Spiegel & Grau
Spiegel & Grau is an independent New York-based multi-platform book publisher founded in 2006 that became independent from Random House in 2021, publishing literary fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and self-help titles across print, ebook, and audiobook formats for general consumer readers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Spiegel & Grau does
Spiegel & Grau is an independent, multi-platform book publisher headquartered in New York that was founded in 2006 as an imprint of Random House and has operated as a standalone publisher since 2021. The company publishes literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, memoir, self-help, environmental writing, and historical works across print, ebook, and audiobook formats, with a catalog that includes The Help (15M+ copies sold, 35+ languages, Oscar-winning film adaptation), Orange Is the New Black, The Kite Runner, Just Mercy, Between the World and Me, Born a Crime, Codependent No More, and the recently released instant NYT bestseller The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett.
The publisher monetizes through three primary revenue streams: (1) one-time book sales across physical, ebook, and audiobook editions priced at $18-$35 and $9.99-$28 respectively, distributed via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Bookshop.org, IndiePubs, and direct e-commerce; (2) rights and licensing royalties from film/TV adaptations, international translations, and subsidiary rights; and (3) the in-house Lyceum Speakers Bureau, which monetizes author speaking engagements for enterprise event clients. Distribution reaches audiobook platforms including Spotify, Audible, Libro.fm, and Chirp, with a dedicated audio program directed by an ex-Penguin Random House Audio executive. The company holds no patents, APIs, or proprietary technology assets and does not disclose any AI/ML capabilities.
The business is founder-controlled, with Co-CEOs Julie Grau and Cindy Spiegel (both former co-publishers of Riverhead Books) and a senior team staffed primarily with alumni of Penguin Random House, Little Brown, Grove Atlantic, and Alfred A. Knopf. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees, and the company received approximately $4.6M in external funding coinciding with its 2021 independence from Penguin Random House. No subsequent funding rounds are disclosed.
Spiegel & Grau firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Spiegel & Grau
- Legal name
- Spiegel & Grau LLC
- Website
- https://spiegelandgrau.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Spiegel & Grau is an independent New York-based multi-platform book publisher founded in 2006 that became independent from Random House in 2021, publishing literary fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and self-help titles across print, ebook, and audiobook formats for general consumer readers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Spiegel & Grau industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Biography, Memoir & Narrative Nonfiction Publishing (MPAJAAAI), K–12 Textbook Publishing (Core Curriculum) (MPAJABAA)
Keywords
Where Spiegel & Grau is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Spiegel & Grau business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Book Sales: Revenue from physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks sold through major retail channels and direct-to-consumer through their website. Book prices range from $18-$35 for physical books and $9.99-$28 for audiobooks.
- Rights and Licensing: Revenue from film and television adaptation rights, international translation rights, and other subsidiary rights for their published titles.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Physical hardcover books |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Audiobooks |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels4 records
Spiegel & Grau product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Spiegel & Grau is an independent multi-platform publisher that acquires, produces, and distributes books in literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, memoir, self-help, environmental writing, and historical nonfiction across print, ebook, and audiobook formats. They also license subsidiary rights for film, television, and international translation, and operate a speakers bureau connecting authors with event audiences.
Product overview
Spiegel & Grau is an independent multi-platform book publisher established in 2006 that became independent in 2021. The company publishes fiction, nonfiction, and memoir titles across diverse genres including literary fiction, self-help, investigative journalism, historical nonfiction, and environmental writing. The portfolio includes bestselling titles like The Calamity Club, Codependent No More, and A Heart That Works, alongside audiobook exclusives and upcoming releases. The publisher operates additional services including the Lyceum Speakers Bureau for author speaking engagements, demonstrating their multi-platform approach to content distribution beyond traditional book publishing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Spiegel & Grau Audiobook Program Audiobook program producing narrated editions of published works including exclusive audio titles, distributed across major audio platforms for audiobook consumers.
- Lyceum Speakers Bureau Speaking bureau service connecting event organizers, festivals, and institutions with Spiegel & Grau authors for speaking engagements and author appearances.
- The Calamity Club Novel by Kathryn Stockett set in 1933 Mississippi exploring racism, sexism, and women's autonomy through unbreakable women fighting for what's rightfully theirs.
- Codependent No More Revised and updated self-help book by Melody Beattie providing understanding and tools for overcoming codependency, including a new chapter on trauma and anxiety.
- A Heart That Works Memoir by Rob Delaney exploring grief and loss following the death of his two-year-old son Henry from a brain tumor; New York Times bestseller.
- Imaginable Future forecasting book by Jane McGonigal providing tools to imagine the future without fear; winner of the Nautilus Book Award.
- Holy Ground Collection of essays by environmental justice activist Catherine Coleman Flowers; winner of the Southern Environmental Law Center Phil Reed Environmental Writing Award.
- Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers New York Times bestseller memoir by Mary Rodgers about Broadway royalty, narrated by Christine Baranski and Jesse Green.
- What Storm What Thunder Multivoiced novel by Myriam J.A. Chancy set before, during, and after the 2010 Haiti earthquake; named one of NYPL's best books of 2021.
- Come to Me National Book Award finalist story collection by Amy Bloom released as an audiobook by Spiegel & Grau.
- Transit of Venus Literary masterpiece by Shirley Hazzard about two orphan sisters whose fates mirror planetary transits; audiobook edition produced by Spiegel & Grau.
- The Last Shot Classic narrative journalism by Darcy Frey about inner-city high school basketball prospects; audiobook edition released by Spiegel & Grau.
- Notes on Complexity Introduction to complexity theory by Neil Theise exploring how complex systems behave from cells to ecosystems and the universe.
- A Sheepdog Named Oscar New York Times bestseller memoir by Dara Waldron about grief, healing, and the bond between man and dog in rural Ireland; audiobook edition.
- Out of the Sky Nonfiction by Matti Friedman about Hannah Senesh and idealistic young Jews who parachuted into Nazi-occupied Europe in 1944.
- A Killing in Cannabis Investigative journalism by Scott Eden about the murder of Silicon Valley founder Tushar Atre at the nexus of Silicon Valley and the California cannabis industry.
- Beyond Codependency Self-help book by Melody Beattie about mastering self-care after codependency recovery.
Quantifiable outcome
- The Help sold over 15 million copies worldwide and was translated into 35+ languages, becoming an Oscar-winning film
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Spiegel & Grau
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Spiegel & Grau technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Spiegel & Grau partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Spiegel & Grau competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tin House Books: Independent literary publisher focused on fiction, memoir, and poetry with a comparable editorial-driven imprint model.
- Grove Atlantic: Independently owned literary trade publisher of fiction, nonfiction, and memoir, with a comparable catalog of award-winning authors and a similar mid-sized, editorial-driven model.
- Algonquin Books: Independent literary trade publisher known for narrative nonfiction, memoir, and literary fiction, operating with similar scale, imprint-like focus, and award-winning author roster.
- Milkweed Editions: Independent nonprofit literary publisher with a strong literary fiction and narrative nonfiction list and similar NYT bestseller and award trajectory (Read with Jenna, Reese's Book Club).
- Graywolf Press: Independent literary publisher of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry known for award-winning authors, comparable in size and editorial mission to Spiegel & Grau.
- Counterpoint Press: Independent literary trade publisher of fiction, nonfiction, and memoir, similarly mid-sized and distributed through major retailers, sharing genre overlap with Spiegel & Grau.
Broad incumbents
- Ecco (HarperCollins imprint): Literary imprint within HarperCollins publishing literary fiction and narrative nonfiction with similar editorial scope but far larger parent-company distribution and capital base.
- Vintage Books / Knopf Doubleday (Penguin Random House): Major literary imprint within Penguin Random House — Spiegel & Grau's former parent — publishing a comparable literary fiction and narrative nonfiction list at vastly greater scale.
- Little, Brown and Company: Big-Five literary imprint publishing literary fiction, memoir, and narrative nonfiction with comparable marquee authors but materially larger scale and capital.
Emerging players
- Melville House: Independent literary publisher with strong literary fiction and nonfiction catalog, comparable in independent spirit and editorial mission though smaller in scale than Spiegel & Grau.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Spiegel & Grau social profiles
Digital presenceSpiegel & Grau financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Spiegel & Grau leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Spiegel & Grau funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Spiegel & Grau M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Spiegel & Grau
What does Spiegel & Grau do?
Spiegel & Grau is an independent multi-platform publisher that acquires, produces, and distributes books in literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, memoir, self-help, environmental writing, and historical nonfiction across print, ebook, and audiobook formats. They also license subsidiary rights for film, television, and international translation, and operate a speakers bureau connecting authors with event audiences.
Is Spiegel & Grau a public or private company?
Spiegel & Grau is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Spiegel & Grau founded?
Spiegel & Grau was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Spiegel & Grau based?
Spiegel & Grau is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Spiegel & Grau make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are rights and Licensing.
Who are Spiegel & Grau's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tin House Books, Grove Atlantic, Algonquin Books, Milkweed Editions, Graywolf Press and Counterpoint Press. Broad incumbents are Ecco (HarperCollins imprint), Vintage Books / Knopf Doubleday (Penguin Random House) and Little, Brown and Company. Melville House is listed as an emerging player.
Does Spiegel & Grau have an API?
No public API is recorded for Spiegel & Grau.
What industry is Spiegel & Grau in?
Spiegel & Grau's product category is Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAB, Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.), with a secondary code of MPAJAAAI, Biography, Memoir & Narrative Nonfiction Publishing. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.