Every book on every shelf was chosen twice: once by an editor, and once by the house that employs the editor. This guide maps those houses — the groups and independents whose imprints decide what the world reads, in what language, and in what form.
The list covers 31 publishing houses: the Big Five of English-language trade publishing; the great houses of Europe, from Stockholm and Milan to Paris and Madrid; the manga powers of Tokyo; and the education, scholarly and independent publishers whose lists carry the world's classrooms and its backlist. For each house: its headquarters, its founding year, its owner, its chief executive — verified name by name in October 2026, because publishing leadership changes faster than reference books do — its principal imprints, what it publishes, and its scale. Scale figures appear only where the house or its parent officially publishes them, with the year stated; where a house publishes no figure, the guide says so. The gaps — China above all — are named at the end rather than padded over.
THE BIG FIVE
1. PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE — NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
Founded 2013 · Trade publisher (Big Five) · Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA (wholly owned)
Leadership: Nihar Malaviya, global Chief Executive Officer (interim from 1 Jan 2023; confirmed permanent Sep 2023; still signing as CEO in Bertelsmann H1 2026 reporting)
Principal imprints: Knopf; Viking; Penguin Press; Riverhead; Crown; Random House; Doubleday; Pantheon
Publishes: Trade fiction and nonfiction for adults, children's and young adult books, audio; more than 350 imprints in over 20 countries (Bertelsmann)
Scale: Revenue €4,981 million (2025, Bertelsmann full-year results); around 14,500 new works a year and more than 750 million print books, ebooks and audiobooks sold a year (Bertelsmann At a Glance 2026); list includes more than 80 Nobel Prize laureates (Bertelsmann)
Website: penguinrandomhouse.com · Contact: Author, bookseller and media contacts via penguinrandomhouse.com
Formed 1 July 2013 by the merger of Penguin (founded 1935) and Random House (founded 1927); Bertelsmann took full ownership in 2020. Its bid for Simon & Schuster was blocked in 2022.
2. HACHETTE LIVRE (HACHETTE BOOK GROUP / HACHETTE UK) — PARIS, FRANCE
Founded 1826 · Trade and education publisher (Big Five) · Lagardère SA (Louis Hachette Group); Lagardère chaired by Arnaud Lagardère
Leadership: David Shelley, Chief Executive Officer of Hachette Book Group (US) and Hachette UK (in post 2024; confirmed in Hachette releases of Dec 2025 and Jul 2026); Jean-Christophe Thiery, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Hachette Livre
Principal imprints: Little, Brown and Company; Grand Central Publishing; Orbit; Basic Books; Fayard; Larousse; Grasset; Hachette Children's Group
Publishes: General fiction and nonfiction, paperbacks, children's and YA, illustrated books, travel guides, textbooks, study guides and partworks, in a dozen languages (Lagardère)
Scale: Lagardère Publishing revenue €3,001 million (2025, Lagardère/Louis Hachette Group results); over 200 imprints publishing around 15,000 new titles a year (Hachette Livre boilerplate, 2026); market leader in France, No. 2 in the UK, No. 3 in Spain and No. 3 in US trade (Lagardère)
Website: hachette.com · Contact: Via hachette.com; US via hachettebookgroup.com; UK via hachette.co.uk
Founded by Louis Hachette in Paris in 1826 — the group marked its bicentenary in 2026. The English-language businesses were placed under a single CEO, David Shelley, in 2024.
3. HARPERCOLLINS — NEW YORK / LONDON, UNITED STATES / UNITED KINGDOM
Founded 1989 · Trade publisher (Big Five) · News Corp
Leadership: Brian Murray, President and Chief Executive Officer (in post since 2008; confirmed in HarperCollins UK release of 22 Oct 2025 and as AAP board chair for 2025–26); Kate Elton, CEO, HarperCollins UK (confirmed Oct 2025)
Principal imprints: Harper; William Morrow; Avon; Harlequin; Harper Voyager; Fourth Estate; HarperCollins Children's Books; Collins
Publishes: Trade fiction and nonfiction, romance (Harlequin), children's books, Christian publishing and foreign-language publishing across the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, India and China
Scale: Revenue US$2.15 billion (fiscal 2025, News Corp reporting); about 4,000 employees (2025)
Website: harpercollins.com · Contact: Via harpercollins.com corporate and local-market sites
Name formed from Harper & Brothers (founded New York, 1817) and William Collins, Sons (founded Glasgow, 1819), combined under News Corp ownership in 1989–90. Guide founding year uses the HarperCollins combination; the predecessor houses date to 1817 and 1819 — see README discrepancy note.
4. MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS — NEW YORK / LONDON, UNITED STATES / UNITED KINGDOM
Founded 1843 · Trade publisher (Big Five) · Holtzbrinck Publishing Group (Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck)
Leadership: Jon Yaged, Chief Executive Officer, Macmillan Publishers US (confirmed in Macmillan releases to Oct 2025 and PEN America, May 2025); Joanna Prior, CEO, Pan Macmillan UK
Principal imprints: St. Martin's Press; Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Tor; Flatiron Books; Henry Holt; Celadon Books; Picador; Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
Publishes: Adult trade fiction and nonfiction, science fiction and fantasy (Tor), children's books, audio (Macmillan Audio) and education publishing internationally through the wider Holtzbrinck group
Scale: Revenue not published separately by Holtzbrinck (private group); a figure of about US$1.4 billion circulates in secondary profiles — not officially published, so not carried as a company figure
Website: macmillan.com · Contact: Via macmillan.com (US) and panmacmillan.com (UK)
Founded in London in 1843 by Daniel and Alexander Macmillan; publisher of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and The Jungle Book (1894). US and UK businesses run as Macmillan Publishers and Pan Macmillan under one Holtzbrinck ownership.
5. SIMON & SCHUSTER — NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
Founded 1924 · Trade publisher (Big Five) · KKR (acquired from Paramount Global in 2023 for US$1.62 billion); standalone private company
Leadership: Greg Greeley, Chief Executive Officer (appointed to succeed Jonathan Karp, effective March 2026; former Amazon books and media executive and former president of Airbnb Homes). Jonathan Karp stepped down as CEO in 2025–26 to found and publish the Simon Six imprint
Principal imprints: Simon & Schuster (flagship); Scribner; Avid Reader Press; Gallery Books; Atria Books; Simon Six; Aladdin; Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publishes: Adult trade fiction and nonfiction, children's books and audio; international publishing in the UK, Canada, Australia and India
Scale: Revenue not published (private company under KKR). Sale price on acquisition: US$1.62 billion (KKR, completed 30 Oct 2023)
Website: simonandschuster.com · Contact: Via simonandschuster.com
Founded in 1924 by Richard Simon and Max Schuster, first with crossword-puzzle books. LEADERSHIP CHANGE: the brief for this guide named Jonathan Karp; verification found he announced his departure as CEO on 26 Aug 2025 and was succeeded by Greg Greeley in March 2026. The guide prints the verified position.
EUROPE'S GREAT HOUSES
6. BONNIER BOOKS — STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
Founded 1837 · Publishing group · Bonnier Group (Bonnier AB), family-controlled
Leadership: Håkan Rudels, Chief Executive Officer, Bonnier Books (named as CEO in Bonnier Books' Nextory acquisition release, 1 Sep 2026); Sarah Benton and Jonathan Perdoni, joint CEOs, Bonnier Books UK (from Feb 2025)
Principal imprints: Albert Bonniers Förlag; Wahlström & Widstrand; Forum; Bonnier Carlsen; Bonnier Fakta; Zaffre (UK); BookBeat (audio/ebook service)
Publishes: Swedish and international trade fiction and nonfiction, children's books, illustrated and factual books; publishing in seven countries under more than 100 publishing houses and imprints, plus the BookBeat streaming service (Bonnier Books)
Scale: Publishing operations in seven countries and more than 100 imprints (Bonnier Books, 2026); BookBeat revenue about SEK 1.7 billion and more than 1.2 million paying users (Bonnier Books, 2026); Bonnier Books divisional revenue not published separately
Website: bonnierbooks.com · Contact: Via bonnierbooks.com; CEO contact published in group releases
Book publishing dates to 1837, when Albert Bonniers Förlag published its first title; the wider Bonnier Group was founded in Copenhagen in 1804. Guide founding year uses the 1837 book-publishing origin — see README.
7. MONDADORI (ARNOLDO MONDADORI EDITORE) — SEGRATE (MILAN), ITALY
Founded 1907 · Publishing group · Fininvest / Berlusconi family holding (listed, Borsa Italiana); Chairman Marina Berlusconi
Leadership: Antonio Porro, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of the Mondadori Group (confirmed in the 2025 Annual Financial Report and board releases to 2026)
Principal imprints: Mondadori; Einaudi; Piemme; Sperling & Kupfer; Rizzoli (via Rizzoli Libri); Mondadori Electa; Frassinelli
Publishes: Trade books (Italy's largest trade publisher by market share, about 27–28% in 2025 per company/GfK reporting), education books, retail (bookstore chain), digital and media
Scale: Group revenue €931.5 million (2025, Mondadori results, Feb–Mar 2026); trade-book market share 27.4% in H1 2025 (company/GfK)
Website: mondadorigroup.com · Contact: Via mondadorigroup.com
Founded by Arnoldo Mondadori in 1907. Group revenue covers books, retail, digital and media, not books alone — stated as group revenue in the CSV.
