OR Books
OR Books is an independent New York-based progressive publisher founded in 2009 that sells print books, e-books, and bundles directly through its own BigCommerce e-commerce storefront to activist, academic, and graphic-art readers globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What OR Books does
OR Books is an independent, privately held publishing company founded in 2009 and headquartered at 40 Avenue C in New York City's East Village. The company publishes books across progressive politics, social justice, the Middle East (with a dedicated Israel-Palestine sublist and Iran list), US foreign policy criticism, activism, feminism, race, graphic art, and cultural criticism, positioning itself as a direct-to-consumer alternative to mainstream publishing houses. Its catalog includes award-winning titles such as Eileen Myles' 'Inferno' (Lambda Award for Best Lesbian Fiction, 2010) and works by authors including Norman G. Finkelstein, Patrick Cockburn, Joe Sacco, Medea Benjamin, Eli Valley, and McKenzie Wark. The company co-publishes with the Institute for Palestine Studies and acquired Serif Books in 2016.
OR Books' commercial operation is built on a BigCommerce-hosted e-commerce storefront at orbooks.com supporting USD, GBP, and INR transactions, with multi-format fulfillment (print, e-book, and discounted print+e-book bundles) plus gift certificates, merchandise (tote bags), and curated reading lists and thematic bundles. There is no third-party retail, wholesale, or marketplace distribution; all sales are direct-to-consumer and one-time/perpetual-license. The company extends its brand through the ORdio podcast (distributed on SoundCloud and Spotify), a TikTok presence, curated reading lists (Pride, Free Assange, Save Palestine, Women's History Month, Decolonize That!), and a 30%-off mailing-list acquisition offer.
The business model is straightforward transactional publishing: typical price points are $16–$45 for physical books, $10–$12 for e-books, and 15–26% discounts on combo bundles. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or institutional investors; reported headcount is 1–10 employees, consistent with a small independent imprint operating without economies of scale.
OR Books firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OR Books
- Legal name
- OR Books
- Website
- https://orbooks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- OR Books is an independent New York-based progressive publisher founded in 2009 that sells print books, e-books, and bundles directly through its own BigCommerce e-commerce storefront to activist, academic, and graphic-art readers globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OR Books industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Independent Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- eBook & Digital Reading Platforms (BPAMAJAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- E-book Retail & Reading Platforms (Stores, Apps, Devices) (MPAJAMAA), Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB), Literary & Classics Publishing (MPAJAAAC)
Keywords
Where OR Books is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
OR Books business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Physical Book Sales: One-time purchase model for physical paperback and hardcover books sold directly through the orbooks.com e-commerce platform. Books are priced individually with occasional bundle discounts.
- E-book Sales: Digital book sales in e-book format (ISBN-based), offered as standalone purchases or bundled with print editions at discounted combo pricing.
- Bundle and Combo Sales: Curated book bundles (e.g., Decolonize That! combo, Beautiful Solutions bundle, Eli Valley bundle) sold at discounted rates compared to individual purchases to drive volume sales.
- Gift Certificates: Gift certificate sales allowing customers to purchase credit for future book purchases on the platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Individual physical books priced at $16-$45 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | E-book singles priced at $10-$12 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Print + E-Book combo bundles with 15-26% discounts |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
OR Books product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OR Books is an independent publishing company that produces and sells progressive political and cultural books directly to consumers through its own e-commerce website at orbooks.com. It offers individual titles in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats, themed multi-book bundles at discounted rates, gift certificates, zines, and branded merchandise, supported by the ORdio podcast and curated reading lists.
Product overview
OR Books is an independent progressive publishing company offering a diverse catalog of books across politics, current affairs, history, activism, technology, art/culture, and literature. The core product is its e-book and print bookstore at orbooks.com, featuring books available in multiple formats (print, e-book, print+e-book bundles). Key product lines include the ORdio podcast platform, curated Reading Lists, the 'Decolonize That!' series examining cultural colonialism, the 'Beautiful' activism toolkit series (Beautiful Trouble, Beautiful Rising, Beautiful Solutions), political commentary on Middle East conflicts (Gaza, Ukraine, Iran), graphic art books by artists like Eli Valley and Mazen Kerbaj, and cultural criticism. The company also offers merchandise, gift certificates, and special promotional bundles. Multi-currency retail support includes USD, INR, and GBP.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ORdio Podcast
Companies that use OR Books
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
OR Books technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
OR Books partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Institute for Palestine StudiescoreOR Books co-publishes with the Institute for Palestine Studies, including titles like 'The Complicit Lens: US Media Coverage of Israel's Genocide in Gaza' by Robin Andersen. This partnership enhances credibility and distribution for Palestinian rights and Middle East content.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
OR Books competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Seven Stories Press: Independent publisher with a catalog covering politics, human rights, and progressive nonfiction. Comparable in editorial independence and thematic overlap with OR Books' catalog.
- Bold Type Books: Progressive nonfiction imprint publishing politics, culture, and current affairs. Direct thematic overlap with OR Books' nonfiction focus.
- AK Press: Worker-run radical publisher and distributor of anarchist, anti-authoritarian, and activist titles. Overlaps with OR Books' activism-focused catalog and direct-to-reader ethos.
- The New Press: Nonprofit independent publisher focused on social justice, politics, and underreported issues. Comparable editorial mission and target reader, with broader institutional reach.
- Melville House: Independent publisher of literary fiction, politics, and current affairs. Comparable in catalog mix, independent spirit, and D2C orientation.
- Haymarket Books: Radical/progressive independent publisher of politics, activism, and social movement titles. Directly comparable in mission, audience (activist readers), and catalog composition.
- Verso Books: Independent progressive publisher with a catalog spanning politics, critical theory, and current affairs. Closest direct competitor to OR Books in subject matter, ideological positioning, and author profile.
- Pluto Press: UK-based radical/leftist publisher of politics, Middle East, and progressive scholarship. Directly comparable thematic focus, especially on Middle East and political dissent.
- City Lights Publishers: Historic independent publisher of progressive poetry, politics, and literature. Comparable in independent/political publishing tradition and countercultural positioning.
Emerging players
- Semiotext(e): Independent publisher of radical theory, criticism, and cultural works. Overlaps with OR Books' countercultural and political theory edge, though with a more theory-heavy catalog.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
OR Books social profiles
Digital presenceOR Books financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OR Books leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
OR Books funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OR Books M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about OR Books
What does OR Books do?
OR Books is an independent publishing company that produces and sells progressive political and cultural books directly to consumers through its own e-commerce website at orbooks.com. It offers individual titles in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats, themed multi-book bundles at discounted rates, gift certificates, zines, and branded merchandise, supported by the ORdio podcast and curated reading lists.
Is OR Books a public or private company?
OR Books is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was OR Books founded?
OR Books was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is OR Books based?
OR Books is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does OR Books make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Physical Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are E-book Sales, bundle and Combo Sales and gift Certificates.
Who are OR Books's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Seven Stories Press, Bold Type Books, AK Press, The New Press, Melville House, Haymarket Books, Verso Books, Pluto Press and City Lights Publishers. Semiotext(e) is listed as an emerging player.
Does OR Books have an API?
No public API is recorded for OR Books.
What industry is OR Books in?
OR Books's product category is Independent Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAJAK, eBook & Digital Reading Platforms, with a secondary code of MPAJAMAA, E-book Retail & Reading Platforms (Stores, Apps, Devices). Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.