ICSM Publishing Industry Insolvency News: book authors fear they won’t be paid after publisher is bought in a pre-pack

By Harry Mottram: The crowdfunding publisher Unbound has gone into administration leaving authors in the lurch with no sign of their cash after a new firm Boundless Publishing Group acquires the business. The business model involves authors being crowdfunded by fans and readers in order to pay for publishing costs which were organised by Unbound. The new owners of the publisher had initially promised all monies would be returned but some of the authors haven’t been paid since last summer prompting fears they and their crowdfunding supporters won’t see their cash.

The Guardian’s Lucy Knight gave this explanation of how the system worked: “The unique selling point of the publisher, launched in 2011 by QI researchers John Mitchinson and Justin Pollard, and Crap Towns author Dan Kieran, was that it allowed writers to pitch ideas online directly to readers. If enough people pledged financial support, the author would write the book, with supporters receiving various perks, such as early access to the book or a special edition.”

Allister Manson & Charles Turner of Opus Restructuring LLP were appointed Administrators of Unbound on Monday, 10 March, 2025. As part of the acquisition, Boundless secured Unbound’s intellectual property, ongoing customer and supplier relationships and publishing contracts, digital assets, and goodwill associated with brands such as Unbound, Neem Tree Press and Boundless Magazine. Boundless said they have also retained all existing of Unbound’s employees but were less clear about whether the money so far raised for a number of book projects by the author’s supporters will be returned.

In a statement they said: “Boundless will be moving forward with the majority of the Unbound projects” and said the authors and readers should check back later this month for more information. Authors like Tom Cox said he and other writers had pressed the publisher for news when they would be paid back their cash if their books are not published were told they would be repaid with a ‘payment plan.’ Even worse Boundless have told him that supporters of writers who paid into the crowdfunding scheme may not be paid at all as they are not obliged to pay creditors of Unbound.

Ian Carrotte of ICSM had his words of advice to authors echoed by Anna Ganley, chief executive of the Society of Authors, the UK’s largest writers’ body, who said they need to check contracts with a publisher. Anna Ganley said: “The Society of Authors does not believe, based on the paperwork we have seen so far, that any author will be compelled to sign up with Boundless unless they choose to do so.”

Ian Carrotte said it was a very unsatisfactory situation and that Unbound’s CEO Archna Sharma had a moral responsibility to make good any monies raised through the crowdfunding scheme.

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