Books A Million
- Company typePublic
- Founded1917
- HeadquartersBirmingham, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Books A Million firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Books A Million
- Legal name
- Books-A-Million Inc.
- Website
- https://booksamillion.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1917
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Books A Million industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Book Retail
- NAICS
- Book Retailers and News Dealers (4592), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120), Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Retailers (4594)
- SIC
- Retail-Variety Stores (5331), Retail-Misc General Merchandise Stores (5399), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Bookstores (New Books) (CRALAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Comic Books & Graphic Novel Collectibles Retail (CRALAGAH), Digital Books & Audiobooks Retail (E-books/Audiobooks) (CRALAAAI), Specialty Genre Bookstores (e.g., Sci‑Fi, Mystery, Poetry) (CRALAAAJ), Religious & Spiritual Books Retail (CRALAAAE), E-book Retail & Reading Platforms (Stores, Apps, Devices) (MPAJAMAA)
Keywords
Where Books A Million is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Birmingham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Books A Million business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail Product Sales: Revenue from selling physical books, eBooks, audiobooks, toys, games, collectibles, manga, and merchandise through both online and physical retail channels.
- Millionaire's Club Membership: Paid loyalty program offering members exclusive discounts (up to 40% on select bestsellers), free shipping with no minimums, and early access to sales and exclusive editions.
- Autographed & Exclusive Editions: Premium pricing on autographed copies and exclusive book editions (Books-A-Million exclusives) with higher margin products.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Non-Member Pricing |
| Subscription | Annual | Millionaire's Club Member |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Books A Million product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Books-A-Million operates an omnichannel specialty book retail business, selling physical and digital books (including a 15,000+ title manga catalog, audiobooks, and eBooks) alongside adjacent entertainment categories such as toys, games, vinyl records, pop culture collectibles, Bibles, and stationery. Customers can purchase through a national chain of physical bookstores and the booksamillion.com e-commerce platform, supported by the paid Millionaire's Club loyalty program offering up to 40% off select bestsellers and free shipping on every order.
Product overview
Books-A-Million is a retail bookstore chain offering a comprehensive range of reading and entertainment products. The core offering centers on physical and digital books across all genres, complemented by manga (over 15,000 titles), audiobooks, and ebooks. The company has expanded into adjacent entertainment categories including vinyl records, toys and games (LEGO, puzzles, board games), adult collectibles (Funko, Loungefly, trading cards), and pop culture merchandise tied to major fandoms. Key product lines include a Kids section, Young Adult section, Bibles & Faithpoint, and a Gift Shop. The company operates a loyalty program (Millionaire's Club) offering members up to 40% savings and free shipping. Additional services include book discovery through BookPage and exclusive autographed and special edition titles.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Books
- Manga
- Audiobooks
- eBooks
- Kids Section
- Young Adult
- Vinyl Records
- Adult Collectibles (Pop Culture)
- Toys & Games
- Bibles & Faithpoint
- Gift Shop
- Special Editions
- Autographed Books
- Millionaire's Club Membership
- Tabletop Role-Playing Games
Quantifiable outcome
- Free shipping on every order, no minimums required
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Books A Million
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Books A Million technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Books A Million partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Books A Million competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Barnes & Noble: Largest US book retailer with omnichannel physical stores and e-commerce. Directly overlaps Books-A-Million across books, ebooks, audiobooks, toys/games, collectibles, and a paid loyalty program (B&N Membership), competing for the same core customer set.
- ThriftBooks: Largest US seller of used books across an online marketplace. Competes with BAM on price-sensitive readers, particularly for backlist and out-of-print titles, putting pressure on margin in the trade-book segment.
- Half Price Books: US chain buying and reselling new and used books, movies, music, and toys across physical stores in the Midwest and West. Similar omnichannel model to BAM, including buy-sell-trade, with overlapping product breadth across books, games, and pop culture.
- Powell's Books: Iconic independent bookstore chain with flagship superstore plus an online used/new book marketplace. Directly comparable to BAM as a multi-channel book retailer emphasizing depth of catalog, used inventory, and curated discovery.
Broad incumbents
- Amazon Books: Amazon's physical bookstore concept plus dominant online book and Kindle/Audible ecosystem. Competes with BAM across physical browsing, e-commerce, digital reading, and audiobook subscription categories at unmatched scale.
- Audible: Amazon-owned audiobook subscription platform and dominant digital audiobook retailer. Competes with BAM's audiobook offering via a deep subscription model that captures wallet share that would otherwise be spent on physical audiobook purchases.
- Target: Mass-market general retailer carrying books, toys, collectibles, Funko, vinyl, and pop culture merchandise. Overlaps with BAM particularly in collectibles, toys, and gift categories, and competes for casual gift and family purchases.
- Walmart: Largest US general retailer with deep online and physical book assortment plus extensive toys, games, and collectibles. Competes on price and convenience for mass-market readers and gift buyers that BAM also serves.
Emerging players
- Bookshop.org: Online indie-bookstore aggregator that routes e-commerce sales to independent bookstores. Targets the same socially-conscious reader as BAM while building a competing affiliate-driven e-commerce brand in trade books.
Regional players
- Indigo Books & Music: Largest book and lifestyle retailer in Canada, operating physical superstores plus e-commerce with a similar mix of books, toys, gifts, and exclusive Indigo-branded products. Compares to BAM on omnichannel strategy and category breadth but does not directly compete in the US.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Books A Million social profiles
Digital presenceBooks A Million financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Books A Million leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Books A Million funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Books A Million 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 Books A Million
What does Books A Million do?
Books-A-Million operates an omnichannel specialty book retail business, selling physical and digital books (including a 15,000+ title manga catalog, audiobooks, and eBooks) alongside adjacent entertainment categories such as toys, games, vinyl records, pop culture collectibles, Bibles, and stationery. Customers can purchase through a national chain of physical bookstores and the booksamillion.com e-commerce platform, supported by the paid Millionaire's Club loyalty program offering up to 40% off select bestsellers and free shipping on every order.
Is Books A Million a public or private company?
Books A Million is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Books A Million founded?
Books A Million was founded in 1917. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Books A Million based?
Books A Million is headquartered in Birmingham, United States, in the North America region.
How does Books A Million make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Retail Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are millionaire's Club Membership and autographed & Exclusive Editions.
Who are Books A Million's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Barnes & Noble, ThriftBooks, Half Price Books and Powell's Books. Broad incumbents are Amazon Books, Audible, Target and Walmart. Bookshop.org is listed as an emerging player. Indigo Books & Music is listed as a regional player.
Does Books A Million have an API?
No public API is recorded for Books A Million.
What industry is Books A Million in?
Books A Million's product category is Specialty Book Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAAAA, General Bookstores (New Books), with a secondary code of CRALAGAH, Comic Books & Graphic Novel Collectibles Retail. Its NAICS code is 4592 and its SIC code is 5331.