What Nick Hern Books does

Nick Hern Books is an independent UK trade publisher founded in 1988 and headquartered in London, specializing in theatre literature — published plays, play collections, and theatre reference books. The catalogue spans modern drama, classic drama, Shakespeare and contemporaries, musicals, plays for young people, literary adaptations, screenplays, acting and audition guides, and branded series such as Drama Classics, Globe Quartos, Shakespeare Folios, and The Good Audition Guides. Titles are sold in paperback, A4 spiral-bound, and ebook formats at price points typically between £9.99 and £18.49.

The business operates on four revenue streams: one-off physical and ebook book sales, performing-rights licensing (amateur fees quoted at £85 per performance plus VAT), a monthly Playscript Subscriptions service, and trade/wholesale distribution. There is no proprietary technology platform — the company runs a standard e-commerce site integrated with PayPal, WorldPay, MailChimp, and Disqus. Distribution is direct via the UK website (with free P&P over £40) and channeled internationally through Theatre Communications Group (USA), Playwrights Canada Press (Canada), and Currency Press (Australia/New Zealand).

NHB serves a diversified customer base including professional theatre companies (Shakespeare's Globe, Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, Royal Court, Hampstead Theatre), UK secondary and further-education institutions (OCR and AQA set-text adoptions for Nell Gwynn and The Herd), amateur theatre groups licensing performing rights, working actors and directors seeking reference materials, and individual consumers. The publisher has accumulated a strong industry reputation through award-winning titles (Olivier, Tony, Critics' Circle, Pulitzer, Evening Standard) and founder Nick Hern's 2026 OBE for Services to Theatre. Recent strategic initiatives include the Playground programme and an emerging-playwright mentoring scheme launched in 2026, and ongoing international expansion via the named distribution partners.

Name

Nick Hern Books

Legal name

Nick Hern Books

Website

https://nickhernbooks.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nick Hern Books is a London-based independent publisher founded in 1988, specializing in plays, play collections, and theatre reference books in print and ebook formats, serving professional theatres, schools, amateur groups, and individual actors worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theatre Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313), Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Literary & Classics Publishing (MPAJAAAC), Mass Market & Paperback Publishing (MPAJAAAD)

Keywords

• Theatre book publishing
• Play publishing
• Performing rights licensing
• Drama publishing
• Theatre reference books

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Physical Book Sales: Sale of paperback, hardback, and A4 spiral-bound editions of plays and theatre books through direct website orders and distribution partners.
2. Ebook Sales: Digital editions of plays and theatre books sold directly through the website.
3. Performing Rights Licensing: The company licenses performing rights for amateur and professional productions of their plays. Amateur rights fees are quoted at £85 per performance (plus VAT where applicable) for titles like Valued Friends.
4. Subscription Services: Playscript Subscriptions offering a new play every month delivered direct to subscribers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Nick Hern Books is an independent theatre publisher that publishes and sells plays and theatre books in paperback, A4 spiral-bound, and ebook formats. The company also licenses performing rights for amateur and professional stage productions, and runs a monthly Playscript Subscription service that delivers a new play directly to subscribers. Products span modern and classic drama, Shakespeare, musicals, acting and audition guides, and theatre reference materials.

