University of California Press
University of California Press is a nonprofit academic publisher founded in 1893 and operated by the University of California, publishing roughly 200 books per year and 40-plus journals for scholars, libraries, instructors, and general readers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1893
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What University of California Press does
University of California Press is a nonprofit academic publisher founded in 1893 and operated by the Regents of the University of California, headquartered in Oakland, California. The press publishes approximately 200 new books annually and maintains 40+ multi-issue academic journals across the humanities and social sciences — including history, anthropology, music, sociology, environmental studies, politics, philosophy, and area studies — alongside a deep backlist stretching to its founding year. It is supported by the UC Press Foundation, a separate 501(c)(3) that handles philanthropic fundraising; earned revenue from book sales and journal subscriptions covers approximately 82% of annual operating expenses, with donations and grants covering the remainder.
University of California Press firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- University of California Press
- Legal name
- University of California Press (on behalf of the Regents of the University of California)
- Website
- https://ucpress.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1893
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- University of California Press is a nonprofit academic publisher founded in 1893 and operated by the University of California, publishing roughly 200 books per year and 40-plus journals for scholars, libraries, instructors, and general readers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
University of California Press industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Academic Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Periodical Publishers (51312)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Research Monographs & University Press Publishing (MPAJABAJ), Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC), Open Access Scholarly Journals & Monographs (EDAGAFAJ)
Keywords
Where University of California Press is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
University of California Press business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Book Sales: Sales of hardcover, paperback, and ebook editions of scholarly books. Revenue from retail channels (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop) and direct sales through ucpress.edu.
- Journal Subscriptions: Annual subscriptions to academic journals covering multiple disciplines. Journals available at online.ucpress.edu.
- Philanthropic Donations: Donations to the UC Press Foundation support publishing programs. Earned revenue through book sales and journal subscriptions accounts for approximately 82% of annual revenue.
- Membership Program: Membership benefits for donors giving $100+ including discounts on books, invitations to events, and journal access.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Paperback academic books |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Hardcover academic books |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Voices Revived paperback reprints |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Voices Revived ebook editions |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Exam/Desk Copy Program |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels7 records
University of California Press product offering
Product offeringCore offering
University of California Press is a nonprofit academic publisher that produces peer-reviewed scholarly books and academic journals across the humanities, social sciences, arts, and sciences. It distributes content through its own direct online store, major retailers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop), academic distributors (Ingram Academic), and digital ebook platforms, while supporting authors through acquisitions editors and offering open access options via eScholarship.
Product overview
University of California Press is an academic publisher offering a portfolio of books and journals across diverse disciplines including humanities, social sciences, arts, and sciences. The core offerings consist of books (both new releases and backlist titles through the Voices Revived program) and journals accessible via an online platform. Additional products include UC Publishing Services for institutional partners, the Beyond the Margins podcast featuring author interviews, and open access services via eScholarship. The press also operates the FirstGen Program supporting first-generation scholars. Books and journals form the primary product categories, with supporting services and programs for authors, instructors, librarians, and other stakeholders in academic publishing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- UC Press Foundation: A separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises funds to support UC Press and its publishing mission.
- Voices Revived
Products and services
- Books Academic books published across multiple disciplines including African Studies, American Studies, Anthropology, Art, Asian Studies, History, Music, Philosophy, Politics, Sociology, Environmental Studies, and many others, with both new releases and backlist titles available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats.
- Journals Academic journals published across various disciplines, accessible through the online UC Press Journals platform, including titles like Animal History, Journal of Japanese Studies, Journal of Religion and Popular Culture, Science Fiction Studies, and Journal of Autoethnography. Available via institutional and individual subscriptions.
- UC Publishing Services Publishing services offered by UC Press, providing support for authors, editors, and institutional partners in the academic publishing process.
- Open Access Services Open access publishing options available through eScholarship, making scholarly content freely accessible to readers worldwide.
Companies that use University of California Press
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
University of California Press technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
University of California Press partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Wayne State UniversityminorJacek Blaszkiewicz, incoming Editor of Journal of Musicology, is Associate Professor of Music History at Wayne State University.
- UC Press FoundationcoreThe UC Press Foundation is a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises funds to support UC Press. It is critical to UC Press operations as earned revenue (approximately 82%) cannot cover total operating expenses.
- eScholarshipcoreOpen access publishing services provided through eScholarship, enabling many UC Press publications to be freely accessible to readers worldwide.
- Roth Family FoundationminorEndowment supporting the Roth Family Foundation Imprint in Music, under which titles like Blacksound and Self-Realization Nation are published.
- John Wiley & SonsminorInternational distribution partner for UK and Europe customers who cannot order directly from UC Press website.
- Ingram AcademiccoreAcademic distribution partner for examination and desk copy requests from instructors.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
University of California Press competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Oxford University Press: World's largest university press and the most direct comparable to UC Press, publishing scholarly books and journals across humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Several UC Press editors previously worked at OUP, indicating direct competitive overlap for authors and acquisitions.
- Cambridge University Press: Another of the largest global university presses with a comparable interdisciplinary books and journals program. Competes directly with UC Press for scholarly monographs and academic journal subscriptions across the same disciplines.
- Harvard University Press: Elite US university press with overlapping humanities, social sciences, and science publishing. Competes for the same high-prestige scholarly authors and has a similarly prestigious brand profile as UC Press.
- University of Chicago Press: Major US university press publishing books and journals across humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Directly comparable in scale, mission, and disciplinary breadth to UC Press.
- Princeton University Press: Prestigious US university press with a strong humanities and social sciences book program. Competes directly with UC Press for scholarly monographs, with multiple UC Press editors previously holding roles there.
- Stanford University Press: West Coast US university press with overlapping humanities and social science disciplines. Shares geographic and institutional context with UC Press, and several UC Press editors were recruited from Stanford.
- MIT Press: University press known for science, technology, and design publishing but with significant overlap in social sciences and humanities. Comparable scale and prestige in scholarly publishing.
- Duke University Press: University press with strong humanities and social science focus, particularly in theory and cultural studies. Directly competes with UC Press for authors in similar humanities disciplines.
- Yale University Press: Elite US university press publishing scholarly books in humanities, social sciences, and arts. Comparable brand profile and competes for high-prestige scholarly authors.
- Columbia University Press: Major US university press with broad humanities and social sciences publishing. Directly comparable in mission, scale, and disciplinary coverage to UC Press.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
University of California Press social profiles
Digital presenceUniversity of California Press financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
University of California Press leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles19 records
University of California Press funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
University of California Press 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 University of California Press
What does University of California Press do?
University of California Press is a nonprofit academic publisher that produces peer-reviewed scholarly books and academic journals across the humanities, social sciences, arts, and sciences. It distributes content through its own direct online store, major retailers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop), academic distributors (Ingram Academic), and digital ebook platforms, while supporting authors through acquisitions editors and offering open access options via eScholarship.
Is University of California Press a public or private company?
University of California Press is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was University of California Press founded?
University of California Press was founded in 1893. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is University of California Press based?
University of California Press is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does University of California Press make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are journal Subscriptions, philanthropic Donations and membership Program.
Who are University of California Press's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Harvard University Press, University of Chicago Press, Princeton University Press, Stanford University Press, MIT Press, Duke University Press, Yale University Press and Columbia University Press.
Does University of California Press have an API?
No public API is recorded for University of California Press.
What industry is University of California Press in?
University of California Press's product category is Academic Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAFAI, Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Scholarly Publishing, with a secondary code of MPAJABAJ, Research Monographs & University Press Publishing. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.