In a June 13 Substack post celebrating its first 100 days in business, upstart publishing venture Authors Equity has shared a list of its first 10 author signings, including four books that are scheduled to be published in 2024.
“When we launched, many speculated who our ‘typical’ authors would be. As it turns out, there is no single type,” reads the post. “As individuals in publishing, we’ve worked across all categories in the past, so it makes sense that there’s range in what appeals to us now. More interesting, though, is the range of authors drawn to us.”
The first 10 Authors Equity projects feature a wide range of authors, including the first books in a series of romance book by 831 Stories, the innovative “romantic fiction company,” founded by Claire Mazur and Erica Cerulo; a new business book by bestselling author Seth Godin; a new AI book by technologist and LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, cowritten with tech writer Greg Beato; a new title from motivational speaker Rachel Hollis; a short story collection from the journal Kweli; a new edition of Don’t Believe Everything You Think by self-published author Joseph Nguyen; and, next summer a new novel from James Frey and a new series by Kyle Mills.
Announced in March, Authors Equity was founded by a group of industry veterans, including former Penguin Random House U.S. CEO Madeline McIntosh and former Macmillan CEO Don Weisberg, along with Nina von Moltke, most recently president and director of strategic development at PRH U.S. The company’s goal is to operate outside of traditional publishing business models, including offering no advances in exchange for giving authors a high percentage of a book’s profits—a model used by some other types of hybrid publishers.
The initial list—which doesn’t include author James Clear, an investor in Authors Equity who has committed to publishing with the company—is certainly eclectic. But its common thread, McIntosh stressed to PW, is the desire to try something new.
“Some want more control over their IP, others are drawn to our creative approach and flexibility. But they all share a willingness to step outside the well-worn grooves in the industry and embrace a new approach to publishing,” McIntosh said, when asked what drew the authors to work with Authors Equity. “We have great relationships with agents who have a sense of which authors would be a good fit for our model, and some have been particularly enthusiastic about working with us.”
In terms of what the deals look like, McIntosh said Authors Equity contracts are “simple,” due to its profit-share model. “But the terms of each deal are tailored to the project and the author’s specific goals, needs, and ambitions,” she added, saying the publisher doesn’t have a “one-size-fits-all” approach. “The common thread is finding creators who are interested in publishing in a different way and are excited by what we’re building at Authors Equity.”
The full list of authors is available on the Authors Equity Substack, Fair Share.