Product overview

Nick Hern Books is a specialist independent publisher of plays and theatre books. The company operates a multi-format publishing model offering plays and theatre books in paperback, A4 spiral-bound (with additional note-taking space), and ebook formats. The core product portfolio includes individual plays organized by category (modern drama, classic drama, Shakespeare, plays for young people, literary adaptations, musicals, screenplays), theatre books covering acting, directing, design, voice, and other theatrical disciplines, and branded series including Drama Classics, Drama Games, Globe Quartos, Shakespeare Folios, The Good Audition Guides, and So You Want to Be...? career guides. The company also offers a playscript subscription service delivering monthly new releases, foreign imports from partner publishers, and performing rights licensing for theatrical productions. Products are distributed globally through regional partners including Theatre Communications Group (USA), Playwrights Canada Press (Canada), and Currency Press (Australia/New Zealand).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plays Published playtexts in paperback, A4 spiral-bound, and ebook editions covering modern drama, classic drama, Shakespeare and contemporaries, plays for young people, literary adaptations, musicals, and screenplays; sold to readers, students, theatre professionals, and theatre companies worldwide.
• Theatre Books Non-fiction books on acting, audition and monologue, backstage and technical theatre, biography, design, directing, movement and dance, musical theatre, Shakespeare, voice, and writing; aimed at working theatre practitioners, drama students, and acting aspirants.
• Play Collections Curated multi-play collections organised by theme, series, or genre, sold as bundles to readers, schools, and drama groups.
• Drama Classics Series of classic dramatic works edited and published for study and performance, targeting drama students, schools, and amateur and professional theatre companies.
• Drama Games Series of drama games resource books for use in rehearsals, classrooms, and drama workshops, aimed at teachers, directors, and workshop leaders.
• Globe Quartos Series of play editions published in association with Shakespeare's Globe, targeted at theatre professionals, students, and Shakespeare enthusiasts.
• The Good Audition Guides Series of career guidance books for aspiring and working actors, covering audition techniques, monologue preparation, and professional development.
• Shakespeare Folios Scholarly editions of Shakespeare's plays published in association with Shakespeare's Globe, aimed at students, scholars, and theatre professionals.
• So You Want to Be...? Career Guides Career guidebooks for various theatre professions including acting, directing, and other theatrical roles, aimed at students and aspiring professionals.
• Playscript Subscriptions Monthly subscription service that delivers a new play directly to subscribers each month, providing ongoing discovery of contemporary and classic works for theatre enthusiasts and practitioners.
• A4 Spiral-Bound Editions Large-format spiral-bound editions with larger print and extra note-taking space, designed for educational use by drama students and teachers; delivered within the UK only.
• Performing Rights Licensing Licensing service granting amateur and professional performing rights for Nick Hern Books plays, with applications handled via the Plays to Perform portal; targeted at theatre companies, schools, and amateur dramatic societies.
• Foreign Imports Imported plays and theatre books from international partner publishers including Playwrights Canada Press and Theatre Communications Group, retailed through the Nick Hern Books UK storefront for UK customers.

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Concord Theatricals (formerly Samuel French): The largest global play publisher and licensing house, publishing and licensing plays for amateur and professional productions. Direct overlap with NHB's play publishing and performing rights business, but at a much larger scale.
• Dramatists Play Service: US play publisher and licensing agent representing contemporary playwrights for both amateur and professional productions. Closely comparable model to NHB with acting editions and performing rights licensing.
• Oberon Books: UK independent theatre publisher specializing in new plays, classic drama, and theatre reference books. Directly comparable specialty publishing model and target audience to NHB.
• Aurora Metro Books: UK independent publisher specializing in plays, theatre books, and bilingual editions. Directly comparable specialist focus on contemporary and international theatre writing.

Broad incumbents

• Methuen Drama (Bloomsbury Publishing): Imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing that publishes plays, performance theory, and theatre studies. Acts as a larger, well-funded incumbent in the same UK theatre publishing category.
• Theatre Communications Group (TCG): US-based publisher and service organization for American theatre, also NHB's US distribution partner. Publishes and licenses plays in the American market, sharing direct overlap in catalog and rights licensing.
• Faber & Faber: Major UK literary publisher that publishes plays and dramatic writing alongside a broader trade catalog. Overlaps with NHB in modern drama and serves similar professional theatre customers.

Regional players

• Playwrights Canada Press: Canada's leading play publisher and NHB's Canadian distribution partner. Operates the same specialist publishing and licensing model as NHB but focused on Canadian playwrights and territory.
• Currency Press: Australia and New Zealand's primary play publisher and licensing agent, NHB's ANZ distribution partner. Directly comparable business model in a regional market.

Others

• Nick Hern Books (Plays to Perform): Self-reference to NHB's performing rights portal, which competes against rights licensing platforms offered by Concord Theatricals and Dramatists Play Service for online application of amateur performance rights.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NickHernBooks
• Facebookfacebook.com/NickHernBooks

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Nick Hern Books