Black Rose Books

What Black Rose Books does

Black Rose Books is a Montreal-based non-profit independent book publisher founded in 1969 that specializes in non-fiction works in the social sciences and humanities. Its catalog spans politics, anarchism, ecology, history, philosophy, urban studies, gender studies, and cultural criticism, and includes over 500 published titles. The company is the only known publisher of the complete works of Peter Kropotkin and has published major works by Noam Chomsky, Murray Bookchin, and George Woodcock, alongside the archive of the Our Generation journal (1961-1994).

The company's core products are physical books (paperback and hardcover), PDF eBooks, and digitized access to the Our Generation journal archive. It operates a direct-to-consumer Shopify e-commerce storefront with multi-currency support (CAD, USD, EUR, AUD, GBP), and distributes wholesale through University of Toronto Press for North America and Central Books for the UK, Ireland, and international markets. Additional revenue comes from manuscript evaluation fees ($50, refunded if accepted), permissions and licensing fees for reuse of published materials, and donations supporting the non-profit mission. Customer segments include general and academic readers, universities and libraries, and independent bookstores, with no AI or proprietary technology layers.

The business operates with 1-10 employees, suspended new publishing in 2010 after forty years of activity, and resumed in 2014 under a new generation of organizers mentored by Dimitri Roussopoulos. There is no venture capital, no parent company, and no disclosed financial data. Marketing is conducted through a grassroots mix of the Shopify website, email newsletter, social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube), and the "Voices" blog. The distribution model relies on the two core wholesale partners and major online retailers (Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo, Powell's, AbeBooks, Amazon) for global reach.

Name

Black Rose Books

Legal name

Black Rose Books

Website

https://blackrosebooks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Black Rose Books is a Montreal-based non-profit independent book publisher founded in 1969 that publishes over 500 non-fiction titles in social sciences and humanities, including the complete works of Peter Kropotkin, serving academic readers, libraries, and independent bookstores via Shopify direct sales and wholesale distribution partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Non-Fiction Book Publishing

NAICS

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 industry

Hardcover & Premium Editions Publishing (MPAJAAAE)

Keywords

• Independent book publishing
• Non-fiction publishing
• Social sciences books
• Humanities publishing
• Radical literature

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book Sales (Physical Books): Direct sales of physical books (paperback and hardcover) through their website, with distribution to bookstores and individuals via University of Toronto Press (North America) and Central Books (Europe). Revenue generated from individual book purchases at various price points.
2. eBook/PDF Downloads: Digital versions of books available for download as PDFs. Some titles like Our Generation journals available as PDF eBook copies by donation.
3. Permissions and Licensing: Fees charged for permissions to quote from or re-use materials found in their books. Reasonable fees depending on nature of use (photocopies for classroom, transparencies for lectures, duplication requests, reprinting in another book).
4. Manuscript Evaluation Fee: Pre-paid evaluation fee of $50 for manuscript submissions. This fee is returned to authors if Black Rose Books decides to publish the manuscript.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Black Rose Books is a non-profit independent publisher that acquires, edits, produces, and sells non-fiction books in the social sciences and humanities under its own imprint. Its catalog spans paperback and hardcover print editions, eBook/PDF downloads, and an archived journal collection, distributed directly to readers through its Shopify storefront and wholesale to bookstores via University of Toronto Press and Central Books.

