What Drawn & Quarterly does

Drawn & Quarterly is an independent Canadian publisher founded in 1993 in Montreal, Quebec, specializing in literary graphic novels, alternative comics, manga, and graphic memoirs. The company operates primarily as a book publisher and rights holder, with a curated catalog built around acclaimed creators (Chris Ware, Kate Beaton, Lynda Barry, Tom Gauld, Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Shigeru Mizuki) and licensed franchises such as Tove Jansson's Moomin. Its product surface includes original graphic novels, deluxe hardcover Moomin reissues, a dedicated Japanese manga line (Legend of Kamui, Showa, Yokai guides), seasonal catalogs, and a managed backlist.

The business runs a direct-to-consumer e-commerce store at drawnandquarterly.com and operates a physical Montreal bookstore (Librairie Drawn & Quarterly at 176 Bernard Ouest), which is open daily. Trade distribution is handled through major third-party partners: through August 2026 by Farrar, Straus & Giroux (Macmillan) in the United States, Ampersand/UTP in Canada, and Publishers Group UK in the United Kingdom; from September 2026 by Penguin Random House (PRHPS) in North America and internationally and by PGUK in the UK. Pricing is per-unit between $15.95 for paperback titles and $40 for deluxe hardcovers, with most titles at $25-$30.

The customer base is a long-tail of individual readers, complemented by independent bookstores, comic shops, and public library systems including NYPL. Marketing relies on earned media (NYT, New Yorker, NPR, Publishers Weekly, Guardian), the D+Q Dispatch email newsletter, social media (X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), and seasonal presence at TCAF, SPX, SDCC, and the Brooklyn Book Festival. The company receives financial support from the Government of Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts, and SODEC (Quebec).

Name

Drawn & Quarterly

Legal name

Drawn & Quarterly

Website

https://drawnandquarterly.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Drawn & Quarterly is an independent Montreal-based publisher founded in 1993 that releases literary graphic novels, translated manga, and the Moomin series, selling to individual readers, independent bookstores, comic shops, and public library systems via its own website and major trade distributors in North America and the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Graphic Novels Publishing (Original & Serialized Collections) (MPAJAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Children’s & All-Ages Comics Publishing (MPAJAGAI)

Keywords

• Graphic novel publishing
• Alternative comics publishing
• Manga publishing
• Literary comics imprint
• Graphic memoir publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Direct retail sales of graphic novels and comics through drawnandquarterly.com website, with books priced between $15-$40. Revenue generated from individual book purchases by consumers, bookstores, and libraries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Drawn & Quarterly is an independent book publisher that acquires, edits, produces, and sells graphic novels, alternative comics, manga, and graphic memoirs under its own imprint. Books are sold directly through drawnandquarterly.com and the Montreal retail bookstore (Librairie Drawn & Quarterly), and wholesaled to retailers and libraries through distribution partners including Macmillan/Farrar, Straus & Giroux and (from September 2026) Penguin Random House.

Product overview

Drawn & Quarterly is a Montreal-based independent publisher specializing in graphic novels, comics, manga, and memoirs. The company operates as a publishing house with an integrated online bookstore, publishing works across multiple sub-brands including the Moomin Collection (deluxe editions of classic Moomin chapter books) and a Manga Line featuring Japanese manga masters. The publisher maintains physical retail operations through its Montreal bookstore and distributes publications internationally through partnerships with Macmillan, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, and Penguin Random House.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Librairie Drawn & Quarterly: The company's physical bookstore located at 176 Bernard Ouest, Montreal, QC H2T 2K2, open every day.

Products and services

• Graphic Novels and Comics Imprint
• Moomin Collection
• Manga Line English-language manga publishing program featuring works by Japanese masters Shigeru Mizuki (Yokai series, Showa series), Yoshihiro Tatsumi (A Drifting Life, The Push Man, Abandon the Old in Tokyo), and Shirato Sanpei (The Legend of Kamui); for adult and young adult manga readers, libraries, and specialty retailers.
• Online Bookstore E-commerce storefront at drawnandquarterly.com selling Drawn & Quarterly's own published titles directly to consumers in the US, Canada, and internationally, including pre-orders and current seasonal releases.
• Librairie Drawn & Quarterly (Montreal Bookstore) Physical retail bookstore located at 176 Bernard Ouest, Montreal, open daily, selling D&Q titles alongside a curated selection of literary comics and graphic novels.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple titles appear annually on Best of Year lists from major publications

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supportive.

• Penguin Random House (PRHPS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 September 2026As of September 2026, Drawn & Quarterly books will be distributed by Penguin Random House in North America and internationally, replacing Farrar, Straus & Giroux/Macmillan distribution.
• PGUK (Publishers Group UK)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 September 2026As of September 2026, Drawn & Quarterly books will be distributed by PGUK in the United Kingdom.
• Government of CanadasupportiveOthersDrawn & Quarterly acknowledges the support of the Government of Canada for their publishing program.
• Canada Council for the ArtssupportiveOthersDrawn & Quarterly acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for their publishing program.
• SODEC (Société de développement des entreprises culturelles)supportiveOthersDrawn & Quarterly acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Quebec through SODEC for their publishing activities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Pantheon Books: Knopf Doubleday imprint with a long-running graphic novel program (Art Spiegelman, Alison Bechdel). Comparable in publishing literary graphic novels but operates inside a major conglomerate with vastly larger scale and marketing resources.
• Dark Horse Comics: Large comics and graphic novel publisher with a literary and translated-manga sub-line. Overlaps with D&Q on literary graphic novels and manga translation but operates at substantially greater scale across multiple genres.
• VIZ Media: Largest English-language manga publisher, owned by Shueisha, Shogakukan, and ShoPro. Comparable to D&Q specifically in the translated manga category but vastly larger and focused on mainstream shonen and shojo series rather than art-comics.

Direct peers

• Fantagraphics Books: Long-established independent US publisher of literary, alternative, and art comics and graphic novels. Highly comparable to D&Q by editorial mission, customer base, and author caliber (similar roster of award-winning cartoonists).
• Top Shelf Productions: Independent graphic novel publisher known for literary and all-ages work, now operating as an imprint of IDW Publishing. Directly comparable to D&Q in editorial niche and reader demographic, though now inside a larger corporate structure.
• Oni Press: Independent graphic novel and comic book publisher with a mix of literary and genre titles, recently merged into the Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group. Comparable to D&Q as a mid-sized indie publisher competing for similar retail and library shelf space.
• First Second Books: Macmillan imprint focused entirely on graphic novels across YA, children's, and adult literary categories. Closely comparable by product category and audience, with a larger corporate parent (Macmillan) backing distribution.

Regional players

• Tundra Publishing: Canadian independent graphic novel publisher founded in 2014 by former D&Q staff, carrying on a similar literary-comics editorial mission. Closely comparable in product mix and Canadian indie publisher identity, competing partly for the same author pool.
• Conundrum Press: Montreal-based independent publisher with a strong graphic novel and comics list alongside literary fiction. Comparable to D&Q as a Canadian indie with overlapping graphic-novel authors and shared Montreal ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Ablaze Publishing: Independent US publisher specializing in translated manga and graphic novels from international creators. Compares to D&Q's manga and translated-titles strategy but with a more genre-leaning catalog and earlier-stage scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DandQ
• YouTubeyoutube.com/drawnandquarterly
• Facebookfacebook.com/drawnandquarterly
• Instagraminstagram.com/drawnandquarterly

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Drawn & Quarterly