Not a Cult

What Not a Cult does

Not a Cult operates Louria Books, an independent publishing imprint and online bookstore that publishes and sells poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and art books emphasizing diverse and independent voices. The company functions as both publisher and retailer, maintaining a curated catalog of approximately 30 titles spanning genres such as Poetry, Arts, Fiction, Nonfiction, Romance, Religion & spirituality, Literature, and Self-help & personal development. Books are sold at price points ranging from $14.95 to $65.00 USD in paperback, hardcover, chapbook, and bundled formats, with one industry credential (the 2019 Stories Award for Poetry, awarded to Cebo Campbell's 'Violet in Some Places').

The underlying technology is a standard Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront at louriabooks.com, with no proprietary features, APIs, or integrations disclosed. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer, with worldwide shipping via USPS or UPS, multi-currency checkout across 100+ countries, pre-order support for upcoming releases, and a no-returns policy. Marketing relies on organic social (X and Instagram under @LouriaBooks), email newsletter capture, and Shopify/SEO-driven discovery. The legal entity Not a Cult is domiciled in California, USA, with no disclosed external funding, institutional investors, parent company, or management team bios available in the source data.

Name

Not a Cult

Legal name

Not a Cult

Website

https://notacult.media

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Not a Cult operates Louria Books, an independent publishing imprint that sells a curated catalog of approximately 30 poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and art books direct-to-consumer worldwide via a Shopify storefront at louriabooks.com.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Author Website, Storefront & Direct-to-Reader Commerce (D2C Sales) (MPAJAJAE)

Keywords

• Independent book publishing
• Literary publishing imprint
• Poetry and fiction books
• Art book publishing
• Direct-to-consumer books

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Book Sales (E-commerce): Direct sales of published books through the company's Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront. Customers purchase physical books (paperback, hardcover) at various price points ranging from approximately $14.95 to $65.00. The company also offers bundles and special edition items. Orders are processed and shipped within 3-4 business days with worldwide delivery available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Not a Cult is an independent book publisher operating under the Louria Books brand. It publishes and sells poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and art books directly to consumers worldwide through a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront, offering paperback and hardcover editions, pre-orders, bundles, and special journal products. The catalog features 30+ titles from diverse authors.