Product overview

Black Rose Books is a non-profit independent book publisher established in 1969 that publishes non-fiction books in the social sciences and humanities. The company operates as a single unified publishing operation offering physical books (paperback and hardcover), eBooks/PDF downloads, and access to their historical Our Generation journal archive. Their product portfolio is organized by subject matter into collections including The City, Ecology, Anarchism, Politics & Economy, Philosophy & Religion, History, Arts & Culture, Biography & Memoir, Gender & Feminism, and Canada. The company also offers a selection of Books Under $20 featuring discounted older titles, and accepts donations to support their non-profit mission. They have published over 500 books and are the only publisher to have published the complete works of Peter Kropotkin.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Physical Books (Paperback and Hardcover) Non-fiction paperback and hardcover books published under the Black Rose Books imprint across categories including anarchism, politics, ecology, history, philosophy, gender studies, urban studies, and cultural criticism, sold directly to readers and wholesale to bookstores.
• eBooks and PDF Downloads Digital editions of selected Black Rose Books titles delivered as downloadable PDFs for individual readers seeking portable or digital copies of the catalog.
• Our Generation Journal Archive Digital archive of the historical journal Our Generation (1961-1994) featuring contributions from Bertrand Russell, Noam Chomsky, Murray Bookchin, and other radical thinkers, accessible via an Open Book Reader or as PDF eBook copies.
• Manuscript Evaluation Service Editorial evaluation service for authors submitting manuscripts for consideration, charging a flat $50 fee that is returned to the author if the publisher accepts the manuscript for publication.
• Permissions and Licensing Licensing service granting permission to quote from or reuse materials in Black Rose Books titles for purposes such as classroom photocopying, lecture transparencies, and reprinting in other publications, with reasonable fees depending on use.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Toronto Press DistributioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary North American distribution partner handling wholesale orders and bookstore distribution across Canada and the USA. Order methods include EDI through Pubnet (SAN 115 1134), phone (1-800-565-9523), fax, and email. Operates distribution facilities in both Canada and the United States.
• Central BookscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEuropean distribution partner handling wholesale orders in the UK, Ireland, and international markets. Order via EDI (SAN 009899X), phone (+44 20 8525 8800), fax, or email. Located in London, UK.
• Access CopyrightminorOthersCanadian Copyright Licensing Agency through which some permissions to reuse materials may be obtained. Located at 1 Yonge St., Suite 800, Toronto, ON M5E 1E5.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Seven Stories Press: Seven Stories Press is an independent publisher of progressive politics, human rights, and cultural criticism. Its combination of political and cultural non-fiction titles aimed at engaged readers parallels Black Rose Books' editorial scope.
• Monthly Review Press: Monthly Review Press is an independent Marxist publisher of political economy, social theory, and history. Its editorial focus on socialist political economy and long-running independent status closely match Black Rose's positioning in left/radical publishing.
• Verso Books: Verso Books is one of the largest independent radical publishers in the English-speaking world, publishing Marxist, socialist, and critical theory across politics, philosophy, and social sciences — directly overlapping with Black Rose Books' radical social sciences and humanities focus and serving the same academic and activist readership.
• Pluto Press: Pluto Press is an independent publisher focused on radical politics, social theory, and critical scholarship from the left, with strong UK/Europe distribution. Comparable to Black Rose in editorial scope and in offering a left-leaning alternative to mainstream academic publishers.
• PM Press: PM Press is an independent publisher of radical, anarchist, anti-capitalist, and anti-racist books, audio, and video. Its emphasis on anarchist and revolutionary thought, plus multi-format publishing, makes it a near-direct peer for Black Rose's radical social sciences publishing.
• The New Press: The New Press is a non-profit independent publisher focused on social justice, race, criminal justice, and politics. Its non-profit status and progressive political publishing mission closely mirror Black Rose Books' operating model and editorial direction.
• Haymarket Books: Haymarket Books is a non-profit, radical independent publisher specializing in politics, economics, ecology, and social movements. Its non-profit model and editorial concentration on left/radical thought closely parallel Black Rose Books' publishing program and target audience.
• Fernwood Publishing: Fernwood Publishing is a Canadian independent publisher of critical social science and radical political economy titles. Sharing Black Rose's Montreal/Canadian base and left-leaning critical social science focus, it is a strong regional and thematic peer.
• AK Press: AK Press is an independent worker-run collective publishing anarchist, anti-authoritarian, and radical political theory and history. Its anarchist specialty is essentially a sub-niche of the radical political publishing Black Rose Books is known for (including its Kropotkin complete works).
• Between the Lines: Between the Lines is a Canadian non-profit independent publisher of progressive politics, social justice, and activism titles. Its non-profit Canadian base and radical political editorial line make it a closely comparable peer to Black Rose Books.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/blackrosebooks
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/BlackRoseBooks
• Facebookfacebook.com/blackrosebookspublishing
• Instagraminstagram.com/blackrosebooks

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 Black Rose Books