8. GRUPO PLANETA — MADRID, SPAIN
Founded 1949 · Publishing and media group · Lara family (family-owned)
Leadership: José Creuheras, President (Chairman) of Grupo Planeta (confirmed presenting the group's 2025 results and the 75th Premio Planeta, Oct 2026); Jesús Badenes, general manager of the publishing (Editorial) division
Principal imprints: Editorial Planeta; Seix Barral; Destino; Tusquets Editores; Espasa; Minotauro; Planeta Cómic; DeAgostini (joint venture)
Publishes: Spanish- and Portuguese-language trade fiction and nonfiction across Spain, Portugal, France and Latin America, education, and — at group level — media (Atresmedia stake) and bookstores; 70 publishing imprints (group profile)
Scale: Group turnover €2.2 billion (2025, up 5.3%, announced by the group Oct 2026 — group-wide figure including education and media, not books alone); 70 imprints, 73 bookstores, more than 15,000 employees (Grupo Planeta profile)
Website: planeta.es · Contact: Via planeta.es
Founded as Editorial Planeta in Barcelona in 1949 by José Manuel Lara Hernández; headquarters moved to Madrid in 2017. The Premio Planeta, founded 1952, is among the world's richest literary prizes.
9. ÉDITIONS GALLIMARD (GROUPE MADRIGALL) — PARIS, FRANCE
Founded 1911 · Literary publishing group · Groupe Madrigall (Gallimard family holding)
Leadership: Antoine Gallimard, President of Éditions Gallimard and Groupe Madrigall (in post since 1988; still appearing as president in Dec 2024 house press events); Charlotte and Laure Gallimard appointed managing directors of Madrigall alongside him in Apr 2023
Principal imprints: Gallimard (Blanche); Bibliothèque de la Pléiade; Folio; Gallimard Jeunesse; Denoël; Mercure de France; P.O.L; Éditions de Minuit
Publishes: Literary fiction and nonfiction, poetry, essays, children's books (including Harry Potter in French), reference editions (Pléiade) and paperbacks (Folio)
Scale: Revenue not published (private group). Catalogue measures published by profiles of the house: about 1,500 titles a year and a backlist above 20,000 titles (Publishers Weekly Global 50 profile of Madrigall) — carried as profile figures, not company accounts
Website: gallimard.fr · Contact: Via gallimard.fr
Founded 31 May 1911 by Gaston Gallimard as Les Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française. Madrigall is France's third-largest publishing group and also owns Flammarion and Casterman (see separate entry).
10. GROUPE FLAMMARION — PARIS, FRANCE
Founded 1876 · Publishing group · Groupe Madrigall (acquired from RCS MediaGroup in 2012)
Leadership: Anna Pavlowitch, Présidente-directrice générale (appointed late 2022; listed as PDG in leadership listings to Apr 2025 — see README: confirmed from secondary listings, not from a 2026 house release)
Principal imprints: Flammarion; J'ai Lu; Casterman; Père Castor (Flammarion Jeunesse); Arthaud; Autrement; GF Flammarion; Pygmalion
Publishes: General literature, paperbacks (J'ai Lu), comics and bande dessinée (Casterman), children's books (Père Castor), illustrated and practical books
Scale: Revenue not published separately within Madrigall (private group)
Website: editions.flammarion.com · Contact: Via editions.flammarion.com and groupe-flammarion.com
Founded by Ernest Flammarion in 1875–76 (the guide uses 1876, the group's own dating); publisher of Zola, Maupassant and Colette. Headquarters in the former Café Voltaire, Place de l'Odéon, Paris.
11. MÉDIA-PARTICIPATIONS — PARIS, FRANCE
Founded 1986 · Publishing and media group · Montagne family (family-owned, Belgian holding structure)
Leadership: Vincent Montagne, Chairman (son of the founder; in post since 2007); Claude de Saint Vincent, Chief Executive Officer (per group key-people listings). See README: English-language sources vary on the CEO title — the guide prints both titles as listed
Principal imprints: Dargaud; Dupuis; Le Lombard; Kana; Fleurus; La Martinière; Éditions du Seuil; Abrams (US)
Publishes: Franco-Belgian comics, manga (Kana) and graphic novels — Europe's leading comics publisher — plus children's and illustrated books, literature (Seuil, La Martinière) and, at group level, animation, games and magazines
Scale: Turnover €700 million (2024, group figure); more than 65 publishing and audiovisual companies and about 3,500 new releases a year across the group (group profiles)
Website: media-participations.com · Contact: Via media-participations.com
Founded 20 Sep 1986 by Rémy Montagne. Owns the homes of Lucky Luke (Dargaud/Lucky Comics), Spirou (Dupuis) and Blake et Mortimer (Le Lombard), and the US illustrated publisher Abrams.
