Henry Holt
Henry Holt & Company is a 158-year-old (founded 1866) New York-based trade book publisher and Macmillan subsidiary that releases literary fiction and serious nonfiction across its Henry Holt and Metropolitan Books imprints, serving general and prize-oriented readers through retail, digital, and library channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1866
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Henry Holt does
Henry Holt & Company is a 158-year-old (founded 1866) trade book publishing imprint and wholly-owned subsidiary of Macmillan Publishers, one of the Big Five publishing houses. Headquartered at 120 Broadway, New York, with 51-100 employees, the company publishes across two imprints: the original Henry Holt list (history, fiction, science and nature, journalism, essays, and poetry) and the Metropolitan Books imprint (launched 1995), which is dedicated to prizewinning nonfiction and fiction spanning politics, history, memoir, science and technology, social science, cultural criticism, novels, and graphic novels. The editorial roster includes Nobel, Pulitzer, and National Book Award winners such as Robert Frost, Toni Morrison, Edward Snowden, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Nathan Thrall (2024 Pulitzer for Nonfiction for 'A Day in the Life of Abed Salama').
The business model is unit-priced trade publishing: editorial teams acquire manuscripts under senior editors recruited from peer Big Five houses (Knopf, HarperCollins, Crown, Doubleday), and finished books are sold to readers via Macmillan distribution across major bookstore chains, independent bookstores, online retailers, library wholesalers, and digital platforms, with new release hardcover titles priced $28-$35. There is no proprietary technology platform, software product, or AI/ML capability; the company's technology footprint is limited to a Squarespace-hosted marketing site and standard social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads).
Go-to-market relies on editor-driven acquisition, Macmillan-provided sales and corporate marketing infrastructure, and an earned-media amplification strategy that systematically targets high-reach book club placements (Read With Jenna, Reese Witherspoon, Book of the Month, B&N Book Club, Indie Next) and major review outlets (New York Times Book Review, Good Morning America). The company's positioning is a boutique editorial culture within Big Five commercial reach, with current President and Publisher Andrew Miller (joined January 2024 from Alfred A. Knopf) overseeing both imprints. No funding rounds, M&A activity, geographic expansion beyond Macmillan's distribution, or operating restructuring have been disclosed.
Henry Holt firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Henry Holt
- Legal name
- Henry Holt and Company, Inc.
- Website
- https://henryholt.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1866
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Henry Holt & Company is a 158-year-old (founded 1866) New York-based trade book publisher and Macmillan subsidiary that releases literary fiction and serious nonfiction across its Henry Holt and Metropolitan Books imprints, serving general and prize-oriented readers through retail, digital, and library channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Henry Holt industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trade Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313), Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)
Keywords
Where Henry Holt is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Henry Holt business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Book Sales: Revenue generated from selling physical and digital books through retail distribution, online retailers, and library markets. The company publishes both Henry Holt and Metropolitan Books imprints.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | New release hardcover fiction and nonfiction titles |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Henry Holt product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Henry Holt & Company is a trade book publisher that acquires, edits, produces, and distributes physical and digital books under the Henry Holt and Metropolitan Books imprints. The Henry Holt imprint focuses on history, fiction, science and nature, journalism, essays, and poetry, while Metropolitan Books publishes prizewinning nonfiction and fiction including politics, history, memoir, science and technology, social science, cultural criticism, novels, and graphic novels.
Product overview
Henry Holt & Company is a book publishing company that operates as a boutique publisher within the Big Five publishing house Macmillan. The company publishes under two imprints: the Henry Holt imprint, which focuses on history, fiction, science and nature, journalism, essays, and poetry; and the Metropolitan Books imprint, established in 1995, which publishes prizewinning nonfiction and fiction including politics, history, memoir, science and technology, social science, cultural criticism, novels, and graphic novels. The company is known for publishing works from notable authors including Robert Frost, Toni Morrison, Edward Snowden, and Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Metropolitan Books: Prizewinning nonfiction and fiction imprint publishing politics, history, memoir, science and technology, social science, cultural criticism, novels, and graphic novels since 1995.
Products and services
- Henry Holt & Company imprint A 150-plus-year-old trade publishing imprint publishing history, fiction, science and nature, journalism, essays, poetry, and idea-driven nonfiction for adult readers. Authors have ranged from Robert Frost and Toni Morrison to Edward Snowden and Neil deGrasse Tyson, with prizes including the Nobel, Pulitzer, and National Book Award.
