There were a lot of factors that led to the creation of Unbound Firsts: we recognise the barriers that writers of colour experience in the industry, particularly Black writers. We also came across a study that revealed the disparity of support that w
Congratulations on being shortlisted!. We’ll notify you when we make our final selections, and if you’re selected we'll contact you about next steps. Shortlisted writers not selected to be published will be offered a manuscript assessment from Unboun
Congratulations!. You’ll be invited to meet your editor at an onboarding workshop with Unbound’s team, where you’ll learn what will happen next. You’ll also be asked to sign a publishing contract which will outline the next steps for you and your boo
We publish two Unbound Firsts titles every year. Please check individual pages for each book’s publication date.
1. This imprint is managed by Unbound, operating under the online trading name of United Authors Publishing Ltd. 2. Our 2025 Unbound Firsts titles published under this imprint will be selected via an open call for submissions that will run from Octob
Our application window opens from the beginning of October to the end of November every year. Applications will open on 2 October 2023 for Unbound Firsts 2025. Please apply via this link: https://unbound3.typeform.com/to/ix7T50dX.
An imprint is a specific brand identity that a publisher creates for books that are aimed at specific segments in the market. For example - romance books, crime fiction books or YA books. Unbound Firsts is an imprint that is specifically for debut wr
The publication process is a year long because our standard turnaround from manuscript delivery to publication is a full calendar year (in line with most traditional publishers). This allows good time for every stage in the editorial and production p
You can support the imprint and pre-order rewards in the same way as you'd support any of our Unbound books. Please visit the project page here and choose your level of support. Support the imprint.