12. EGMONT (STORY HOUSE EGMONT) — COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
Founded 1878 · Media and publishing group · Egmont Foundation (foundation-owned)
Leadership: NOT VERIFIED TO CURRENT STANDARD — see notes. Last confirmed group President and CEO: Steffen Kragh (Egmont International Holding annual report, FY2023, signed Mar 2024). December 2025 reporting on his move to chair Tryg A/S describes his Egmont chief-executive tenure in past terms; a successor at group level could not be confirmed from official Egmont sources at press time. Publishing division: Torsten Bjerre Rasmussen was CEO of Egmont Publishing in the group's own Story House Egmont statements
Principal imprints: Story House Egmont; Cappelen Damm (Norway, co-owned); Egmont Comics; Nordisk Film (film, group); Lindhardt og Ringhof (Denmark, group)
Publishes: Children's magazines and comics in some 26 markets, books in the Nordic countries (including Norway's Cappelen Damm), and — at group level — film (Nordisk Film) and television (TV 2 Norway)
Scale: Group revenue €2.1 billion (2021, Egmont results — the most recent group figure verified in this pass; later group accounts not confirmed at press time)
Website: egmont.com · Contact: Via egmont.com and storyhouseegmont.com
Founded by Egmont Harald Petersen in Copenhagen in 1878; owned by the Egmont Foundation, which donates a share of profits to children and young people. Egmont sold its UK, Polish and German (Schneiderbuch) children's book businesses to HarperCollins in 2020 and refocused publishing on magazines, comics and Nordic books. LEADERSHIP GAP NAMED: group CEO not verified current — see leadership field.
13. GYLDENDAL — COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
Founded 1770 · Publisher · Listed (Nasdaq Copenhagen); largest shareholders include Danish foundations and pension funds
Leadership: Hanne Salomonsen, Chief Executive Officer (in post since 1 Sep 2022; still listed as CEO in 2026 company reporting)
Principal imprints: Gyldendal (main); Gyldendal Business; Gyldendal Uddannelse (education); Strandberg Publishing; Forlaget Systime (education, group)
Publishes: Danish trade fiction and nonfiction, children's books, education and digital learning, and academic publishing
Scale: Revenue not published in sources verified in this pass
Website: gyldendal.dk · Contact: Via gyldendal.dk
Founded in 1770 by Søren Gyldendal — Denmark's oldest publishing house. NOTE ON THE BRIEF: this guide's brief listed 'Gyldendal (Norway)'. The verified Gyldendal of this entry is the Danish house; Gyldendal ASA of Norway is a separate, unrelated company (the two split in the 20th century). The Norwegian namesake is a named gap — see README.
14. GIUNTI EDITORE — FLORENCE, ITALY
Founded 1841 · Publishing group · Giunti family (family-owned)
Leadership: Andrea Giunti, Chief Executive Officer (appointed 30 June 2025); Sergio Giunti, President
Principal imprints: Giunti; Bompiani; Giunti Junior; Giunti Psychometrics; Dami Editore; Editoriale Scienza
Publishes: Trade fiction and nonfiction (Bompiani), children's books (a historic strength — Giunti published Pinocchio), education and school publishing, psychometrics and illustrated books
Scale: Revenue not published (private group). Stake of over 30% in the UK/US Quarto Group (2025, company reporting)
Website: giunti.it · Contact: Via giunti.it
Origins in Florence in 1841 (as the Paggi publishing house, later Bemporad, then Giunti) — among Italy's oldest publishers. Andrea Giunti, of the family's younger generation, became CEO on 30 June 2025.
15. SPRINGER NATURE — BERLIN, GERMANY
Founded 1842 · Scholarly and professional publisher · Listed (Frankfurt); Holtzbrinck Publishing Group is the largest shareholder
Leadership: Frank Vrancken Peeters, Chief Executive Officer (confirmed signing Springer Nature's FY2025 results, 17 Mar 2026)
Principal imprints: Nature Portfolio; Springer; BioMed Central; Palgrave Macmillan; Scientific American; Springer Medizin
Publishes: Research journals (including Nature), academic books, professional and medical publishing; more than half of its primary research articles are published open access (company, 2025)
Scale: Revenue €1,926.4 million (2025, Springer Nature FY2025 results); adjusted operating profit €543.6 million (2025)
Website: springernature.com · Contact: Via springernature.com
Formed in 2015 by the merger of Macmillan Science and Education with Springer Science+Business Media; the Springer house dates to Berlin, 1842 (guide founding year). Listed in Frankfurt in 2024.
