishing budgets as it was for a bookstore.

Valentino, Head of Office Morale 
Our smallest and fiercest team member keeps us all in line, sometimes supervising from the couch while soaking up a sunbeam.

LAST CHANCE TO SHOP OUR SHELVES

Every book is 25% off through October 25th, when the bookstore closes for good. After that, you will find these wonderful authors' books at all the major retailers and on their own websites.

Shop the Farewell Sale