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Rocket investors launch new sci-fi publisher Factorial Books
A team of space-industry founders have launched a new sci-fi publishing house, Factorial Books, with a mission to prime new authors for lift-off.
The new digital publisher will guarantee five-day submission reviews and a 50/50 revenue split with authors, promising no hidden fees during the process.
Factorial Books was founded by Chris Larmour, Martin Coates and John May – entrepreneurs who helped aerospace company Orbex grow from a concept to a private space technology venture valued at more than £220m.
Based in Covent Garden, Factorial Books aims to bring “start-up speed” and “engineering precision” to the world of publishing, having assembled a team of experienced editors and cover designers to support its mission.
It announced that it is building a proprietary digital-first production workflow, which aims to cut time-to-market while maintaining editorial standards.
Factorial has already secured initial funding to support its first publishing slate, encompassing e-books, paperbacks and audiobooks, with an initial title list scheduled to be revealed in 2025.
It announced that submissions are now open to full-length science fiction novels across all sub-genres, from hard sci-fi to space opera, and from both represented and unrepresented authors.
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CEO Larmour said: “Space technology has often taken its cues from science fiction. With Factorial, we want to return the favour. Our goal is to remove the unnecessary friction that has held back too many great manuscripts – long wait times, outdated processes, poor communication – and replace it with speed, clarity and genuine partnership.”
He added: “No writer should have to wait for months on end for a decision on the manuscript they’ve worked so hard to bring to life. We’re doing away with the publishing concept of a ‘slush pile’, instead redefining the process so that acquisition decisions on new submissions can be made in less than a week [...]. Somewhere out there, in files hidden on laptop hard drives, are the next great sci-fi novels waiting to be discovered. We want to shine spotlights on those hidden gems and turn them into global bestsellers.”
Board director May said: “At Factorial Books we’re not just publishing stories – we’re building the launchpad for the commercial success of the next generation of sci-fi authors. With a fair, 50/50 revenue-sharing model, a team of experienced sci-fi editors already signed up and waiting, a unique approach to marketing, and the financial resources already in place to deliver strong, innovative promotional campaigns, we’re creating a new publishing platform that empowers authors and shares success equally.”
Chairman Coates said: “We want to modernise the submissions process and remove the barriers typically associated with getting work published. Authors or agents simply have to click the submission email address, attach a complete novel – in any format, font or layout – and hit send. It’s that easy. No cover letters, no hoops. If you’ve written a page-turning story with vision, originality and commercial promise, we want to read it.”
