nonprofit independent publisher

Haymarket Books

A nonprofit independent publisher focused on social justice, politics, labor, history, and public-interest nonfiction. Haymarket scores well because its nonprofit structure and openly dissenting catalog serve public education rather than conglomerate market capture.

Why this matters: Haymarket is a strong publishing alternative: nonprofit structure, movement usefulness, and low extraction outweigh its small scale and ideological identity risk.

Letter grade B Qualified Medium confidence (AI) Rubric gcd-rubric-v1 Last reviewed May 8, 2026

Final Score 46* B - Qualified

BQUALIFIED46 pts

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

Base Material49

Bonus+6

Cap66No structure cap

After Cap55

Penalties-9

!Not Verified

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Evaluation Overview

B - Qualified

The score turns mainly on Extraction, with the largest penalty coming from Reversibility.

Strengths

Extraction7/10
Ownership6/10
Governance6/10

Penalties

Reversibility-5
Accountability Opacity-2
Ecological Harm-1
Identity Capture-1

Evidence state

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)
ThoroughnessDeveloped (AI)
Linked claims11
Direct axis claims10
Coverage10/17

Scoring Axes

Axis	Score	Why this score
Ownership ? Control rights: shareholder-dominated at 0, worker cooperative control at 10.	6 / 10	Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. That places Haymarket Books in the middle of Ownership: there is some mission, member, producer, or public-interest constraint, but decisive control is not fully democratic. The value stays below the top tier because the linked record does not show full democratic control, non-extractive lock-in, or complete stakeholder protection on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Publishing, journalism, newspaper-chain, and author-platform expansion; calibrated against nonprofit, trust-owned, author-service, platform, and conglomerate models. Uncertainty Focused category expansion; later review should add more labor, author-contract, pricing, audience-data, and governance evidence. Linked evidence Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. [1] context Haymarket publishes public-interest books on politics, labor, history, abolition, and social movements. [2] context Haymarket’s nonprofit mission and public education role make it stronger than conventional publishers, though small scale and ideology-specific readership limit universality. [3]
Governance ? Binding decision authority: centralized control at 0, democratic stakeholder control at 10.	6 / 10	Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. That places Haymarket Books in the middle of Governance: there are accountability mechanisms, but they stop short of broad democratic control. The value stays below the top tier because the linked record does not show full democratic control, non-extractive lock-in, or complete stakeholder protection on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Publishing, journalism, newspaper-chain, and author-platform expansion; calibrated against nonprofit, trust-owned, author-service, platform, and conglomerate models. Uncertainty Focused category expansion; later review should add more labor, author-contract, pricing, audience-data, and governance evidence. Linked evidence context Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. [1] context Haymarket publishes public-interest books on politics, labor, history, abolition, and social movements. [2] context Haymarket’s nonprofit mission and public education role make it stronger than conventional publishers, though small scale and ideology-specific readership limit universality. [3]
Extraction ? Surplus allocation, wage share, CEO pay ratio, margins, and structured extraction judgment.	7 / 10	Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. That places Haymarket Books in the middle of Extraction: the institution creates real value but still leaves room for rent extraction, unequal bargaining, or surplus capture. The value stays below the top tier because the linked record does not show full democratic control, non-extractive lock-in, or complete stakeholder protection on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Publishing, journalism, newspaper-chain, and author-platform expansion; calibrated against nonprofit, trust-owned, author-service, platform, and conglomerate models. Uncertainty Focused category expansion; later review should add more labor, author-contract, pricing, audience-data, and governance evidence. Linked evidence context Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. [1] context Haymarket publishes public-interest books on politics, labor, history, abolition, and social movements. [2] context Haymarket’s nonprofit mission and public education role make it stronger than conventional publishers, though small scale and ideology-specific readership limit universality. [3]
Labor Sovereignty ? Worker power: coercive conditions at 0, co-determination or ownership at 7. Employee dissatisfaction matters only when source-backed evidence shows concrete limits on worker agency, such as coercive scheduling, retaliation, wage theft, harassment, unsafe conditions, suppression of worker voice, or extreme turnover.	5 / 7	Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. That places Haymarket Books in the middle of Labor Sovereignty: workers or participants have some protection or agency, but not enough binding power to control the relationship. The value stays below the top tier because the linked record does not show full democratic control, non-extractive lock-in, or complete stakeholder protection on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Publishing, journalism, newspaper-chain, and author-platform expansion; calibrated against nonprofit, trust-owned, author-service, platform, and conglomerate models. Uncertainty Focused category expansion; later review should add more labor, author-contract, pricing, audience-data, and governance evidence. Linked evidence context Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. [1] context Haymarket publishes public-interest books on politics, labor, history, abolition, and social movements. [2] context Haymarket’s nonprofit mission and public education role make it stronger than conventional publishers, though small scale and ideology-specific readership limit universality. [3]
