OR Books, the e-book and POD-only startup that sells direct-to-consumer, has entered into a partnership with Just World Books, a similar startup POD publishing house specializing in serious nonfiction, launched by jounalist Helena Cobban in 2010. OR Books will provide JWB with production, marketing and rights sales and assist JWB in speeding up the growth of its e-book list.
Although the houses were developed and launched separately, both publishers use a similar business model and make use of e-books, print-on-demand publishing and online promotion to remove the inefficiences of the traditional book publishing process. And both Just World Books, and OR Books, which was founded in 2009 by veteran publishing figures Colin Robinson and John Oakes, sell direct to consumers and use POD to produce a book only after it has been purchased.
Cobban said the deal grew out of conversations with OR Books’s Robinson and Oakes over their shared approaches to publishing. She said the partnership will help grow the JWB e-book publishing program and “bring our book prices down a bit while retaining the margin we need to make the company sustainable over the long haul.”
OR Books cofounder John Oakes said, "The new model of book publishing is going to be far less territorially restricted and more global than the business has been hitherto. We have already achieved significant book sales around the world, as well as a robust presence in the foreign rights market, but we think Helena can help us strengthen that. We are very excited about working with her and JWB going forward."
