Unbound, Bankruptcy and the Dangers of Crowdfunded Publishing

Last Week, author and YouTuber Daniel Hardcastle, better known as NerdCubed, took to YouTube to explain why he is not getting paid for his most recent book. According to the video, his publisher, Unbound (now part of Boundless Publishing), owes him £40,000 ($54,000) in various payments but has no plan to settle the debt.

The reason, according to Hardcastle, is that his publisher went into administration. Although Boundless Publishing acquired the company, it is either refusing or unable to honor the previous debts. As such, he and over 200 other authors are left with unpaid royalties that they are unlikely ever to see.

For many, this represents years of work for which they will never be paid. Others are finding their projects in limbo, unsure if their books will be published, who has the rights to the book and other difficult questions.

However, it’s not just the authors who are out of luck. Backers are also not receiving their promised rewards, despite many having paid for them years ago.

For authors and backers alike, this is a nightmare scenario. However, as of right now, no one is taking responsibility for fixing it.

The Story So Far

Unbounded was founded in June 2010. The idea was simple: to combine crowdfunding and publishing. Authors could pitch book ideas, and those that were adequately funded would get published.

Hardcastle was one such author. In June 2018, he started crowdfunding his first book, a non-fiction piece entitled Fuck Yeah, Video Games: The Life & Extra Lives of a Professional Nerd. That book reached its target on the first day and ended with over 1903% of the funding goal.

Shortly after publishing the book in September 2019, Hardcastle began crowdfunding his second book, a fictional work entitled The Paradox Paradox. That book took significantly longer to complete, but it was released to backers in December 2024, and the hardcover was released in April 2025.

However, behind the scenes, things were not going well for Unbound. According to an article by Dominic Bernard in Print Week, Unbound had not been profitable since its launch. It had been relying on investors to sustain itself. By mid-2024, many authors were already complaining about unpaid royalties, and backers were not receiving refunds for incomplete projects.

In March 2025, the newly formed Boundless Publishing Group purchased Unbound. The sale was a pre-pack deal, meaning that it came before the company entered administration.

Initially, things seemed as if they might turn around. In a statement at the time, the company said, “Boundless has committed to honouring all payments due to authors and has retained all the former employees.” Some authors even received partial payments for royalties owed.

However, on May 30th, the company sent out a mass email to all authors. It said that “Boundless has no legal obligation to pay any of the debts of Unbound.” It went on to add that, “We simply do not have the cash at the moment to make further historic goodwill payments.”

In short, the best hope for authors is that Boundless does well and the company decides to make good on its original plans. However, Hardcastle, along with other authors, is very skeptical of that. Who can blame them?

Where This Leaves Authors

Disclosure: I am not an expert in bankruptcy law, nor am I an expert on the UK’s administration process. As such, I will keep the conversation here very general.

Every author impacted by Ubound’s abrupt closure is in a different position. Some whose works were scheduled after March had their projects cancelled. Many of those who published before then are fighting to collect unpaid royalties and, in many cases, to reclaim their publishing rights.

The frightening thing is that this is, most likely, entirely legal. Unpaid royalties are, to a company, a debt. The purpose of going through bankruptcy or administration is typically to discharge or reduce debts.

For authors, this would likely be much more understandable if Unbound were closing up shop. However, the site continues to operate under the same domain. Furthermore, many of the same people who founded and headed Unbound are founders and owners of Boundless.

While it’s safe to assume that authors will receive royalties for sales after Boundless took over, that is cold comfort for authors like Hardcastle. Between the crowdfunding and the book’s launch, the vast majority of sales (and thus royalties) have likely already occurred. Anything he sees after likely represents a tiny fraction of his sales.

Authors, rightly, feel burned by Unbound. Changing the name to Boundless won’t alter that fact, especially considering the number of people who carried over from the previous company. If Boundless wants to regain any semblance of trust, it needs to settle with authors and backers, at the very least.

While it may have no legal obligation to do so, it does have an ethical one. Failure to do so, regardless of the reasons, will only exacerbate their already tarnished reputation.

Bottom Line

To clarify, the authors did nothing wrong. Until relatively recently, Unbound was a respected and trusted alternative publisher. It’s hard to blame authors for going this route when it made sense for them.

Also, this issue isn’t limited to Unbound or alternative publishers. Traditional publishers can go bankrupt, too. When they do, they often leave behind a trail of unpaid royalties and frustrated authors, just as Unbound has.

What makes the Unbound situation unique is twofold. First, their crowdfunding model means that both authors and backers are creditors. Neither is likely to get their money back. Second, they are essentially continuing as is. Although they are a legally new company, they are operating from the same site, selling the same titles, and are backed by many of the same people.

Though they have pivoted to becoming a traditional publisher, authors are watching as the same people are selling their work, despite not paying them the owed royalties.

Is it a surprise that some authors, such as Alex de Campi, are telling their fans not to buy their books?

It’s a terrible situation that harms independent publishing as a whole. If authors can’t trust that their publishers will pay them royalties, it’s another reason to consider self-publishing or use a major, established publisher.

In the end, everyone loses.