In 1970, Verso Books began as a paperback
imprint of New Left Books and became its sole imprint. It established itself as a publisher of
nonfiction works on
international politics. Verso Books has also periodically published
fiction over its history. On 8 April 2014 Verso began bundling
DRM-free e-books with print purchases made through its website. Verso's managing director and US publisher, Jacob Stevens, stated that he expected the new offer on the Verso website to contribute £200,000 to the publisher's revenue in its first year helping to "shake up how publishers relate to their readership, and help to support independent publishing". In 2019, Verso Books launched a dedicated fiction imprint, Verso Fiction. The fiction editor, Cian McCourt, said, "We want to publish bold, intelligent writing that's politically astute, but not dogmatic or charmless." Verso Books titles are distributed in the United States by
Penguin Random House. The publishing house is known to host many events in the United States and the UK, focusing on radical politics and history.
Sexual harassment grievance In 2021, Verso was publicly accused of poorly handling an internal
sexual harassment grievance brought by a former publicist employed in the company's US office against its long-time publisher, Jacob Stevens. She described the incident in a
Medium piece thus: "He then said, of my hiring, 'We needed someone nice to look at in the office besides Wes.'” She claims that this remark caused severe depression and
self-harm. The board of directors responded with a
public apology and updates on their sexual harassment policy. However, they likewise maintain that their procedures were properly followed, as determined by an independent review.
Marston Book Services bankruptcy In September 2024, Verso launched a
crowdfunding campaign via the website
Kickstarter, in response to the bankruptcy of its UK distributor, Marston Book Services. UK-based United Independent Distributors, of which Marston was a subsidiary, had entered
administration on 25 July 2024. Verso expected that the revenue crowdfunding campaign would allow it to publish its planned Autumn 2024 catalogue and pay for expenses as it transitioned to a new distribution arrangement with Macmillan Distribution. ==Publications==