ASIA'S PUBLISHING POWERS
16. KADOKAWA CORPORATION — TOKYO (FUJIMI, CHIYODA), JAPAN
Founded 1954 · Publisher and media group · Listed (Tokyo Stock Exchange); Sony is the largest shareholder (about 10–11%, 2025 alliance)
Leadership: Takeshi Natsuno, President and Chief Executive Officer (in post since 2021; signing company releases through Mar 2026). Note: an activist investor campaigned against his reappointment at the June 2026 AGM; the outcome was not confirmed in sources at press time — see README
Principal imprints: Kadokawa Shoten; ASCII Media Works (Dengeki); Media Factory; Enterbrain; Fujimi Shobo; Kadokawa Bunko; Yen Press (US joint venture); BookWalker (digital)
Publishes: Books, light novels, manga, magazines and ebooks, developed as intellectual property across anime, film and games ('Global Media Mix with Technology' strategy)
Scale: Revenue ¥282.9 billion (fiscal 2025, company reporting); about 5,349 employees (company profile)
Website: group.kadokawa.co.jp/global/ · Contact: Via group.kadokawa.co.jp
Publishing origins in Kadokawa Shoten, founded by Genyoshi Kadokawa in 1945; the present corporation dates from the 2014 Kadokawa–Dwango merger (guide founding year uses the 1954 incorporation of Kadokawa Shoten — see README). US manga and light-novel arm Yen Press is a joint venture with Hachette Book Group.
17. KODANSHA — TOKYO (BUNKYO), JAPAN
Founded 1909 · Publisher · Noma family (family-owned private company; Noma Cultural Foundation)
Leadership: Yoshinobu Noma, President and Chief Executive Officer (in post since 2011; confirmed on Kodansha's official corporate site, 2026)
Principal imprints: Kodansha (main); Weekly Shonen Magazine; Morning; Nakayoshi; Gunzo; Kobunsha; Kodansha USA; King Records (music, group)
Publishes: Manga (Attack on Titan; Weekly Shonen Magazine), literary and general books, magazines, children's books and dictionaries; stories licensed worldwide in many languages
Scale: Revenue not published (private company)
Website: kodansha.co.jp · Contact: Via kodansha.co.jp and kodansha.com
Founded in 1909 by Seiji Noma; Japan's largest general publisher by profile. The Noma family has led the house across four generations.
18. SHUEISHA — TOKYO (CHIYODA), JAPAN
Founded 1926 · Publisher · Hitotsubashi Group (Oga family)
Leadership: Shinichi Hirono, President and Chief Executive Officer (per company key-people listings). DISCREPANCY FLAGGED: a Nikkei report quoted in secondary coverage names a 'President Hideaki Hayashi' for Shueisha; the guide prints Hirono from company listings and flags the conflict in the README
Principal imprints: Weekly Shonen Jump; Jump SQ; Shonen Jump+ (digital); V Jump; Non-no; Margaret; Dash X Bunko; Viz Media (US, with Shogakukan)
Publishes: Manga magazines and volumes (One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba in translation partnerships), light novels, literary and educational books and magazines
Scale: Revenue not published (private company). Weekly Shonen Jump print circulation 1,026,667 (Jul–Sep 2025, Japan Magazine Publishers Association figure)
Website: shueisha.co.jp/en/ · Contact: Via shueisha.co.jp
Created in 1925 as the entertainment division of Shogakukan and incorporated separately on 8 Aug 1926 (guide founding year). With Shogakukan it owns Viz Media in the United States.
19. SHOGAKUKAN — TOKYO (CHIYODA), JAPAN
Founded 1922 · Publisher · Hitotsubashi Group (Oga family)
Leadership: Nobuhiro Oga, President and Chief Executive Officer (signed the company's human-rights policy dated 19 Mar 2026 as President and CEO)
Principal imprints: Shogakukan (main); CoroCoro Comic; Weekly Shonen Sunday; Big Comic; Sho-Comi; Shogakukan Creative; Viz Media (US, with Shueisha)
Publishes: Manga (Doraemon; Detective Conan), magazines, light novels, dictionaries and reference, literature, nonfiction and educational books
Scale: Revenue ¥108.471 billion (2023, company reporting); 707 employees (2024)
Website: shogakukan.co.jp · Contact: Via shogakukan.co.jp
Founded 8 Aug 1922 by Takeo Oga, first as a publisher of educational magazines for schoolchildren — the name means 'elementary school building'. Parent of the Hitotsubashi Group alongside Shueisha and Hakusensha.
