Baker Publishing Group

Christian Book Publishingbakerpublishinggroup.com

Baker Publishing Group is a privately held Christian publishing company operating ten imprints and a 6,080+ title catalog across theology, fiction, nonfiction, children's, and academic segments, serving evangelical readers, academic institutions, churches, and bookstores primarily in the U.S.

Company typePrivate
Founded1939
HeadquartersAda, United States
Headcount101–250
GTM typeB2C
OfferingHardware or Manufacturing

Baker Publishing Group firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Baker Publishing Group
Legal name: Baker Publishing Group
Website: https://bakerpublishinggroup.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1939
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 101–250 employees
Short description: Baker Publishing Group is a privately held Christian publishing company operating ten imprints and a 6,080+ title catalog across theology, fiction, nonfiction, children's, and academic segments, serving evangelical readers, academic institutions, churches, and bookstores primarily in the U.S.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Baker Publishing Group industry classification

Industry

Product category: Christian Book Publishing
NAICS: Book Publishers (513130), Other Publishers (51319)
SIC: Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
akta.pro primary industry: Sermon, Homiletics & Ministry Resource Publishing (Preaching Aids, Pastoral Resources) (MPAJAHAD)

Keywords

Christian book publishing
Religious publishing imprints
Theological academic books
Evangelical literature publishing
Children's Christian books

Where Baker Publishing Group is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Ada
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Baker Publishing Group business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Hardware or Manufacturing
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Retail and Wholesale Book Sales: Baker Publishing Group generates revenue primarily through the sale of Christian books across multiple imprints. Books are sold through the company's own e-commerce storefront (bakerpublishinggroup.com), major online retailers (Amazon, etc.), independent bookstores, and library distributors. Revenue accrues from both retail consumer purchases and wholesale orders from booksellers.
Subsidiary Rights and Permissions: The company manages subsidiary rights including foreign translation rights, audio rights, and reprint permissions. A dedicated Permissions department handles requests to copy or reuse portions of published books, generating licensing revenue.
Academic Desk and Exam Copy Sales: Through Baker Academic imprint, the company sells desk and exam copies to educational institutions and classrooms, serving the academic market segment.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Paperback titles — widest format availability
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Hardcover titles — premium format
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Children's and board books
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Academic and reference theological works

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Baker Publishing Group product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Baker Publishing Group publishes Christian books across nine distinct imprints covering academic theology, Christian nonfiction, inspirational fiction, children's books, devotionals, and women's journals. The company curates, edits, prints, and distributes a catalog of more than 6,080 titles representing historic Christianity, primarily serving evangelical readers, academic institutions, libraries, and independent bookstores.

Product overview

Baker Publishing Group is a Christian publishing company with a multi-imprint portfolio serving diverse evangelical readers. The company operates nine distinct imprints: Baker Academic (academic theological works), Bethany House (uplifting fiction and nonfiction), Baker Books (relevant Christian nonfiction), Brazos Press (reflective nonfiction), Revell (fiction and devotionals), Chosen (spirit-empowered Christian books), Haven (fiction), Nesting Box Press (women's journals), and Seed & Sparrow (children's books). The company also offers book club resources through An Open Book and reviewer programs for both fiction and nonfiction titles. The publishing group operates an e-commerce platform (Shopify-based) for direct sales and maintains a catalog system for seasonal trade publications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

An Open Book: A book club resource program offering discussion guides, author Q&As, recommendations, and book club support for Bethany House, Revell, and Haven titles.
Baker Book House

Products and services

Baker Academic Academic publishing division publishing theological and biblical studies works, commentaries, and reference materials for students, professors, scholars, seminaries, and divinity schools. Offers a desk and exam copy program for classroom instruction.
Bethany House

Quantifiable outcome

6,080+ book titles published across all imprints
+4 more outcomes

Companies that use Baker Publishing Group

Customer profile

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Baker Publishing Group technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Baker Publishing Group partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

