Unbound Publishing

 

So, how does it work?

 

First, the author pitches an idea

 

Unbound allows you to listen to authors' ideas for what they'd like to write before they even start. If you like their idea, you can pledge to support it. If we hit the target number of supporters, the author can go ahead and start writing.

 

 

If you like it you can make a pledge

 

There are several levels of support, each with different rewards. The higher your pledge, the greater the rewards you'll receive, from your name in the back of the book to lunch with the author.

 

 

From there, you stay up to date

 

As soon as you make a pledge to support an Unbound project you gain access to the author's private area, or 'shed'. Here you can get updates on the book's progress.

 

 

And then you get the book

 

After the book is written, designed, edited and printed, we send it to you, either as an e-book or a limited edition hardback or paperback.

 

For the first time, you will be able to hold in your hands a book that wouldn't have existed without you.

About Unbound:

Why Unbound exists

 

Unbound was founded by three writers: Dan Kieran, Justin Pollard & John Mitchinson.

We think people who love books – primarily readers and writers – deserve a say in what does or doesn't get published. You may not be aware of it, but even best selling authors are beginning to have very restrictive parameters imposed on the kinds of books they get to write. Put simply, there are lots of potentially great books we're not getting the opportunity to read.

 

Why we need a new way to publish books

 

Creating bestsellers is the main focus of all the major publishers. This is why celebrity biographies, TV tie-ins and genre fiction dominate the displays and promotions in major book retailers, but what do you suppose happens to the books that don't fall into those categories? Very little is the honest answer.

Nor does the traditional publishing process give readers any insight into the writing process or help to build a closer relationship between a writer and their readers. Unbound has been developed to do just that.

 

The Unbound model

 

The Unbound model is very straightforward: the author pitches an idea and if enough readers support it, the book goes ahead. Unbound is both a funding platform and a publisher, fulfilling all the normal publishing functions but also splitting a book's net profit 50/50 with the author. Under the traditional model an author is lucky to earn 10% of the cover price, whereas retailers are regularly expecting discounts of over 60%, plus a contribution to the costs of display and marketing. This is why books with print runs of fewer than 5,000 copies make less and less economic sense – even though it is precisely these books that contain the most innovative and challenging ideas.

Unbound will keep the process transparent and simple: a reader helps great ideas get published, and in return receives an insight into the writing process and has their name printed as a patron in that and every subsequent edition. The current process is much more complicated.

 

Refund policy

A full refund is available on any credits in a user’s account that were purchased within 30 days. All unused credits expire after 30 days.

After a user supports a project using their credits, they can withdraw those credits from the book project, back into their account, at any point prior to the project reaching its reader target.

If a project fails to reach its target of readers all credits will automatically be returned to the user’s account. The user can then allocate those credits to other book projects or they can contact Unbound for a full refund.

If a project reaches its reader target, but for whatever reason, Unbound fails to deliver the associated rewards to the user, then Unbound will refund these credits so they can be applied to another project.
 

The fine print

 

Unbound is the trading name of United Authors Publishing Ltd, Registered Office c/o Leigh Saxton Green, Mutual House, 70 Conduit Street, London W1S 2GF.

 

For enquiries email us on support@unbound.co.uk or call 020 7821 6561. We're @unbounders on twitter by the way.

 

All transactions are in (GBP) £ sterling.

 

Books can not be returned unless delivered in unacceptable condition, in which case replacement copies can be claimed by contacting Unbound on 020 7821 6561.

 

Books will be delivered by Royal Mail, except International orders which will be delivered through local carriers.