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Bloomsbury Publishing

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This article is about the contemporary publishing company. For the historic literary group, see Bloomsbury Group.

Bloomsbury Publishing plc
StatusActive
Traded asLSE: BMY
Founded26 September 1986; 39 years ago (1986-09-26)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Headquarters locationLondon, England
DistributionMacmillan Publishers Services (US)
United Book Distributors (Australia)
Hachette Book Group (UK)
Key people
Publication typesBooks, digital content products, and online resources such as databases
Imprints
Company
ISINGB0033147751 Edit this on Wikidata
FounderNigel Newton Edit this on Wikidata
Headquarters
United Kingdom Edit this on Wikidata
RevenueIncrease£342.7 million (2024)[2]
Increase£40.6 million (2024)[2]
Increase£32.3 million (2024)[2]
Official websitewww.bloomsbury.com Edit this at Wikidata

Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. Bloomsbury's head office is located on Bedford Square[3] in Bloomsbury, an area of the London Borough of Camden. It has a US publishing office located in New York City, an India publishing office in New Delhi, an Australian sales office in Sydney CBD, and other publishing offices in the UK, including in Oxford. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

History

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The company was founded in 1986 by Nigel Newton, who had previously been employed by other publishing companies. It was floated as a public registered company in 1994, raising £5.5 million, which was used to fund expansion of the company into paperback and children's books.

For much of its existence, Bloomsbury was a minor player in the British publishing scene. In 1997, Bloomsbury took a chance on publishing the Harry Potter series after it had been rejected by multiple publishers. That decision catapulted the company’s fortunes, as Harry Potter would go on to become the best-selling book series in history.

A rights issue of shares in 1998 further raised £6.1 million, which was used to expand the company, in particular to found a U.S. branch. In 1998, Bloomsbury USA was established. Bloomsbury USA Books for Young Readers was established in 2002, and in 2005, Bloomsbury acquired Walker & Co, a small company dedicated to publishing nonfiction.[4] The Walker brand was discontinued in 2015 and sold to Walker Publishing Company.[5][6]

Bloomsbury US

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Bloomsbury US was established in 1998 in New York, New York, as a general interest publisher of both adult and children's books. It is known for its high-quality fiction and non-fiction as well as its extensive academic publishing branch.[7]

Its notable titles have include Anthony Bourdain's global bestseller Kitchen Confidential, Jesmyn Ward's National Book Award winner Salvage the Bones, the works of 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature winner Abdulrazak Gurnah, Susanna Clark's Women's Prize for Fiction winner Piranesi, Renée Watson’s Newbery Honor Book Piecing Me Together, Martin W. Sandler's National Book Award winner 1919, and titles by renowned authors Paul Beatty, Roz Chast, Edmund White, Elif Shafak, Carol Anderson, Mark Kurlansky, Miriam Toews, Samantha Shannon, and Deborah Levy.[8]

In 2021, Bloomsbury US acquired ABC-CLIO LLC, the established academic publisher of both print and digital materials, for $22.9 million.[9] In 2024, Bloomsbury US finalized the asset purchase of Rowman & Littlefield, an independent academic publisher, for $83 million.[10] The sale included rights to the publisher's academic imprints and associated titles, doubling the size of Bloomsbury US's Academic & Professional divisions.[11]

Sarah J. Maas

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Bloomsbury US is perhaps best known as the publisher of Sarah J. Maas, the #1 New York Times bestselling American fantasy author of the series Crescent City, Court of Thorns and Roses, and Throne of Glass. Her books have sold more than 75 million copies worldwide and have been translated into more than 40 languages as of 2024. In 2024, Maas was America's top-selling author.[12][13]

Bloomsbury India

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In December 2008, Bloomsbury opened a branch in Doha, Qatar in a joint-partnership with Qatar Foundation.[14] The partnership created a publishing house, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing; it worked mainly with English and Arabic literature.[15]

Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Journals (BQFJ), an open access and peer reviewed academic publisher, was created in December 2010 as a joint venture with Qatar Foundation. Journal research articles were published through BQFJ's website QScience.com.[16] The company's partnership with Qatar Foundation ended in December 2015 and all of Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing works were incorporated in Qatari-owned HBKU Press. At the time of BQFP's dissolution it had published over 200 books. BQFJ's works were also incorporated in HBKU Press.[17]

