Cherry Lake Publishing

What Cherry Lake Publishing does

Cherry Lake Publishing Group is a privately held children's book publisher founded in 2000 and headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company operates a catalog of approximately 4,986 titles organized under six imprints (Cherry Blossom Press, Cherry Lake Press, 45th Parallel Press, Sleeping Bear Press, Torch Graphic Press, and Cherry Lake en Español), serving preschool through grade 8/9 readers. The publisher's content spans genres including nonfiction, fiction, graphic novels, picture books, hi-lo (high-interest, low-reading-level), leveled readers, decodable readers, board books, and Spanish-language titles, with content explicitly aligned to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills framework.

The company operates a TitleLeaf-powered e-commerce platform at cherrylakepublishing.com that supports catalog browsing, advanced search, account/quote management, hosted multi-user ebooks, and direct invoice payment for schools and libraries. Distribution spans print (reinforced library binding, paperback, hardcover, board book) and digital formats (PDF, ePub, hosted multi-user ebook, Kindle), with fulfillment from a Mankato, Minnesota warehouse via UPS and FedEx Ground. The publisher runs a dedicated sales-rep channel for institutional and bookseller accounts, alongside a wholesaler channel and direct-to-end-consumer e-commerce. Trade-review coverage spans Booklist, School Library Journal (including starred reviews), Kirkus Reviews, and Publishers Weekly.

Cherry Lake generates revenue primarily through one-time print and digital book sales to schools, libraries, educators, and end consumers, with a 30% list-price discount applied to all institutional buyers and hosted ebooks licensed for multi-user rights to enable simultaneous classroom or library access. The company markets to educators through downloadable catalogs, teaching guides, webinars, author/illustrator spotlights, and an events program. In 2025, Cherry Lake Publishing Group was acquired by Penguin Random House, integrating its catalog into the largest English-language trade publisher's distribution network.

Name

Cherry Lake Publishing

Legal name

Cherry Lake Publishing Group

Website

https://cherrylakepublishing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Early Readers & Chapter Books Publishing (MPAJAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s Activity & Workbook Publishing (MPAJAFAG), Middle Grade Publishing (MPAJAFAC), Hardcover & Premium Editions Publishing (MPAJAAAE), Children’s Books & Educational Readers Retail (CRALAAAD), Children’s Subscription & Book Club Publishing (MPAJAFAO)

Keywords

• Children's book publishing
• Educational publishing
• School library books
• K-8 educational content
• Multi-format publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print and digital book sales (school/library direct): Sells Reinforced books, Paperbacks, Hardcover, Boardbook, PDF, ePub, Hosted ebook, and Kindle formats at list price or 30% discounted 'Member Prices' to schools and libraries. Sales and use taxes added where applicable.
2. Wholesale and sales-rep distribution: Books also available from favorite wholesalers or via dedicated sales reps for librarians, educators, and booksellers.
3. Shipping and handling fees: $7.50 S&H for orders less than 10 units; 7.5% for orders of 10 or more units; orders ship within 7 days from the Mankato, Minnesota warehouse.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cherry Lake Publishing Group publishes and sells standards-aligned children's books for preschool through Grade 8 across six imprints (Cherry Blossom Press, Cherry Lake Press, 45th Parallel Press, Sleeping Bear Press, Torch Graphic Press, Cherry Lake en Español) in print (Reinforced, Paperback, Hardcover, Boardbook) and digital (PDF, ePub, Kindle, Hosted multi-user ebook) formats. The company sells primarily to schools, libraries, and educators at a 30% 'Member Price' discount, with dedicated sales reps, wholesaler distribution, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce via the TitleLeaf-powered cherrylakepublishing.com storefront.

Product overview

Source data describes Cherry Lake Publishing Group, a children's book publisher. The provided passages are book industry M&A news and a navigation index of children's book titles from the Cherry Lake Publishing catalog. No technology products, APIs, software modules, or technical service offerings are described in the source material.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cherry Blossom Press: Cultivating budding learners — early reader and decodable book imprint of Cherry Lake Publishing Group.
• Cherry Lake Press
• 45th Parallel Press
• Sleeping Bear Press
• Torch Graphic Press