EDUCATION, SCHOLARSHIP & THE INDEPENDENTS
20. SCHOLASTIC — NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
Founded 1920 · Children's and education publisher · Listed (Nasdaq); Robinson family holds controlling voting interest
Leadership: Peter Warwick, President and Chief Executive Officer (in post since 2021; confirmed in Scholastic fiscal 2026 results releases, Sep and Dec 2025)
Principal imprints: Scholastic Press; Graphix; Arthur A. Levine (legacy); Scholastic Education; Scholastic Book Fairs; Scholastic Book Clubs; 9 Story Media Group (entertainment, group)
Publishes: Children's trade books (The Hunger Games, Harry Potter in the US, Dog Man, Wings of Fire), graphic novels (Graphix), school Book Fairs and Book Clubs, classroom education and children's media
Scale: Revenue published in Scholastic's SEC reporting by fiscal year (see investor.scholastic.com); the guide does not carry a single-year figure here because the fiscal 2026 full-year release postdates this pass — marked not carried rather than estimated
Website: scholastic.com · Contact: Via scholastic.com and investor.scholastic.com
Founded in 1920 by Maurice R. Robinson as a classroom magazine publisher. US publisher of Harry Potter and The Hunger Games; Graphix is a leading children's graphic-novel imprint.
21. BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING — LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
Founded 1986 · Trade and academic publisher · Listed (London Stock Exchange, FTSE 250); independent
Leadership: Nigel Newton, founder — Chief Executive until Sep 2026, then Executive Chairman under a five-year succession plan announced 8 Sep 2026 (Reuters); a new chief executive is to be appointed within two years, with deputy chairman John Bason leading the search. The guide prints the transition, not the old title alone
Principal imprints: Bloomsbury (main); Bloomsbury Academic; Bloomsbury Children's Books; Raven Books; A&C Black; Rowman & Littlefield (acquired 2024); Bloomsbury Digital Resources
Publishes: Trade fiction and nonfiction (the Harry Potter books in the UK), children's books, academic and professional publishing, cookery and illustrated books
Scale: Revenue £361 million (year ended 28 Feb 2025, Bloomsbury audited results); profit before tax £42 million (2025 results, company presentation)
Website: bloomsbury.com · Contact: Via bloomsbury.com
Founded in 1986 by Nigel Newton and three fellow publishers; floated in 1994. Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards 2025 (company). The Sep 2026 succession announcement is this guide's clearest leadership-transition entry — see README.
22. PEARSON — LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
Founded 1844 · Education publisher and learning company · Listed (London Stock Exchange / NYSE); independent
Leadership: Omar Abbosh, Chief Executive (in post since Jan 2024; confirmed in Pearson's 2025 annual report and results, Feb 2026)
Principal imprints: Pearson Education; Edexcel; Pearson VUE (Professional Assessments); Pearson English Language Learning; Savvas Learning (US schools, partner); PTE (Pearson Test of English)
Publishes: Educational content, assessments and qualifications, higher-education courseware, English-language learning and workforce skills — now primarily digital and service-based rather than textbook-led
Scale: Sales £3,577 million (2025, Pearson preliminary results); adjusted operating profit £614 million (2025)
Website: pearson.com · Contact: Via pearson.com and plc.pearson.com
Founded as a construction company in 1844 and long the owner of Penguin Books, which it placed into the Penguin Random House merger in 2013 before exiting publishing ownership in 2019–20; today's Pearson is an education and assessment company and is included as the scale benchmark of education publishing.
23. WILEY (JOHN WILEY & SONS) — HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES
Founded 1807 · Scholarly and professional publisher · Listed (NYSE); Wiley family remains closely involved (Jesse Wiley chairs the board)
Leadership: Matthew Kissner, President and Chief Executive Officer (interim from Oct 2023; made permanent Jul 2024; confirmed in Wiley releases to June 2026)
Principal imprints: Wiley (main); Wiley-VCH; Jossey-Bass; For Dummies; Wiley Blackwell; Emerald Publishing (acquired 2026)
Publishes: Scientific, technical, medical and scholarly journals and books, professional and education titles; a leader in open-access research publishing and AI content licensing
Scale: Revenue US$1,678 million (fiscal 2025, Wiley results); operating income US$221 million (fiscal 2025)
Website: wiley.com · Contact: Via wiley.com
Founded in New York in 1807 — one of the oldest continuously operating US publishers. Acquired Emerald Publishing in June 2026.
