Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Berrett-Koehler Publishers is an independent San Francisco-based book publisher founded in 1992, publishing 198+ titles on leadership, workplace culture, DEI, and social change, sold through a direct-to-consumer storefront, bulk institutional channels, a subscription membership, and ancillary author services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Berrett-Koehler Publishers does
Berrett-Koehler Publishers (BK) is an independent, privately held book publisher founded in 1992 and headquartered in San Francisco, operating under the tagline "Books for a Better World." The company publishes a curated catalog of 198+ in-stock print titles organized across six subject areas — Leadership, Professional Development, Workplace Culture, Diversity & Inclusion, Personal Growth, and Social Change — and bundled into Signature Collections including No Kings Library, The Ken Blanchard Library, The Hidden History Series, The Remote Work Collection, and Black History Collection. The catalog is anchored by long-tenured, internationally recognized authors whose books have sold in the tens of millions across dozens of languages, including Ken Blanchard (25M+ copies), Brian Tracy (Eat That Frog!), Margaret Wheatley, Henry Mintzberg, John Perkins, Marshall Goldsmith, Mary-Frances Winters, and Parker J. Palmer. BK serves a heterogeneous base spanning individual professional readers, higher education institutions, corporate L&D/training departments, DEI/HR practitioners, and authors.
The technology stack supporting BK's commercial operations is conventional publishing commerce infrastructure rather than a custom platform. The bkconnection.com storefront runs on Shopify, handling product catalog, cart, checkout, tiered bulk discounts, customer accounts, and shipping logic. All ebooks (EPUB/PDF) are delivered through VitalSource's third-party Bookshelf app under a DRM-protected, cross-device reading model. Each product page embeds Penguin Random House's Insight widget (insight.penguinrandomhouse.com / insight.randomhouse.com) to deliver standardized "Read Sample" previews via ISBN, positioning BK titles inside a larger cross-publisher sample-distribution network. Newsletter signup forms run on HubSpot and applicant tracking runs on Workable. Notable product extensions beyond the core catalog include signature format lines (Essential Workbooks, Companion Card Decks), the BK Community members dashboard (Author Talks, Book Boosters, BK Community News), and à la carte Author Services (developmental editing, proposal coaching, manuscript reviews, marketing services) sold to any author, not only contracted ones.
BK monetizes through five distinct revenue streams. One-time book sales (print and ebook) anchor the model, with individual SKUs priced from $16.95 to $34.95 and ancillary products such as the Eat That Frog! Video Training Program at $149.95. A tiered bulk/wholesale program automatically applies institutional discounts from 20% off (10–49 books) to 55% off (10,000+ books), supporting corporate training and university course adoption. The BK Community membership creates recurring subscription revenue with tiered benefits (25% off store purchases, free books, members-only programming). Author Services generate professional-services revenue independent of book sales. Gift cards, workbooks, card decks, and video training programs round out ancillary sales. Go-to-market is hybrid: direct-to-consumer via Shopify, a community-led membership flywheel, and field-led enterprise sales for bulk institutional orders, with the "Request an Exam Copy" funnel specifically targeting higher education faculty.
Berrett-Koehler Publishers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Berrett-Koehler Publishers
- Legal name
- Berrett-Koehler Publishers
- Website
- https://bkconnection.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Berrett-Koehler Publishers is an independent San Francisco-based book publisher founded in 1992, publishing 198+ titles on leadership, workplace culture, DEI, and social change, sold through a direct-to-consumer storefront, bulk institutional channels, a subscription membership, and ancillary author services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Berrett-Koehler Publishers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Other Publishers (51319)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Health, Wellness & Fitness Trade Publishing (MPAJAAAL), Self-Publishing Platforms (KDP-style Marketplaces & Portals) (MPAJAJAA), Author Service Marketplaces & Aggregators (Vetting, Bundled Services) (MPAJAJAB), Self-Publishing Distribution Aggregators (Wide E-book/Audiobook/Print) (MPAJAJAC)
Keywords
Where Berrett-Koehler Publishers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Berrett-Koehler Publishers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Book sales (print and digital): Primary revenue stream from one-time sales of physical books (trade paperback and hardcover) priced between $16.95 and $34.95, plus ebooks (EPUB/PDF) delivered through the Bookshelf app, and higher-priced ancillary products such as the Eat That Frog! Video Training Program at $149.95. Bestsellers span leadership, personal growth, workplace culture, and social change categories with deep catalog depth across 198+ in-stock print titles.
- Bulk/wholesale institutional sales: Tiered bulk discount program for corporate, educational, and training buyers: 20% off for 10–49 books, scaling up to 55% off for 10,000+ books, applied automatically at checkout. This institutional channel drives large-volume repeat orders tied to leadership training programs, university courses, and corporate L&D initiatives.