Products and services

• Cherry Blossom Press Cherry Lake Publishing Group imprint focused on cultivating budding learners through early readers and decodable books for preschool and early elementary grades, sold via cherrylakepublishing.com, sales reps, and wholesalers to schools, libraries, and consumers.
• Cherry Lake Press Cherry Lake Publishing Group imprint focused on improving student achievement with classroom and library nonfiction aligned to standards and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills framework, covering Grades K-8 across subjects including arts, economics, geography, history, language arts, mathematics, natural sciences, science & technology, and social studies.
• 45th Parallel Press Cherry Lake Publishing Group imprint focused on high-interest, low-reading-level (hi-lo) titles for reluctant and struggling readers, including extreme-sports and high-interest nonfiction series such as 'Shred It!' and 'Stranger Than Fiction,' sold to schools, libraries, and bookstores.
• Sleeping Bear Press Cherry Lake Publishing Group imprint publishing picture books and alphabet books bringing meaningful stories to young readers; also serves as the group's manuscript submissions intake ([email protected]). Titles are sold to schools, libraries, bookstores, and consumers in print and digital formats.
• Torch Graphic Press Cherry Lake Publishing Group imprint focused on graphic novels for young readers, sold to schools, libraries, and bookstores.
• Cherry Lake en Español Spanish-language children's book offering from Cherry Lake Publishing Group, supporting bilingual and Spanish-language classroom and library reading for Grades K-8.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% list-price discount offered to all schools and libraries, plus free downloadable teaching guides, flip catalogs, and webinars to support classroom adoption.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Penguin Random HouseflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Penguin Random House acquired Cherry Lake Publishing Group (US) in 2025 as part of broader book industry M&A activity. The acquisition places Cherry Lake's catalog — including its 6 imprints (Cherry Blossom Press, Cherry Lake Press, 45th Parallel Press, Sleeping Bear Press, Torch Graphic Press, and Cherry Lake en Español) and 4,986+ titles — under the world's largest English-language trade publisher.
• TitleLeafcoreTechnology or IntegrationTitleLeaf powers the cherrylakepublishing.com e-commerce and catalog platform: 'This site is powered by TitleLeaf.' The platform supports product browse, advanced search, account/quote management, and Pay Invoice functionality.
• UPScoreOthersUPS (and FedEx) Ground are the default outbound shipping carriers for orders shipped from the Mankato, Minnesota warehouse.
• FedExcoreOthersFedEx Ground is the secondary default outbound shipping carrier for orders shipped from the Mankato, Minnesota warehouse (alongside UPS).
• Cherry Blossom PressflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCherry Blossom Press is a Cherry Lake Publishing Group imprint ('Cultivating budding learners'), promoted via cherryblossom-press.com and logo on the group homepage.
• Cherry Lake PressflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCherry Lake Press is a Cherry Lake Publishing Group imprint ('Improving student achievement'), promoted via cherrylakepress.com and logo on the group homepage.
• 45th Parallel PressflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner45th Parallel Press is a Cherry Lake Publishing Group imprint promoted via 45thparallelpress.com and logo on the group homepage.
• Sleeping Bear PressflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerSleeping Bear Press is a Cherry Lake Publishing Group imprint ('Bringing meaningful stories to young readers'), promoted via sleepingbearpress.com and logo on the group homepage. Cherry Lake's contact page also lists [email protected] for manuscript submissions.
• Torch Graphic PressflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerTorch Graphic Press is a Cherry Lake Publishing Group imprint promoted via torchgraphicpress.com and logo on the group homepage.
• Partnership for 21st Century SkillscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCherry Lake's 21st Century Skills Library is explicitly 'aligned to standards and the Partnership for 21st skills framework,' indicating a content co-development/alignment partnership with the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Capstone Publishing: Capstone is a direct competitor in K-8 educational children's publishing, offering library-bound and trade titles plus digital products (PebbleGo, Capstone Interactive) targeting the same school and library buyers Cherry Lake serves.
• Lerner Publishing Group: Lerner publishes children's and young adult library and classroom titles across many imprints, with comparable distribution through school/library channels and a digital ebook platform directly overlapping Cherry Lake's hosted multi-user ebook offering.
• Scholastic Corporation: Scholastic is the largest U.S. children's book publisher and operates school book clubs, fairs, and trade publishing serving the same K-8 classroom and library market as Cherry Lake.
• Candlewick Press: Candlewick publishes high-quality children's picture books, fiction, and nonfiction with strong library and trade-review presence, competing directly with Sleeping Bear Press and Cherry Lake Press for institutional adoption and trade placement.
• Charlesbridge: Charlesbridge publishes picture books and nonfiction for children with a classroom-and-library focus and standards-aligned content, overlapping Cherry Lake's educational publishing positioning.
• Albert Whitman & Company: Albert Whitman is an independent children's book publisher focused on social-emotional learning and diverse stories for the school and library market, competing with Cherry Lake's picture book and middle-grade imprints.
• Lee & Low Books: Lee & Low is a children's book publisher focused on diversity and educational content for schools and libraries, with similar standards-alignment and institutional-channel economics as Cherry Lake.
• Sourcebooks: Sourcebooks operates children's, young adult, and educational publishing divisions with trade and library distribution, overlapping Cherry Lake's nonfiction and middle-grade categories.
• Rosen Publishing (The Rosen Publishing Group): Rosen Publishing is a library-bound children's reference and educational publisher targeting schools and libraries, with a strong hi-lo and reluctant-reader lineup that directly competes with 45th Parallel Press.

Broad incumbents

• Penguin Young Readers: Penguin Young Readers is the children's division of Cherry Lake's new parent (Penguin Random House). It is a sibling imprint under the same corporate umbrella, providing a useful incumbent benchmark for catalog reach, marketing, and trade positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 records

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 Cherry Lake Publishing