What makes a book ‘extraordinary’?

We’re drawn to books that stand apart, and yours does because of your unique background, lived experience, specialist knowledge or rare access. You might have an unusual life story, or an unexpected professional frame of reference. Either way, your book cannot be replicated.

If the subject itself isn’t new, the way it’s approached is. We’re interested in fresh angles on familiar topics – books that reframe what we think we already know, offering insights we didn’t see coming.

Other times, it’s the subject that’s surprising: overlooked, underexplored or simply not taken seriously enough, until now. We’re looking for original perspectives, where novelty serves a purpose and leads to new ways of thinking.

In fiction especially, we value formal and essential boldness. This doesn’t just mean elegant writing, but storytelling that breaks boundaries or considers structure in innovative ways. Your story will flow from deep research, personal insight or an inventive narrative approach. We’re especially excited by writing that, creatively or intellectually, opens up new territory or re-maps familiar ground.

What genres do you publish?

We publish books based on their distinctiveness, full stop.

We welcome niche or unconventional books, and works that defy categorisation, drawing from different fields, voices, genres or cultural frameworks to create something truly new.

We don’t chase trends or try to cram books into rigid boxes. If your project doesn’t seem like a fit anywhere else, it might be perfect for us.

What makes you different from traditional publishers?

We’re driven by values, not profit margins. We were founded to resist industry consolidation and give authors an alternative to the standard publishing model – one that’s fair, bold and uncompromising.

How does EB being a not-for-profit affect my book’s potential?

To be clear, the company is not for profit: Extraordinary Books’ lack of a profit imperative frees us to take risks and pursue exceptional books. Our drive for profit on behalf of the books / authors themselves, on the other hand, is unwavering: we want all our authors to do phenomenally well, and to this end we pledge equal marketing resources per title, across the board.

How does profit-sharing work?

Our profit-sharing model is simple, transparent and author-friendly. Once a book starts generating income, we first deduct any direct, invoiced costs related to its production and promotion (such as editing, cover design, printing and marketing campaigns). After those costs are recouped, the remaining net profit is split 50/50 between the author and the publisher.

Authors will always know exactly where they stand, and there are no hidden fees or confusing royalty tiers – just a straightforward, equal partnership in the book’s success.

Will you accept authors with platforms and social media followings?

Of course; we are committed to publishing unique books regardless of whether or not authors are well placed in terms of platform, but whatever advantages an author brings with them will be factored into the marketing of their book for maximum success.

How is my submission assessed?

To begin with, our editorial team will review the 500-word summary of your work submitted by you or your literary representative. Projects that present as truly unique will be passed to the editorial collective, and read by a number of reader-assessors whose experience and preferences align with the book’s subject, themes, style, etc. Their assessments will be fed back to the editorial team, and a decision will be made then.

What is the editorial collective?

As part of our mission to democratise the publishing process, we combine the work of experienced commissioning editors with input from the collective, which comprises carefully profiled readers of all backgrounds united by a passion for books. This structure helps us discover and support singular works.

Can I take part in the editorial collective?

Everyone is welcome. A detailed application form will be made available on our website; until then, email info@extraordinarybooks.co.uk and write EDITORIAL COLLECTIVE in the subject heading.