Solidarity with the Unemployed ? Treatment of exits and nonworkers, including severance, redeployment, and non-competes.	6 / 7	Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. That places Haymarket Books high on Solidarity with the Unemployed: the institution materially supports people outside ordinary employment rather than treating exit as abandonment. A still-higher or maximum value requires stronger proof that this structure is durable, broad, and not merely discretionary. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Publishing, journalism, newspaper-chain, and author-platform expansion; calibrated against nonprofit, trust-owned, author-service, platform, and conglomerate models. Uncertainty Focused category expansion; later review should add more labor, author-contract, pricing, audience-data, and governance evidence. Linked evidence context Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. [1] context Haymarket publishes public-interest books on politics, labor, history, abolition, and social movements. [2] context Haymarket’s nonprofit mission and public education role make it stronger than conventional publishers, though small scale and ideology-specific readership limit universality. [3]
Loss-Bearing Fidelity ? Willingness to absorb costs to preserve values, workers, users, and public obligations.	6 / 7	Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Publishing, journalism, newspaper-chain, and author-platform expansion; calibrated against nonprofit, trust-owned, author-service, platform, and conglomerate models. Uncertainty Focused category expansion; later review should add more labor, author-contract, pricing, audience-data, and governance evidence. Linked evidence context Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. [1] context Haymarket publishes public-interest books on politics, labor, history, abolition, and social movements. [2] context Haymarket’s nonprofit mission and public education role make it stronger than conventional publishers, though small scale and ideology-specific readership limit universality. [3]
Market Conduct ? Pricing fairness, switching costs, lock-in, and rent extraction.	4 / 5	Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Publishing, journalism, newspaper-chain, and author-platform expansion; calibrated against nonprofit, trust-owned, author-service, platform, and conglomerate models. Uncertainty Focused category expansion; later review should add more labor, author-contract, pricing, audience-data, and governance evidence. Linked evidence context Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. [1] context Haymarket publishes public-interest books on politics, labor, history, abolition, and social movements. [2] context Haymarket’s nonprofit mission and public education role make it stronger than conventional publishers, though small scale and ideology-specific readership limit universality. [3]
Product Integrity ? Preservation of quality rather than degradation for monetization.	5 / 5	Haymarket publishes public-interest books on politics, labor, history, abolition, and social movements. Haymarket publishes public-interest books on politics, labor, history, abolition, and social movements. That places Haymarket Books high on Product Integrity: the core offering is genuinely useful and comparatively less dependent on traps, degradation, or harmful dependencies. A still-higher or maximum value requires stronger proof that this structure is durable, broad, and not merely discretionary. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Publishing, journalism, newspaper-chain, and author-platform expansion; calibrated against nonprofit, trust-owned, author-service, platform, and conglomerate models. Uncertainty Focused category expansion; later review should add more labor, author-contract, pricing, audience-data, and governance evidence. Linked evidence context Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. [1] Haymarket publishes public-interest books on politics, labor, history, abolition, and social movements. [2] context Haymarket’s nonprofit mission and public education role make it stronger than conventional publishers, though small scale and ideology-specific readership limit universality. [3]
Scale Integrity ? Whether growth improves or degrades fairness and accountability.	4 / 5	Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Publishing, journalism, newspaper-chain, and author-platform expansion; calibrated against nonprofit, trust-owned, author-service, platform, and conglomerate models. Uncertainty Focused category expansion; later review should add more labor, author-contract, pricing, audience-data, and governance evidence. Linked evidence context Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house. [1] context Haymarket publishes public-interest books on politics, labor, history, abolition, and social movements. [2] context Haymarket’s nonprofit mission and public education role make it stronger than conventional publishers, though small scale and ideology-specific readership limit universality. [3]