- Author services (editorial and marketing): À la carte professional services sold to any author (not only contracted BK authors), including developmental editing, proposal coaching, manuscript reviews, and marketing services (giveaways, awards submissions, visibility campaigns), generating professional services revenue independent of book sales.
- BK Community membership subscriptions: Recurring membership program with tiered benefits (25% off all store purchases, free books, access to Author Talks, Book Boosters, and members-only news), creating a subscription-style revenue stream and recurring reader relationship.
- Gift cards and ancillary products: BK Gift Cards redeemable across the storefront plus companion card decks, workbooks, and audio/video training products (e.g., Eat That Frog! Video Training Program) that monetize intellectual property beyond the core print/ebook format.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Individual book SKUs (trade paperback, hardcover, EPUB, PDF) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bulk/institutional discount tiers |
| Subscription | Annual | BK Community membership tiers |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Author services (editorial + marketing) |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Berrett-Koehler Publishers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Berrett-Koehler Publishers is an independent book publisher (tagline "Books for a Better World") that produces and sells a curated catalog of trade paperback, hardcover, ebook (EPUB/PDF), workbook, card deck, and video training titles organized across leadership, professional development, workplace culture, diversity & inclusion, personal growth, and social change. Distribution is led by a Shopify-powered direct-to-consumer storefront at bkconnection.com, supplemented by third-party retail/wholesale channels, à la carte author editorial and marketing services open to any author, and a tiered BK Community membership program offering discounts, free books, Author Talks, and Book Boosters.
Product overview
Berrett-Koehler Publishers operates as a book publishing brand (tagline "Books for a Better World") rather than a software platform; its core product is its catalog of leadership, professional development, workplace culture, diversity & inclusion, personal growth, and social change titles, sold primarily through its Shopify storefront at bkconnection.com. The portfolio is organized into six subject collections (Leadership, Professional Development, Workplace Culture, Diversity & Inclusion, Personal Growth, Social Change) and several signature collections such as the Eat That Frog! Collection, The Ken Blanchard Library, No Kings Library, The Hidden History Series, The Remote Work Collection, Essential Workbooks, and Companion Card Decks. Author-facing offerings include the à la carte Author Services bundle (Editorial + Marketing) and the tiered BK Community membership program, which unlocks discounts, free books, Author Talks, and Book Boosters. Distribution of EPUB/PDF ebooks is handled through the third-party Bookshelf app, and individual book pages embed Penguin Random House's Read Sample widget for previews. Bestselling flagship titles include Eat That Frog!, Leadership and Self-Deception, and Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BK Community: Berrett-Koehler's membership community offering author talks, book boosters, and member benefits.
- BK Connection
Products and services
- Berrett-Koehler Publishers Book Catalog The primary publishing output of Berrett-Koehler Publishers: a thematically curated catalog of books sold primarily through the bkconnection.com Shopify storefront in print and digital formats. Catalog spans six subject collections (Leadership, Professional Development, Workplace Culture, Diversity & Inclusion, Personal Growth, Social Change) plus signature curations (No Kings Library, The Hidden History Series, The Ken Blanchard Library, The Remote Work Collection, Essential Workbooks, Companion Card Decks).
- Author Services (Editorial and Marketing) Professional services for prospective and contracted authors sold à la carte through the bkconnection.com storefront, including Editorial Services (developmental editing, proposal coaching, manuscript reviews) and Marketing Services (giveaways, awards submissions, visibility campaigns). Open to any author pursuing traditional publication with BK or needing independent publishing support.
- BK Community Membership Tiered recurring membership program for readers and authors offering 25% off store-wide purchases, free books, and members-only access to Author Talks, Book Boosters, and BK Community News through a members dashboard. Designed to drive repeat engagement, recurring revenue, and a community-anchored reader relationship.
- Eat That Frog! Collection Signature BK collection curating Brian Tracy's Eat That Frog! productivity franchise into a multi-format learning bundle, including the Fourth Edition book, Action Workbooks, card decks, the Eat That Frog! Video Training Program, and the Eat That Frog! for Students adaptation.
- BK Gift Cards Berrett-Koehler storefront gift cards redeemable across the full catalog at bkconnection.com.
Companies that use Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Customer profileSegments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Berrett-Koehler Publishers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature4 records
Berrett-Koehler Publishers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Penguin Random HousecoreEach BK product page embeds the Penguin Random House Insight widget (insight.penguinrandomhouse.com / insight.randomhouse.com) for hosted "Read Sample" previews delivered via the title's ISBN and author metadata. The integration standardizes cross-publisher sample experiences and signals that BK titles flow through PRH's sample-distribution infrastructure for discovery and pre-purchase evaluation.