24. MCGRAW HILL — NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
Founded 1888 · Education publisher · Listed (NYSE, IPO Jul 2025); Platinum Equity retains majority ownership
Leadership: Philip Moyer, President and Chief Executive Officer (from 9 Feb 2026; former Google Cloud AI executive and former Vimeo CEO). Simon Allen retired as President and CEO on 9 Feb 2026 and continues as chairman — verified in the company's SEC filing of Jan 2026
Principal imprints: McGraw Hill Education; ALEKS (adaptive learning); Achieve3000; Boards & Beyond; McGraw Hill Professional (legacy); Redbird Advanced Learning
Publishes: K-12 and higher-education course materials, adaptive and AI-powered learning platforms, professional and medical education
Scale: Fiscal 2026 revenue guidance US$2,031–2,061 million (company guidance, Nov 2025) — guidance, not a reported result, and labelled as such
Website: mcgrawhill.com · Contact: Via mcgrawhill.com
Origins in 1888 (James H. McGraw's publishing ventures); the education company was separated from McGraw-Hill Financial (now S&P Global) in 2013, bought by Platinum Equity in 2021 for US$4.7 billion and listed in 2025. LEADERSHIP CHANGE verified by SEC filing — see leadership field.
25. W. W. NORTON & COMPANY — NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
Founded 1923 · Independent trade and college publisher · Employee-owned (ownership transferred to employees by Mary Dows Herter Norton from 1952)
Leadership: Julia A. Reidhead, Chairman and President (in post since 2016; confirmed in Pace University and trade profiles, 2025)
Principal imprints: W. W. Norton (main); Liveright; Countryman Press; Norton Professional Books; Norton Young Readers; The Norton Anthologies; Norton Library
Publishes: Trade fiction and nonfiction, poetry, college textbooks and the Norton Anthologies, professional books and children's books — 'Books That Live'
Scale: Revenue not published (private, employee-owned). About 630 employees (company profile at its 2023 centenary)
Website: wwnorton.com · Contact: Via wwnorton.com
Founded in 1923 by William Warder Norton and Mary Dows Herter Norton from lectures at the People's Institute, Cooper Union. The largest independent, employee-owned publisher in the United States (company).
26. GROVE ATLANTIC — NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
Founded 1993 · Independent literary publisher · Independent (owned by its partners, including Morgan Entrekin)
Leadership: Morgan Entrekin, President, Publisher and Chief Executive Officer (confirmed in Publishers Weekly and PEN America profiles)
Principal imprints: Grove Press; Atlantic Monthly Press; The Mysterious Press; Black Cat; Roxane Gay Books
Publishes: Literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama and translations — about 100 titles a year (PEN America profile)
Scale: Revenue not published (private). About 100 titles a year (company profile)
Website: groveatlantic.com · Contact: Via groveatlantic.com
Created in 1993 by the merger of Grove Press (founded 1951; publisher of the Beats) and Atlantic Monthly Press (founded 1917) — the house styles itself 'an independent literary publisher since 1917' (guide founding year uses the 1993 merger). Co-founded Literary Hub in 2015.
27. CHRONICLE BOOKS — SAN FRANCISCO, UNITED STATES
Founded 1967 · Independent publisher · McEvoy Group (Chronicle Books, Galison/Mudpuppy, Princeton Architectural Press)
Leadership: Tyrrell Mahoney, President (in post since Jan 2017; elected chair of the Association of American Publishers for 2026–27, Jan 2026)
Principal imprints: Chronicle Books (main); Chronicle Prism; Laurence King (UK, group distribution); Galison (gift, group); Mudpuppy (children's gift, group); Princeton Architectural Press (group)
Publishes: Illustrated and lifestyle books — art, food, wellness, humour, children's books, pop culture, travel and photography — plus journals, games and gift products
Scale: Revenue not published (private)
Website: chroniclebooks.com · Contact: Via chroniclebooks.com; HQ +1 415-537-4200 (published)
Founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Phelps Dewey; named for the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper tradition of its founders. Also a major distributor for independent publishers.