Penalties

Penalty	Applied	Why this penalty
Reversibility ? Applied when positive conduct depends on current living leaders, founders, family owners, or other person-contingent governance rather than durable structure. Range: -5 to 0.	-5	Haymarket’s goodness depends partly on nonprofit leadership and mission continuity rather than hard democratic locks. Haymarket’s goodness depends partly on nonprofit leadership and mission continuity rather than hard democratic locks. That warrants a severe Reversibility penalty because favorable conduct depends on current people or discretionary leadership rather than locked stakeholder structure. The value is near the floor because the conduct appears central, large-scale, repeated, or institutionally powerful rather than incidental. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Publishing, journalism, newspaper-chain, and author-platform expansion; calibrated against nonprofit, trust-owned, author-service, platform, and conglomerate models. Uncertainty Focused category expansion; later review should add more labor, author-contract, pricing, audience-data, and governance evidence. Linked evidence Haymarket’s goodness depends partly on nonprofit leadership and mission continuity rather than hard democratic locks. [8]
Ecological Harm ? Footprint, trajectory, irreversibility, culpability, and scale, including whether ecological harm is central to the model and continued after credible notice. Range: -30 to 0.	-1	Print book production and shipping create modest ecological impacts. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Publishing, journalism, newspaper-chain, and author-platform expansion; calibrated against nonprofit, trust-owned, author-service, platform, and conglomerate models. Uncertainty Focused category expansion; later review should add more labor, author-contract, pricing, audience-data, and governance evidence. Linked evidence Print book production and shipping create modest ecological impacts. [9]
Accountability Opacity ? Material opacity, reputation laundering, or hidden accountability structures that prevent public accountability. Range: -2 to 0.	-2	Nonprofit publishing economics and internal governance remain only partly transparent. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Publishing, journalism, newspaper-chain, and author-platform expansion; calibrated against nonprofit, trust-owned, author-service, platform, and conglomerate models. Uncertainty Focused category expansion; later review should add more labor, author-contract, pricing, audience-data, and governance evidence. Linked evidence Nonprofit publishing economics and internal governance remain only partly transparent. [10]
Identity Capture ? Customer pressure, employee pressure, and pervasive identity saturation. Range: -3 to 0.	-1	Ideological publishing creates a small identity-capture risk, even when mission-aligned. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Publishing, journalism, newspaper-chain, and author-platform expansion; calibrated against nonprofit, trust-owned, author-service, platform, and conglomerate models. Uncertainty Focused category expansion; later review should add more labor, author-contract, pricing, audience-data, and governance evidence. Linked evidence Ideological publishing creates a small identity-capture risk, even when mission-aligned. [11]

Bonus Credits

Bonus	Credit	Why this credit
Openness to Dissent ? Credit for tolerating internal, user, customer, worker, and public dissent without retaliation, capture, or viewpoint laundering.	1 / 3	Haymarket’s list includes dissent-oriented public-interest publishing, giving it some credit for enabling criticism of powerful institutions. Haymarket’s list includes dissent-oriented public-interest publishing, giving it some credit for enabling criticism of powerful institutions. That supports partial Openness to Dissent credit because people can criticize, dissent, or challenge the institution without being managed into silence. The value remains partial because the linked record does not show the practice as comprehensive, durable, or central enough for full credit. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Publishing, journalism, newspaper-chain, and author-platform expansion; calibrated against nonprofit, trust-owned, author-service, platform, and conglomerate models. Uncertainty Focused category expansion; later review should add more labor, author-contract, pricing, audience-data, and governance evidence. Linked evidence Haymarket’s list includes dissent-oriented public-interest publishing, giving it some credit for enabling criticism of powerful institutions. [4]
Constitutional Spirit ? Credit for respecting constitutional rights and civil-liberties norms even where private law does not strictly require it.	2 / 3	Publishing dissenting political work supports civil-liberties and democratic-public-sphere norms. Publishing dissenting political work supports civil-liberties and democratic-public-sphere norms. That supports partial Constitutional Spirit credit because the institution respects speech, privacy, due process, conscience, or civil-liberties norms beyond bare legal compulsion. The value remains partial because the linked record does not show the practice as comprehensive, durable, or central enough for full credit. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Publishing, journalism, newspaper-chain, and author-platform expansion; calibrated against nonprofit, trust-owned, author-service, platform, and conglomerate models. Uncertainty Focused category expansion; later review should add more labor, author-contract, pricing, audience-data, and governance evidence. Linked evidence Publishing dissenting political work supports civil-liberties and democratic-public-sphere norms. [5]
Good Deal ? Credit for unusually fair value: durable quality, fair pricing, low lock-in, and clear customer surplus.	2 / 3	Low-cost ebooks, public events, and movement-oriented books create unusually strong reader/public value. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Publishing, journalism, newspaper-chain, and author-platform expansion; calibrated against nonprofit, trust-owned, author-service, platform, and conglomerate models. Uncertainty Focused category expansion; later review should add more labor, author-contract, pricing, audience-data, and governance evidence. Linked evidence Low-cost ebooks, public events, and movement-oriented books create unusually strong reader/public value. [6]
Cost Transparency ? Credit for clear posted prices, all-in fees, unit costs, public rate cards, margin/cost visibility, or surplus-allocation transparency, especially in markets where opaque quotes, hidden fees, or individualized pricing are normal.	1 / 3	Nonprofit identity creates some public legibility, but full economics are not transparent. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Publishing, journalism, newspaper-chain, and author-platform expansion; calibrated against nonprofit, trust-owned, author-service, platform, and conglomerate models. Uncertainty Focused category expansion; later review should add more labor, author-contract, pricing, audience-data, and governance evidence. Linked evidence Nonprofit identity creates some public legibility, but full economics are not transparent. [7]

Confidence Basis

Confidence is computed from the evidence trail and review state, not typed into the profile by hand.

