Our story

Hello! We’re Emma and Dave.

We’re the founders of Drift + Focus, we're married, we live in Brighton and we’re on a mission to reignite the reading brains of the nation, one non-fiction subscription at a time.

Our values

⭐ Drift + Focus is a business with a purpose and a social conscience.

⭐ We don’t shy away from difficult topics but we don’t court controversy. Not all opinions need oxygen.

⭐ We have curious minds and open hearts. We embrace diversity. We prioritise small, ethical and sustainable.

⭐ We’re committed to being as planet-friendly as possible. Read our eco pledge.

How we pick your books

📚 We scan the publishing press to pick out thousands of non-fiction book titles that look interesting before whittling them down to a shortlist each quarter.

📚 Then we order them in from the library and get reading. 

📚 We never send a book we haven't both read and loved.

📚 We reject anything that isn't brilliantly written, totally engaging to read and a reliable source of credible, evidence-based information.

📚 Every book we send is a guaranteed good read and worth your time and attention.

📖 We wrote a blog post about how we narrowed down our choices for the Autumn 2024 box.

📖 And here's a blog listing all the books we've sent out since launch.

A bit about Emma

• My parents launched a short-lived teen magazine together in the 80s and paid my sister and me to sort through competition entries (answers really were on a postcard)
• I've worked in the arts, publishing and digital media
• After having our first daughter, I went back to college and did an art foundation
• Since then I’ve been working as a freelance illustrator (here's my illustration website)
• On Fridays I (aim to make time to) write and paint

A bit about Dave

• My first proper job was in a factory that made M&S loo rolls
• I used to work in football, helping fans take ownership of their clubs
• I’m a podcast addict and listen to my favourites at 1.3 speed
• My favourite all-time activity is sitting in a pub, by myself, with the latest copy of the London Review of Books and the New Yorker
• I now help groups raise money to buy and save community assets like pubs and music venues (here's our community shares website)