It's time for another of our candid conversations. This time, we are talking about what it looks like for this community to expand and publish more books. Which I hope is an ambition we all share.

Here goes...

When I partnered with Bindery Books, it was because I saw an opportunity to be a disruption. I saw an opportunity to do things differently. To be a problem for every publisher who is so consumed with capitalizing off of the art of writers that they are willing to lean into the racist systems necessary for capitalism to stay afloat. I recognized early that, while major publishers are not the enemy, they will definitely not be the vehicle that brings us to change. If we want to fight for something different in this industry, we have to fight differently.

That was--and is--the appeal of Bindery.

Now here we are with books already scheduled out into 2027 and a part of our work has to be expanding our reach so that we can champion more authors and strengthen the voice of this community. There is no shortage of Black and brown authors who are actively being left behind, so finding authors who deserve our help is not going to be a challenge. The challenge will be equipping ourselves well enough to make sure that every single author we pick up is championed EXCEPTIONALLY WELL. We do not want to sign books we cannot ensure end up being successful. Authors deserve us at our best.

Ok, so let's talk numbers:

Every single book we publish costs tens of thousands of dollars. We are investing in multiple rounds of professional level editing. Including multiple rounds of developmental editing, line editing, proofreading, and sensitivity reading. We are investing in graphic artists, designers, production and marketing. Publishing is unbelievably expensive, and we are giving our authors the absolute best. Because that is exactly what they deserve. Which means our ability to grow takes real time and effort, because every book we add to our list is a huge investment.

In 2025, we were able to invest in one author: Elaine Ho (Cry, Voidbringer.)

In 2026, we have the resources to invest in two authors: Falencia Jean-Francois (Devil of the Deep) and Inez Ray (Buzzard).

In 2027, we are already committed to invest in one author: Shardai Smith (From our Blood) and we have the budget to sign one more book for the year...and I would like us to push that to THREE. Why? Because healthy things grow. I want our impact to grow every single year.

I didn't start this community to fight small. I want to make big waves. I want to make a splash and consistently grow our reach, our voice, our message and our impact. Which means ensuring that our list is growing, our authors are championed well, and our community continues to grow so that we are equipped to take on more and more, and to do so SUCCESSFULLY.

My goal right now is to get our community positioned to publish THREE books in 2027. And the number one thing that needs to happen in order for us to get there is community growth. As a community led publishing group, our paid subscriptions make up a sizeable portion of our publishing budget. So if we want a more aggressive publishing schedule, growing our community large enough to resource those additional projects is important.

Our immediate goal is to grow our community to 1,000 paid subscribers. That is a goal I have mentioned before. This is why. Because I want us to be able to add a third (and maybe even fourth) author to our annual schedule, and this is an important step in making that affordable for our community. Because once again... we are not going to take on any projects that we aren't equipped to succeed with.

So if you are not a paid subscriber, please consider this your sign from the cosmos to subscribe today. My goal is to build this community so well that eventually, you are getting books regularly sent to your inbox and home. I want Left Unread to be a beacon to the Black and brown authors out there, waiting for their turn. I want us to be proof that no matter what it feels like, their turn IS COMING.

With your help, Left Unread can be one of many places where Black and brown authors are celebrated and believed in without question.

If you are someone who is intentional about reading and celebrating marginalized authors, I am asking you to take a chance on this community. Help us to bring change. Help us to fight for the authors you love and to turn them into proof that publishing can be more than a popularity contest. Help us show the world that community can get the job done.

PERKS

• $5 subscribers get access to exclusive publishing information and behind the scenes peaks at our process. You also get access to several exclusive channels in our community discord and an e-copy of every book we publish together.

• $12 & $25 subscribers get all of the above plus their name listed in every book we publish on a dedicated collaborators page. Let everyone know that you were a part of bringing these books to life.

Extra credit if you invite a friend to subscribe as well.