Baker Book HousecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBaker Book House is the company's own independent Christian bookstore, which serves as both a retail outlet for Baker Publishing Group titles and a separate retail business. It operates as the company's primary brick-and-mortar retail presence and showcases the publisher's full catalog to walk-in customers. The company directs readers to visit Baker Book House as the company's independent bookstore.
Literary AgentscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional literary agents serve as the primary channel for manuscript submissions to Baker Publishing Group. The company only accepts unsolicited manuscripts through agents (with exceptions for Baker Academic and Brazos Press), making literary agents a critical pipeline partner for acquiring new titles.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Baker Publishing Group competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Tyndale House Publishers: One of the largest independent Christian publishers in the US, Tyndale House directly competes across Bibles, fiction, devotionals, and children's lines (e.g., Left Behind, NIV Bible). Most direct comparable by scale, multi-imprint structure, and evangelical focus.
Thomas Nelson (HarperCollins Christian Publishing): Major Christian publisher within HarperCollins, publishing the NKJV, books by Max Lucado, Sarah Young, and large fiction/nonfiction lists. Direct competitor across Baker's core evangelical fiction and nonfiction imprints.
Zondervan (HarperCollins Christian Publishing): Publishes the NIV Study Bible, academic titles via Zondervan Academic, and a broad Christian fiction/nonfiction list. Closest peer to Baker Academic on the scholarly side and overlaps directly in trade fiction.
Harvest House Publishers: Independent evangelical publisher with comparable size to Baker Publishing Group, publishing fiction, Bible studies, devotionals, and children's titles. Directly comparable multi-imprint structure and target audience.
B&H Publishing Group (LifeWay Christian Resources): Publishing arm of LifeWay Christian Resources, producing academic (B&H Academic), ministry, and trade titles. Direct competitor in the academic/theological and ministry segments where Baker Academic and Chosen compete.
Moody Publishers: Christian publisher affiliated with the Moody Bible Institute, with a strong academic and ministry publishing focus. Closely comparable to Baker Academic and Chosen's ministry-resource positioning.
Crossway: Independent Christian publisher of the ESV Bible and a growing list of theological, fiction, and children's titles. Directly comparable in academic theology and increasingly in trade categories where Baker competes.
InterVarsity Press (IVP): Academic Christian publisher with strong evangelical and Reformed catalog of biblical studies, theology, and missional titles. The closest direct competitor to Baker Academic and Brazos Press in scholarly publishing.

Broad incumbents

WaterBrook & Multnomah (Penguin Random House): Christian imprints within Penguin Random House publishing fiction, nonfiction, and Bible study resources. Operates within a larger general trade publisher, so comparable in genre but with broader portfolio backing and deeper retail relationships.

Regional players

Eerdmans Publishing: Independent academic Christian publisher based in Grand Rapids, Michigan — same publishing hub as Baker. Closely comparable to Baker Academic and Brazos Press in scholarly theology, with similar evangelical/Reformed orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Baker Publishing Group financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Baker Publishing Group leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Baker Publishing Group subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries9 records

Baker Publishing Group funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Baker Publishing Group M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Baker Publishing Group

What does Baker Publishing Group do?

Is Baker Publishing Group a public or private company?

Baker Publishing Group is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.

When was Baker Publishing Group founded?

Baker Publishing Group was founded in 1939. It employs 101 to 250 people.

Where is Baker Publishing Group based?

Baker Publishing Group is headquartered in Ada, United States, in the North America region.

How does Baker Publishing Group make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Retail and Wholesale Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are subsidiary Rights and Permissions and academic Desk and Exam Copy Sales.

Who are Baker Publishing Group's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Tyndale House Publishers, Thomas Nelson (HarperCollins Christian Publishing), Zondervan (HarperCollins Christian Publishing), Harvest House Publishers, B&H Publishing Group (LifeWay Christian Resources), Moody Publishers, Crossway and InterVarsity Press (IVP). WaterBrook & Multnomah (Penguin Random House) is listed as a broad incumbent. Eerdmans Publishing is listed as a regional player.

Does Baker Publishing Group have an API?

No public API is recorded for Baker Publishing Group.

What industry is Baker Publishing Group in?

Baker Publishing Group's product category is Christian Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAHAD, Sermon, Homiletics & Ministry Resource Publishing (Preaching Aids, Pastoral Resources). Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.