- ShopifycoreShopify powers the bkconnection.com storefront, including product catalog management, cart, checkout, discount codes, customer accounts, and integrated shipping/policy pages. The platform underpins both individual book sales and tiered bulk-discount automation.
- Bookshelf (VitalSource)coreAll BK ebooks (EPUB and PDF) are delivered and accessed through the Bookshelf app, providing DRM-protected cross-device reading for the full catalog of titles, companion workbooks, and card decks. A dedicated FAQ explains the delivery and access flow.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Berrett-Koehler Publishers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- New World Library: Independent publisher focused on personal growth, spirituality, and social change. Comparable thematic focus and independent-publisher scale, with a similar mix of trade paperback and ebook distribution.
- Sounds True: Independent multimedia publisher of personal-growth, mindfulness, and leadership content across book, audio, and video. Comparable as a mission-driven independent publisher extending IP into multi-format products (audio, video) and community programming.
- The New Press: Independent nonprofit publisher of progressive, social-justice, and political-economy titles. Direct thematic peer for BK's Hidden History Series and No Kings Library, with comparable editorial positioning for institutional and academic buyers.
- Chelsea Green Publishing: Independent publisher focused on sustainability, regenerative economy, and progressive social change — overlapping with BK's Social Change and Impact Entrepreneur categories. Comparable independent-publisher scale and values-driven DTC distribution.
- Morgan James Publishing: Independent business/leadership publisher with a hybrid model offering author services (publishing, marketing, distribution) alongside traditional publishing. Direct peer on the Author Services à la carte motion.
- Harvard Business Review Press: HBR Press publishes leadership, management, and organizational-behavior titles from high-credential authors, with deep institutional and executive-education adoption. Direct competitor for the same leadership/workplace-culture buyer and a comparable curation-led publishing model.
- Hay House: Independent publisher of personal-growth, self-help, mind-body-spirit, and business titles. Comparable as an independent publisher with a values-driven catalog and a strong direct-to-consumer sales motion targeting similar purpose-driven reader segments.
- Jossey-Bass (Wiley): Wiley's leadership, business, and professional-development imprint. Closely comparable as a long-tenured publisher of leadership, management, HR, and workplace-culture titles for both individual readers and institutional training markets, with similar Higher Education adoption economics.
Broad incumbents
- Wiley: Global publishing conglomerate whose Jossey-Bass and business imprints compete directly in BK's leadership and professional-development categories, while also operating far broader in scientific, technical, and educational publishing.
- Penguin Random House: World's largest trade publisher and a documented technology partner of BK (via the Insight sample-preview widget). Functions as a broad incumbent operating in the same leadership, business, and self-help categories with substantially larger scale and distribution leverage.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Berrett-Koehler Publishers social profiles
Digital presenceBerrett-Koehler Publishers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Berrett-Koehler Publishers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Berrett-Koehler Publishers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Berrett-Koehler Publishers M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Berrett-Koehler Publishers
What does Berrett-Koehler Publishers do?
Berrett-Koehler Publishers is an independent book publisher (tagline "Books for a Better World") that produces and sells a curated catalog of trade paperback, hardcover, ebook (EPUB/PDF), workbook, card deck, and video training titles organized across leadership, professional development, workplace culture, diversity & inclusion, personal growth, and social change. Distribution is led by a Shopify-powered direct-to-consumer storefront at bkconnection.com, supplemented by third-party retail/wholesale channels, à la carte author editorial and marketing services open to any author, and a tiered BK Community membership program offering discounts, free books, Author Talks, and Book Boosters.
Is Berrett-Koehler Publishers a public or private company?
Berrett-Koehler Publishers is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Berrett-Koehler Publishers founded?
Berrett-Koehler Publishers was founded in 1992. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Berrett-Koehler Publishers based?
Berrett-Koehler Publishers is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Berrett-Koehler Publishers make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Book sales (print and digital) is the primary driver. The others are bulk/wholesale institutional sales, author services (editorial and marketing), BK Community membership subscriptions and gift cards and ancillary products.
Who are Berrett-Koehler Publishers's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are New World Library, Sounds True, The New Press, Chelsea Green Publishing, Morgan James Publishing, Harvard Business Review Press, Hay House and Jossey-Bass (Wiley). Broad incumbents are Wiley and Penguin Random House.
Does Berrett-Koehler Publishers have an API?
No public API is recorded for Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
What industry is Berrett-Koehler Publishers in?
Berrett-Koehler Publishers'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 MPAJAAAL, Health, Wellness & Fitness Trade Publishing. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.