Medium 69/100

11 verified linked claims 10 direct axis claims 0 disputed claims 10/17 components covered

This confidence label measures the source-backed evidence trail. AI-scaffolded scores remain tentative until human review.

Claim confidence 13/20

11 verified linked claims

Source quality 12/18

Best source per verified claim, weighted by institutional reliability

Direct axis-specific claims 9/18

10 direct claims across 17 active components

Dispute load 12/12

0 disputed claims on this entity

Recency 10/10

Newest accepted timestamp: May 13, 2026

Reviewer status 7/12

Human-reviewed components score higher than AI scaffolding

Component coverage 6/10

10/17 evidence-bearing components have direct support

Evidence State

Profile stateAI draft / human-pending

VerificationUnverified

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)

ThoroughnessDeveloped (AI)

Correction routeUse “Challenge this rating” for factual errors, missing counterevidence, source problems, or calculation mistakes.

Company responseCompany representatives can submit source-backed corrections; payment never changes scores or reviewer authority.

Claims and Sources

Claims are the evidence record. Each claim needs a source link, axis category, status, confidence level, and timestamp before it can support a score.

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

1Haymarket Books is a nonprofit independent publisher rather than a shareholder-owned house.

Ownership Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 8, 2026

AI scaffold

Haymarket BooksGeneral web source · 58%
Haymarket aboutOfficial self-description · 68%

2Haymarket publishes public-interest books on politics, labor, history, abolition, and social movements.

Product Integrity Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 8, 2026

AI scaffold

Haymarket BooksGeneral web source · 58%
Haymarket aboutOfficial self-description · 68%

3Haymarket’s nonprofit mission and public education role make it stronger than conventional publishers, though small scale and ideology-specific readership limit universality.

Calculation Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 8, 2026

AI scaffold

Haymarket BooksGeneral web source · 58%
Haymarket aboutOfficial self-description · 68%

4Haymarket’s list includes dissent-oriented public-interest publishing, giving it some credit for enabling criticism of powerful institutions.

Openness To Dissent Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 8, 2026

AI scaffold

Haymarket BooksGeneral web source · 58%
Haymarket aboutOfficial self-description · 68%

5Publishing dissenting political work supports civil-liberties and democratic-public-sphere norms.

Constitutional Spirit Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 8, 2026

AI scaffold

Haymarket BooksGeneral web source · 58%
Haymarket aboutOfficial self-description · 68%

6Low-cost ebooks, public events, and movement-oriented books create unusually strong reader/public value.

Good Deal Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 8, 2026

AI scaffold

Haymarket BooksGeneral web source · 58%
Haymarket aboutOfficial self-description · 68%

7Nonprofit identity creates some public legibility, but full economics are not transparent.

Cost Transparency Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 8, 2026

AI scaffold

Haymarket BooksGeneral web source · 58%
Haymarket aboutOfficial self-description · 68%

8Haymarket’s goodness depends partly on nonprofit leadership and mission continuity rather than hard democratic locks.

Reversibility Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 8, 2026

AI scaffold

Haymarket BooksGeneral web source · 58%
Haymarket aboutOfficial self-description · 68%

9Print book production and shipping create modest ecological impacts.

Ecological Harm Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 8, 2026

AI scaffold

Haymarket BooksGeneral web source · 58%
Haymarket aboutOfficial self-description · 68%

10Nonprofit publishing economics and internal governance remain only partly transparent.

Accountability Opacity Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 8, 2026

AI scaffold

Haymarket BooksGeneral web source · 58%
Haymarket aboutOfficial self-description · 68%

11Ideological publishing creates a small identity-capture risk, even when mission-aligned.

Identity Capture Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 8, 2026

AI scaffold

Haymarket BooksGeneral web source · 58%
Haymarket aboutOfficial self-description · 68%

Alternatives

Competitors

AGOOD60 Bookshare / Benetech nonprofit accessible-ebook library · same market AGOOD59 Creative Commons international nonprofit commons steward · same market AGOOD57 Internet Archive nonprofit digital library · same market AGOOD56 AK Press worker-owned independent book publisher and distributor · same market AGOOD56 Ghost Foundation nonprofit open-source publishing platform · same market AGOOD55 Little Free Library nonprofit neighborhood book-sharing network · same market AGOOD54 Consumer Reports independent nonprofit member organization · same market AGOOD53 Wikimedia Foundation nonprofit · same market

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