In 2012, Bloomsbury established a publishing office in India.[18]

In 2018, an article disclosed that much of the profit in the children's division was due to the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling.[19]

In May 2023, an article in The Verge reported that the cover of the UK edition of House of Earth and Blood, published by Bloomsbury, uses an AI-generated image.[20]

Acquisitions and imprints

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Among the companies, book lists and imprints that Bloomsbury has acquired are:[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Bloomsbury Publishing Board Appointment". London Stock Exchange. 16 June 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Annual Report 2024". Bloomsbury Publishing. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  3. ^ "Bloomsbury Offices". Prestige Offices | Luxury Office Space in London. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  4. ^ "About Us". Bloomsbury Publishing. Archived from the original on 31 January 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  5. ^ Milliot, Jim (17 March 2014). "Bloomsbury Consolidates Children's Imprints; Easton Leaving". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  6. ^ Rosen, Judith (10 August 2017). "Candlewick to Publish Walker Books in U.S." PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  7. ^ https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/connect/about-us/overview/#. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ^ https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/connect/about-us/overview/#. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ^ https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/industry-deals/article/88138-bloomsbury-buys-abc-clio-for-22-9-million.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/connect/latest-news/bloomsbury-acquires-rowman-littlefield-academic-business-and-assets/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ^ https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/connect/latest-news/bloomsbury-acquires-rowman-littlefield-academic-business-and-assets/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ^ https://pangobooks.com/blog/2024-bestselling-authors?srsltid=AfmBOorSsGdZnpaDnBAA1hpLGtXsWZhxmgFzWAIwThzgkRAzLxsB-TET. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. ^ https://people.com/acotar-author-sarah-j-maas-reacts-spotify-top-author-new-book-details-8759212. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ^ Harding, Sue-Ann (2014). "'But we don't read, Professor!' Translation, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, and building a 'vibrant literary culture'". Perspectives: Studies in Translatology. 22 (4): Abstract. doi:10.1080/0907676X.2014.948891. S2CID 60553880.
  15. ^ Flood, Alison; Ian Black (15 October 2008). "Publishers seek new talent in Arab world". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  16. ^ "<<Muasasat Qatara>> tutliq alminbar al'iilikturunia QScience.com linashr aldawriaat" «مؤسسة قطر» تطلق المنبر الإلكتروني QScience.com لنشر الدوريات ["Qatar Foundation" launches the electronic platform QScience.com to publish periodicals]. "Sahifat Alwasat Albahrayniat - Mamlakat Albahrayn" صحيفة الوسط البحرينية - مملكة البحرين [Bahrain Al Wasat Newspaper - Kingdom of Bahrain] (in Arabic). No. 3032. 25 December 2010 [corresponding to 19 Muharram 1432 AH]. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  17. ^ Eyre, Charlotte (22 December 2015). "Qatar's QF and Bloomsbury end partnership". The Bookseller. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  18. ^ "Regulatory announcement". Archived from the original on 24 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  19. ^ "JK Rowling's Harry Potter fuels Bloomsbury profit rise". 23 October 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  20. ^ Weatherbed, Jess (15 May 2023). "Not even NYT bestsellers are safe from AI cover art". The Verge.
  21. ^ "Corporate history – Corporate and Investor Relations – Bloomsbury.com". Archived from the original on 22 July 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  22. ^ Neill, Graeme (1 September 2011). "Bloomsbury cooks up deal with Absolute Press". The Bookseller. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  23. ^ Chandler, Mark; Wood, Heloise (2 June 2021). "Bloomsbury buys Head of Zeus in £8.5m deal". The Bookseller. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  24. ^ Milliot, Jim (16 December 2021). "Bloomsbury Buys ABC-CLIO for $22.9Million". Publishers Weekly.
  25. ^ "Bloomsbury Libraries Unlimited". Bloomsbury. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  26. ^ a b c d Milliot, Jim. "Bloomsbury Buys Rowman & Littlefield Academic Division for $83 Million". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
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