OR Books
| Company type | Independent publishing house |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founder | John Oakes, Colin Robinson |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
| Products | Digital and print-on-demand publications |
| Website | orbooks |
OR Books is an independent publishing house located in New York City, established in 2009 by founders John Oakes and Colin Robinson. The company specializes in selling both digital and print-on-demand publications directly to readers, utilizing innovative marketing strategies across traditional media outlets and digital platforms. OR Books is committed to advancing progressive ideals within the realms of politics, culture, and business methodologies.
Soon after its inception, OR Books attracted significant attention with the release of Going Rouge: Sarah Palin, An American Nightmare, a satirical take on Sarah Palin's memoir that achieved status as a New York Times bestseller. The publisher’s roster features works from prominent figures including Julian Assange, Moustafa Bayoumi, Medea Benjamin, Patrick Cockburn, Simon Critchley, Norman Finkelstein, Laura Flanders, Gordon Lish, Bill McKibben, Yoko Ono, Barney Rosset, Douglas Rushkoff, and Slavoj Žižek.
Founders
John Oakes previously co-founded Four Walls Eight Windows, held the position of publisher at Thunder's Mouth Press, and was co-publisher of Nation Books. He currently oversees publication of the Evergreen Review. Colin Robinson’s background includes senior editorial work at Scribner, leadership as managing director at Verso Books, and serving as publisher at The New Press.
Joint ventures
In 2010, OR Books collaborated with the writers' collective Mischief & Mayhem, which includes authors such as Dale Peck and Choire Sicha.
That same year, a partnership was formed with St. Mark’s Bookshop to distribute selected titles via the bookstore’s online platform, enhancing e-book availability.
Following the passing of its founder Stephen Hayward in 2016, OR Books expanded its international footprint by acquiring UK-based Serif.
Also in 2016, OR Books joined forces with Counterpoint Press to introduce several publications into retail outlets, thereby increasing their physical distribution network.
External links
- Official website
- OR Books on Facebook
- John Oakes, "Disintermediating Amazon", Publishers Weekly, May 18, 2012
- Colin Robinson, "The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Reader", The New York Times, January 4, 2014
- Mischief + Mayhem
- Kat Meyer, "TOC Evolvers: OR Books", August 7, 2010. Interview with John Oakes on O'Reilly Media's TOC (Tools of Change for Publishing)
- Publishers Weekly discusses OR Books in its 2010 roundup, January 3, 2011
- Jim Barnes, "Indie Groundbreaking Publisher: OR Books — A Brave New Publishing Model", Independent Publisher article on the success of Going Rouge
- Interview with Colin Robinson on NPR's On the Media
- Chad W. Post, "OR Books Preaches Elegant Direct Model", Publishing Perspectives, October 6, 2010
- "Words & Music Festival 2011 featured fireworks, and a little sadness", Nola.com, November 15, 2011 (showdown between OR co-publisher John Oakes and Random House editor)
- Dennis Sweeney, "Interview with Colin Robinson, Co-Founder, OR Books", Entropy Magazine, January 2014