Blackstone Publishing
Blackstone Publishing specializes in publishing services for readers, booksellers, librarians, and the literary community.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersAshland, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Blackstone Publishing does
Blackstone Publishing, founded in 1987 in Ashland, Oregon and operating under the legal entity Blackstone Audio, Inc., is an independent trade publisher with 101-250 employees and a catalog of 1,150+ titles. The company was originally built on audiobooks under the Blackstone Audio brand and has since expanded into a multi-format publisher releasing titles in audiobook, print, ebook, and large-print editions, distributed across Amazon, Audible, Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Hudson Booksellers, independent booksellers, and its own Downpour platform, with top titles reaching 46 countries. Its catalog spans backlist rights to marquee authors including Michael Crichton, Isaac Asimov, James Clavell, Ira Levin, and Hugh Howey, and an active frontlist that includes Brian Freeman, Nicholas Sansbury Smith, Jeneva Rose, Natasha Madison, Heather Morris, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and the celebrity-backed WhoopInk (Whoopi Goldberg) and AWE (Andrews & Wilson Entertainment) imprints.
The business model is standard trade publishing combined with audiobook production: revenue is generated through wholesale and retail sales of owned and licensed titles across formats, supplemented by advances and royalties on licensed content, plus option/sale proceeds from screen rights. Blackstone has explicitly built a screen-adaptation pipeline — Legendary Entertainment acquired TV/film rights to the Andrews & Wilson "Tier One" series, and director James Cameron acquired film rights to Charles Pellegrino's "Ghosts of Hiroshima" — and is represented by WME for talent and rights deals. A CD-on-demand partnership with Penguin Random House extends physical-audio supply chain reach.
Leadership is anchored by founder-era continuity (Michelle Black listed as Founder) and a recent Big Five-caliber buildout: CEO Josh Stanton, President Anthony Goff (hired from Hachette Book Group), and Head of New Business Rick Bleiweiss. Blackstone remains privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, acquisitions, or revenue figures in the source data, and there is no public indication of AI/ML capability, patents, or platform technology differentiation beyond its proprietary Downpour audiobook channel.
Blackstone Publishing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Blackstone Publishing
- Legal name
- Blackstone Audio, Inc.
- Website
- https://www.blackstonepublishing.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Blackstone Publishing specializes in publishing services for readers, booksellers, librarians, and the literary community.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Blackstone Publishing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB), Author Website, Storefront & Direct-to-Reader Commerce (D2C Sales) (MPAJAJAE), Audiobook Rights & Licensing (Territorial/Format Rights, Agencies) (MPAJAIAG)
Keywords
Where Blackstone Publishing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ashland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Blackstone Publishing 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 (Print): Revenue from selling physical books including hardcover, paperback, and large print editions across all genres and imprints.
- Audiobook Sales: Revenue from audiobook sales through their proprietary Downpour platform and major audiobook retailers including Audible. Blackstone originated as an audiobook company (Blackstone Audio).
- Ebook Sales: Digital book sales across multiple platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play, and Kobo.
- Publishing Imprints and Partnerships: Revenue generation through owned imprints (AWE with Andrews & Wilson, WhoopInk with Whoopi Goldberg) and partnership deals with major franchises including Michael Crichton novels, Isaac Asimov works, and Ira Levin classics.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Paperback editions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hardcover editions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Audiobooks |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Signed Editions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Large Print Editions |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels12 records
Marketing channels11 records
Blackstone Publishing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Blackstone Publishing is an independent book publisher that acquires, produces, and sells books across multiple genres including thrillers, mystery, romance, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, nonfiction, and classics. The company distributes titles in hardcover, paperback, large print, ebook, and audiobook formats through its own e-commerce site, proprietary Downpour audiobook platform, and third-party retailers such as Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Google Play, and Kobo. It also operates branded imprints (WhoopInk and AWE) in partnership with celebrity and bestselling authors.
Product overview
Blackstone Publishing is an independent publishing company offering books across multiple genres including thrillers, mystery, detective, romance, science fiction, fantasy, action/adventure, historical, literary/classics, nonfiction, business, westerns, dystopian, and young adult. The company operates several imprints including WhoopInk (in partnership with Whoopi Goldberg) and AWE (Andrews & Wilson Entertainment). Blackstone Publishing offers content in multiple formats including audiobooks, ebooks, print books (hardcover and paperback), and large print editions. The company is headquartered in Ashland, Oregon, and is known for publishing both new releases and classic titles.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AWE (Andrews & Wilson Entertainment): Andrews & Wilson Entertainment imprint dedicated to military thrillers and action-adventure content with TV/film ambitions.
- WhoopInk
Products and services
- Blackstone Publishing Catalog
- WhoopInk Imprint
- AWE (Andrews & Wilson Entertainment) Imprint
- Downpour Audiobook Platform
- The Piano Teacher of Montparnasse
Quantifiable outcome
- Books sold in 46 countries and translated into 23 languages (Brian Freeman titles)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Blackstone Publishing
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Blackstone Publishing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Blackstone Publishing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Whoopi Goldberg / WhoopInkcoreWhoopi Goldberg launched a publishing imprint called WhoopInk in partnership with Blackstone Publishing. The imprint focuses on bringing fresh, diverse new talent to the marketplace across various genres. Goldberg will be intimately involved in operations from cover design to promotion, publishing her own books and works by authors including Rick Bleiweiss. Blackstone will initially acquire several genre-spanning titles under the imprint.