- Metropolitan Books imprint An imprint established in 1995 publishing prizewinning nonfiction and fiction, including politics, history, memoir, science and technology, social science, cultural criticism, novels, and graphic novels. Authors include Nathan Thrall, Noam Chomsky, Barbara Ehrenreich, Susan Faludi, Thomas Frank, Atul Gawande, Naomi Klein, Joe Sacco, Edward Snowden, and Elizabeth Warren, with Nobel, Pulitzer, Cundill, Impac, and Bancroft Prizes among its accolades.
Companies that use Henry Holt
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Henry Holt technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Henry Holt partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Macmillan PublisherscoreHenry Holt operates as an imprint within Macmillan Publishers, one of the Big Five publishing houses. Macmillan provides sales, distribution, and corporate marketing resources, enabling Holt to operate as a boutique publisher with major commercial house infrastructure.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Henry Holt competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Alfred A. Knopf: Sister literary imprint within the Knopf Doubleday / Penguin Random House group, publishing award-driven fiction and serious nonfiction. Most comparable to Henry Holt in author caliber, prize footprint, and editorial mandate.
- Scribner: Literary imprint of Simon & Schuster focused on prize-winning literary fiction and serious nonfiction, including authors like Hemingway and Stephen King. Directly comparable in editorial prestige, Big Five distribution, and target author pool.
- Little, Brown and Company: Hachette Book Group imprint publishing literary fiction, serious nonfiction, and high-profile authors. Directly comparable to Henry Holt in editorial mission, Big Five footprint, and author categories pursued.
- Ecco Press: HarperCollins imprint focused on literary fiction, poetry, and serious nonfiction. Comparable in editorial scope and target audience to Henry Holt, including several alumni connections on Holt's editorial team.
- Viking Press: Penguin imprint with strong literary and serious nonfiction list, comparable to Henry Holt in author caliber and Big Five distribution infrastructure.
- Doubleday: Penguin Random House imprint publishing literary fiction and serious nonfiction (Dou knowles, edit history). Closely comparable to Henry Holt in mission and many of Holt's recent editorial hires came from Doubleday.
- Penguin Press: Penguin imprint publishing serious nonfiction and literary non-fiction with a strong awards pedigree. Direct comparator to Henry Holt/Metropolitan Books on the nonfiction side.
- Farrar, Straus and Giroux: Macmillan literary imprint publishing prize-winning literary fiction, poetry, and serious nonfiction — sister imprint within the same parent group with overlapping author pool and comparable editorial mandate to Henry Holt.
Broad incumbents
- Random House: Mass-market trade publishing flagship within Penguin Random House, publishing general fiction and nonfiction at scale. Overlaps with Holt's adult trade list but at much higher volume and broader commercial orientation.
Emerging players
- Graywolf Press: Independent literary nonprofit publisher focusing on literary fiction, poetry, and nonfiction with National Book Award pedigree. Comparable mission to Henry Holt's literary side but operates at a much smaller scale without Big Five distribution.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Henry Holt social profiles
Digital presenceHenry Holt financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Henry Holt leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Henry Holt subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Henry Holt funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Henry Holt 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 Henry Holt
What does Henry Holt do?
Henry Holt & Company is a trade book publisher that acquires, edits, produces, and distributes physical and digital books under the Henry Holt and Metropolitan Books imprints. The Henry Holt imprint focuses on history, fiction, science and nature, journalism, essays, and poetry, while Metropolitan Books publishes prizewinning nonfiction and fiction including politics, history, memoir, science and technology, social science, cultural criticism, novels, and graphic novels.
Is Henry Holt a public or private company?
Henry Holt is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Henry Holt founded?
Henry Holt was founded in 1866. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Henry Holt based?
Henry Holt is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Henry Holt make money?
One revenue line is on record: book Sales.
Who are Henry Holt's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Alfred A. Knopf, Scribner, Little, Brown and Company, Ecco Press, Viking Press, Doubleday, Penguin Press and Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Random House is listed as a broad incumbent. Graywolf Press is listed as an emerging player.
Does Henry Holt have an API?
No public API is recorded for Henry Holt.
What industry is Henry Holt in?
Henry Holt's product category is Trade 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.