Product overview

Not a Cult operates Louria Books, an independent publishing imprint that functions as both a bookstore and publisher. The company publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and art books across multiple genres including Literature, Romance, Religion & spirituality, and Self-help & personal development. Louria Books serves as the primary storefront, powered by Shopify, offering direct-to-consumer sales of physical books. The catalog includes individual titles from various authors as well as branded products like The Sigh Swoon Journal. Orders are fulfilled via USPS or UPS with worldwide shipping capability. The company also maintains a submissions process for new authors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Louria Books (Publishing Imprint) Independent publishing imprint under Not a Cult that publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and art books and sells them directly to readers through an online storefront. Catalog spans Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction, Arts, Literature, Religion & Spirituality, Romance, and Self-help & Personal Development.
• Mixtape Hyperborea A book by Denzel Rust, priced at $14.95 USD, sold through the Louria Books storefront.
• Whiskers of a Kitten A book by Kitty Lever available for pre-order, starting at $24.95 USD, on the Louria Books storefront.
• Desolation E-Girl A book by Chloé Happe, priced from $29.95 USD, sold through the Louria Books storefront.
• Sigh Swoon Bundle A bundle product priced at $65.00 USD (reduced from $71.15 USD), sold through the Louria Books storefront.
• How to Pull Apart the Earth A poetry book by Karla Cordero, priced at $15.00 USD.
• Corazón A poetry book by Yesika Salgado, priced at $16.95 USD.
• Tesoro A poetry book by Yesika Salgado about family, survival, and the formative power of women, described as a story of unearthing sacred connections.
• Hermosa A poetry book by Yesika Salgado about becoming one's own home, exploring survival, grief, and the small moments of love and rebuilding.
• Closer Baby Closer A poetry book by Savannah Brown, priced at $18.95 USD, featuring themes of intimacy.
• Well Played A poetry collection by Beau Sia exploring themes of race, colonialism, assimilation, white supremacy, and identity through fearless, hard-hitting poetry.
• decompose A debut poetry collection by S. Fey exploring themes of heartbreak, discovering family, and personal metamorphosis.
• The Sigh Swoon Journal A daily journal with 365 prompts, a 12-month calendar, floppy leather cover with gold foil debossing, 400 pages on cream paper with gilded edges, and built-in tassel bookmark. ISBN: 978-1-945649-59-2. Priced at $29.95 USD.
• Notes on Shapeshifting A chapbook by Gabi Abrão about existing in physical form and personal metamorphosis, featuring poems and memories. 84 pages.
• Colors A collection of short stories by Andrew Berardini exploring color's intersection with identity and life.
• Zigzags A debut novel by Kamala Puligandla about Aneesha returning to Chicago for the summer, navigating friendships and rekindling romance.
• Violet in Some Places A poetry collection by Cebo Campbell exploring masculine vulnerability, empathy, and the magic of matriarchs. Recipient of the 2019 Stories Award for Poetry.
• Saolomea, Saolomea A book by Anisia Uzeyman following a mother and young son navigating survival in Los Angeles through scriptment prose, addressing housing, single motherhood, and mental health.
• Transmorphing Utopia A publication on artist Paul W. Waddell's work featuring essays by Santiago Vernetti and Jonathan Griffin, plus an interview with Chelsea Coon. Priced at $50.00 USD.
• Used Paintings A book-form survey of paintings by Los Angeles-based artist Max Maslansky, with essays by Laura Kipnis, Michael Ned Holte, and Jacquelyn Davis. Printed in Istanbul.
• the blind pig An afro-surrealist book by Aziza Barnes exploring a gender-queer Black millennial's introduction to the American South through essayistic prose.
• Landsmoder A book by Elena Salamanca.
• Texts From Your Existentialist A book by April Eileen Henry, priced at $25.00 USD.
• Dear Sal A book by Jeremy Radin.
• From Rufio to Zuko A book by Dante Basco.
• Priestess (Second Edition) A book by Marcella Kroll, second edition, priced at $33.30 USD.
• Possession A book by Parker Day, priced at $30.00 USD.
• hours inside out A book by Isabella Preisz.
• A Study of Hands A book by Edwin Bodney.
• A Fool's Journey: Fear Collection Ritual A book by Lucien Shapiro.
• Practices in Apparition A book priced at $22.25 USD.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tin House Books: Independent literary publisher of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry known for discovering emerging authors; similar in editorial scope and independent press positioning to Louria Books.
• Graywolf Press: Nonprofit literary publisher of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction from diverse and innovative authors; directly comparable in editorial positioning and catalog mix to Louria Books.
• Coffee House Press: Nonprofit independent publisher of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction; comparable in its curated literary catalog and independent ethos to Louria's Louria Books imprint.
• BOA Editions: Nonprofit poetry publisher producing poetry collections and anthologies; directly comparable given Louria's strong emphasis on poetry and diverse literary voices.
• Catapult Books: Independent literary publisher of fiction, nonfiction, and essay collections from diverse authors; comparable to Louria in editorial positioning around independent and diverse voices.
• McSweeney's: Independent literary publisher known for experimental fiction, poetry, and distinctive design-forward book production; comparable to Louria in its independent, design-conscious literary publishing approach.
• Wave Books: Poetry-focused independent publisher producing collections and anthologies of contemporary poetry; highly comparable given Louria's poetry-heavy catalog (14 of 30 titles).
• Akashic Books: Independent literary publisher focused on fiction, nonfiction, and poetry with diverse and emerging voices; closely comparable to Louria's mission-driven independent publishing model and curated catalog.
• Milkweed Editions: Nonprofit independent literary publisher producing poetry, fiction, and nonfiction; directly comparable in mission and curated catalog structure to Louria Books.
• Soft Skull Press: Independent literary publisher of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and counterculture titles; comparable in independent-press ethos and curated literary catalog to Louria Books.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/notacultmedia
• Instagraminstagram.com/louriabooks
• Facebookfacebook.com/notacult.media
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/notacult

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Not a Cult