28. SOURCEBOOKS — NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES
Founded 1987 · Independent publisher · Independent; Penguin Random House holds a 45% minority stake (2019)
Leadership: Dominique Raccah, Publisher and Chief Executive Officer and founder (confirmed in 2025–26 profiles; chairs the Sourcebooks management board)
Principal imprints: Sourcebooks Casablanca (romance); Sourcebooks Fire (YA); Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (children's); Sourcebooks Wonderland; Poisoned Pen Press; Cumberland House; Bloom Books
Publishes: Adult fiction (including a leading romance programme), young adult and children's books, calendars and gift books; described by Publishers Weekly as among the most successful self-made US publishers of the 21st century
Scale: Revenue not published (private). Publishes hundreds of new titles a year (company profiles); ranked among the largest US trade publishers by trade reporting
Website: sourcebooks.com · Contact: Via sourcebooks.com
Founded by Dominique Raccah from her home in Naperville in 1987 with US$17,000 from her retirement account (her published account). The largest woman-owned trade publisher in North America (company). PRH's 45% stake (2019) is a minority investment; Sourcebooks remains independently managed.
29. CANONGATE BOOKS — EDINBURGH, UNITED KINGDOM
Founded 1973 · Independent publisher · Independent (management-owned since the 1994 buyout led by Jamie Byng)
Leadership: Jamie Byng, Chief Executive Officer, Publisher and Managing Director (confirmed in The Bookseller reporting through 2026)
Principal imprints: Canongate (main); Canongate Classics; Severn House (sold to Joffe Books, announced Nov 2025); Payback Press (legacy); Rebel Inc. (legacy)
Publishes: Literary fiction and nonfiction, memoir and the Canons classics programme; publisher of Life of Pi and of Barack Obama's memoirs in the UK market historically
Scale: Revenue not published in sources verified in this pass. In 2026 Canongate moved its authors to quarterly royalty payments, a first among major UK trade houses (The Bookseller)
Website: canongate.co.uk · Contact: Via canongate.co.uk
Founded in Edinburgh in 1973; bought out of receivership in 1994 by Jamie Byng. A certified B Corporation. British Book Awards Publisher of the Year in 2003 and 2009.
30. FABER AND FABER (FABER) — LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
Founded 1929 · Independent publisher · Independent (privately owned)
Leadership: Mary Cannam, Chief Executive (in post since 1 Apr 2023; confirmed as chief executive in Faber statements of 2024); Stephen Page, Executive Chair
Principal imprints: Faber (main); Faber Poetry; Faber Drama; Faber Children's; Faber Music (separate company, group); Faber Academy (writing courses)
Publishes: Fiction, poetry (T. S. Eliot was its first poetry editor), drama, film, nonfiction and children's books; authors have included 13 Nobel laureates (company profile)
Scale: Revenue not published (private)
Website: faber.co.uk · Contact: Via faber.co.uk
Founded in 1929; publisher of T. S. Eliot, W. H. Auden, Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter and Kazuo Ishiguro. Sponsors the PEN Pinter Prize (from 2024).
31. ALLEN & UNWIN — SYDNEY (CROWS NEST), AUSTRALIA
Founded 1914 · Independent publisher · Independent (Australian management buyout, 1990); founder-chairman Patrick Gallagher
Leadership: Robert Gorman, Chief Executive Officer (in post since 2008, per company and industry profiles; listed as CEO in current IBISWorld company profile). See README: confirmed from industry profiles rather than a 2026 house release
Principal imprints: Allen & Unwin (main); Allen & Unwin Children's; A&U New Zealand; Murdoch Books (cooking/lifestyle, acquired); Albert Street Books
Publishes: Literary and commercial fiction, nonfiction, children's and young adult books — up to about 250 new titles a year (company history); also represents Bloomsbury, Faber, Canongate and other UK independents in Australia and New Zealand
Scale: Revenue not published by the company (a third-party estimate of about A$90.8 million for 2025 circulates in IBISWorld profiles — third-party estimate, not a company figure, and not carried as such)
Website: allenandunwin.com · Contact: Via allenandunwin.com (including the Friday Pitch submissions route)
Australian house with origins in the London firm George Allen & Unwin (1914); the Australian company became independent in 1990 and is Australia's leading independent publisher, voted Australian Publisher of the Year twelve times (company history). Guide founding year uses the 1914 London origin — see README.
NAMED GAPS
China's publishing groups — among the world's largest — could not be verified to house standard from official English-language sources in this pass; they are the guide's largest gap and the recommended next build for this department. India's trade majors, the leading houses of Brazil, the Arabic world, Russia, South Korea and Poland, and Gyldendal ASA of Norway (a company separate from the Danish Gyldendal in this guide) are likewise named gaps. The university presses are excluded by design and are the subject of a planned companion guide. One leadership field could not be verified to current standard — Egmont's group chief executive — and it is flagged plainly inside that entry, not papered over.
Compiled October 2026 from official house and parent-company sources and trade press. Leadership and scale figures reflect official sources at press time; the master data file (CSV) accompanies this guide in the LIKE® Books department records.