- Andrews & Wilson Entertainment (AWE)coreBlackstone launched AWE (Andrews & Wilson Entertainment) publishing imprint led by New York Times bestselling author duo Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson. AWE showcases established and emerging voices in military thriller genre with stories of covert operations and espionage. The imprint has content in development for television and film with Hollywood partners.
- Legendary EntertainmentflagshipLegendary Entertainment has acquired the film and television rights to Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson's bestselling Tier One series for adaptation. This represents a major entertainment partnership for Blackstone's content.
- James CameronflagshipJames Cameron purchased the 'Ghosts of Hiroshima' book by Charles Pellegrino and committed to film it as his next project. This major film adaptation deal brings significant attention to Blackstone's publishing catalog.
- Penguin Random HouseminorBlackstone Publishing partnered with Penguin Random House to release select Penguin Random House audio titles as CDs on demand, expanding distribution options for audio content.
- WME (William Morris Endeavor)coreWME Literary Agent Mel Berger was involved in negotiating the WhoopInk deal between Whoopi Goldberg and Blackstone Publishing.
- Whoop, Inc.coreWhoopi Goldberg's business partner of thirty-plus years, Tom Leonardis at Whoop, Inc., co-negotiated the WhoopInk partnership with Blackstone. Future works by Goldberg including a follow-up to 'Bits and Pieces' and a new nonfiction title will be published under the imprint.
- Rick BleiweissminorRick Bleiweiss's Pignon Scorbion & the Barbershop Detectives series became part of the WhoopInk imprint, with the first two books and upcoming third book 'The Cupid Killer and Other Murderers' scheduled for early 2027.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Blackstone Publishing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hachette Book Group: Major US trade publisher across fiction and nonfiction, including imprints like Grand Central Publishing and Little, Brown. Direct peer because Blackstone competes for the same genre authors and consumer readership; Blackstone's President Anthony Goff was previously SVP and Publisher at Hachette, further underscoring operational comparability.
- Sourcebooks: Largest woman-owned independent trade publisher in the US, publishing across fiction and nonfiction with strong author partnerships. Closely comparable to Blackstone in scale, independent status, multi-genre catalog, and imprint-led growth model.
- Chronicle Books: Independent trade publisher known for high-design illustrated and lifestyle titles plus adult fiction. Comparable to Blackstone as an independent competitor of similar scale pursuing curated, design-led publishing across consumer segments.
- Workman Publishing: Independent trade publisher with strong lifestyle, nonfiction, and gift-book presence. Comparable in independent-publisher scale, multi-format distribution (print, ebook, audio), and consumer-D2C strategy.
- Tantor Media: Audiobook-focused publisher and producer (now part of Recorded Books). Closely comparable to Blackstone's Blackstone Audio heritage: an audiobook-first publisher with a multi-thousand-title catalog distributed across Audible and other platforms.
- Recorded Books: Audiobook publisher and distributor (parent of Tantor) producing thousands of titles across genres. Direct competitor in audiobook production, narration, and platform distribution—mirroring Blackstone's Downpour/Audible audio business.
Broad incumbents
- Simon & Schuster: One of the Big-5 US trade publishers with broad fiction and nonfiction across multiple imprints. Comparable to Blackstone in target readers and formats, but operates at substantially greater scale and offers a wider editorial portfolio.
- Penguin Random House: World's largest trade publisher, Blackstone's audio CD partner and a direct competitor for the same mass-market and genre readership. Operates at vastly greater scale but overlaps heavily on distribution channels, authors, and consumer segments.
- HarperCollins: Big-5 publisher with deep genre fiction (romance, thriller, sci-fi) and audiobook presence. Comparable to Blackstone across target genres and formats, though at materially larger scale and with a deeper backlist.
- Macmillan Publishers: Big-5 publisher with strong trade and genre imprints (St. Martin's Press, Tor, Flatiron). Comparable to Blackstone across thriller, sci-fi/fantasy, and nonfiction readership, though at substantially larger scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Blackstone Publishing social profiles
Digital presenceBlackstone Publishing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Blackstone Publishing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Blackstone Publishing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Blackstone Publishing 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 Blackstone Publishing
What does Blackstone Publishing do?
Blackstone Publishing is an independent book publisher that acquires, produces, and sells books across multiple genres including thrillers, mystery, romance, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, nonfiction, and classics. The company distributes titles in hardcover, paperback, large print, ebook, and audiobook formats through its own e-commerce site, proprietary Downpour audiobook platform, and third-party retailers such as Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Google Play, and Kobo. It also operates branded imprints (WhoopInk and AWE) in partnership with celebrity and bestselling authors.
Is Blackstone Publishing a public or private company?
Blackstone Publishing is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Blackstone Publishing founded?
Blackstone Publishing was founded in 1987. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Blackstone Publishing based?
Blackstone Publishing is headquartered in Ashland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Blackstone Publishing make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Book Sales (Print) is the primary driver. The others are audiobook Sales, ebook Sales and publishing Imprints and Partnerships.
Who are Blackstone Publishing's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hachette Book Group, Sourcebooks, Chronicle Books, Workman Publishing, Tantor Media and Recorded Books. Broad incumbents are Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins and Macmillan Publishers.
Does Blackstone Publishing have an API?
No public API is recorded for Blackstone Publishing.
What industry is Blackstone Publishing in?
Blackstone Publishing's product category is Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAA, General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction), with a secondary code of MPAJAAAB, Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.). Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.