Founded by a programming collective of over a dozen Los Angeles-based independent publishers in 2018, ACID–FREE aims to create new spaces for critical discussion and commerce in support of the diversity of independent publishing practices in the arts. The group’s guiding principles favor a non-hierarchical, ad-hoc working method, a financial structure that is not profit-driven, and a spirit of inclusion and collaboration whenever possible.

Since its conception, ACID–FREE has organized four large-scale book fairs and several smaller offsite projects, including its multi-year collaboration with Frieze LA. In 2020, A–F founded Library Services, a new model of book distribution developed in support of the broad ACID–FREE publisher network.