What Amber Books does

Amber Books Ltd is an independent illustrated non-fiction publisher founded in London around 1989-1990, operating for over 35 years from its headquarters at United House, North Road, London N7 9DP. The company produces highly illustrated print, ebook and audiobook titles across three core categories — History, Military, and General Reference — organized into multiple branded series including Technical Guide, Nature in Photographs, Chinese Bound Illustrated and Mini, Quarterbound Cultures, Amazing Photographic, Amazing Places, Visual Encyclopedia, Gatefold, Landscape Pocket Guides, Illustrated Atlas and Abandoned Places. Production emphasizes premium photography (commonly 170-210+ images per title), detailed artwork and specialized bindings such as Chinese and quarterbound formats.

The business operates a dual model. First, it publishes and sells titles under its own Amber Books imprint through major global retail channels — including Amazon, Waterstones, Foyles, Barnes & Noble, Indigo, Booktopia and Wordery — with trade distribution handled by Hachette UK Distribution in the UK and Hachette Book Group in the US and Canada. Second, it functions as a book packager, licensing editorial content and designs to client publishers who translate and distribute titles under their own imprints via co-edition printing or royalty arrangements across more than 40 languages. Supplementary revenue comes from editorial and design services for non-publishing clients on a flat-fee basis.

The company is privately held with no external funding, 11-50 employees, and a management team led by Managing Director Sara McKie alongside territory-specific rights executives covering East Asia, MENA, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Western and Eastern Europe. End customers are primarily individual illustrated non-fiction readers (history, military, and general-reference enthusiasts) plus a B2B segment of trade publishers licensing rights internationally; marketing is conducted through Instagram, a Mailchimp newsletter, NetGalley review-copy distribution, and downloadable trade and rights catalogues.

Name

Amber Books

Legal name

Amber Books Ltd

Website

https://amberbooks.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Amber Books is an independent London-based illustrated non-fiction publisher producing over 1,000 highly illustrated history, military and reference titles under its own imprint and as a book packager licensing rights across 40+ languages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Sale of printed illustrated non-fiction books through retail channels including Amazon, Waterstones, Foyles, Wordery, Barnes & Noble, Indigo, and independent bookstores worldwide.
2. Rights Licensing: Licensing of book rights to international publishers for co-edition printing or royalty arrangements. Amber Books actively sells rights into over 40 languages worldwide with over 1,000 highly illustrated books available.
3. Ebook Sales: Digital versions of titles sold through major ebook platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play, and Kobo.
4. Audiobook Sales: Audiobook versions available through platforms including Amazon Audible, Apple Books Audiobook, Google Play, and Kobo. Some titles available from DeepZen for digitally narrated audiobooks.
5. Packaging Services: Complete editorial and design services for publishing and non-publishing clients, creating products from card continuity sets and partworks to books and internal corporate publications on a flat-fee basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels12 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Amber Books is an independent illustrated non-fiction publisher based in London, UK, operating as a book packaging company that creates highly illustrated books on history, military, and general reference subjects for adults and children. The company publishes under its own Amber Books imprint and licenses titles to international publishers for translation and distribution under their own imprints across 40+ languages worldwide. They also offer editorial and design services for publishing and non-publishing clients, creating products from books to corporate publications.

Product overview

Amber Books is an independent illustrated non-fiction book publisher based in London, UK, operating for over 35 years. Their core product portfolio consists of three main categories: History Books (covering Ancient, Medieval, Modern, and Social History), Military Books (including Military History and Military Technology subcategories), and General Reference Books (spanning Aviation, Children's, Natural History, Photographic, Travel, and more). The company publishes titles across multiple specialized series including Technical Guide (128pp technical references), Nature in Photographs (photographic nature guides), Chinese Bound Illustrated (traditionally bound gift editions), Chinese Bound Mini (miniature traditional binding), Quarterbound Cultures (leather-bound cultural titles), Amazing Photographic (destination/lifestyle photography), Amazing Places (photographic travel guides), Visual Encyclopedia (comprehensive references), Gatefold (detailed artwork format), Landscape Pocket Guides, Illustrated Atlas series, and Abandoned Places series. Beyond publishing, Amber Books also offers ebook versions, rights and licensing services (selling rights in over 40 languages with 1,000+ titles available), and editorial/design services for clients worldwide. Distribution is handled through Hachette UK and Hachette Book Group USA, with availability through major retailers including Amazon, Waterstones, Foyles, Barnes & Noble, and Indigo.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• History Books

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 illustrated titles available for licensing
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hachette UK DistributioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHachette UK Distribution handles order fulfillment for UK customers and one-time purchasers, managing the logistics of getting Amber Books titles to end consumers in the UK market.
• Hachette Book Group (USA/Canada)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHachette Book Group handles US and Canadian trade orders, managing order department and distribution for Amber Books titles in North American markets.
• NetGalleyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetGalley provides a platform for making Amber Books' latest titles available for review by media, librarians, and reviewers.
• EAS (Easy Access System Europe Oü)minorOthersEU Product Safety Contact for GPSR (General Product Safety Regulation) compliance, located in Tallinn, Estonia.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Osprey Publishing: UK-based illustrated non-fiction publisher specializing in military history, aviation, and reference titles. Most direct comparable: similar format-driven illustrated books, rights licensing model, and overlapping subject categories (military, history, reference).
• Pen & Sword Books: Independent UK military and history publisher producing highly illustrated non-fiction titles. Comparable in catalog depth, illustrated format, military/history subject focus, and trade distribution via major UK and US retailers.
• Haynes Publishing: UK publisher known for illustrated technical manuals and reference titles, with growing automotive and non-automotive lines. Closely comparable in illustrated reference format, photographic-driven content, and gift/specialty positioning.
• Anness Publishing: UK-based illustrated book packager producing illustrated non-fiction, gift, and reference titles for co-edition partners and own imprints. Closely comparable book-packaging business model, illustrated gift/reference catalog, and rights licensing into multiple languages.
• Pavilion Books: UK illustrated non-fiction and gift book publisher with titles across history, craft, food, and visual reference. Comparable illustrated non-fiction format, gift/specialty positioning, and UK trade distribution through Hachette.
• Casemate Publishers: US-based military history and reference publisher with strong illustrated catalog. Direct comparable on military subject focus, illustrated format, and distribution through major trade retailers in the US and UK.

Broad incumbents

• DK (Dorling Kindersley): Part of Penguin Random House, DK publishes illustrated reference across a much broader portfolio (travel, cooking, science, children's). Overlaps with Amber on illustrated reference and travel gift books but operates at significantly larger scale and category breadth.
• Thames & Hudson: Long-established illustrated book publisher covering art, history, architecture, and visual culture. Comparable on illustrated non-fiction format and international rights licensing, though skewed toward art and design rather than military/history.
• Quarto Group: Global illustrated book publisher producing illustrated non-fiction, gift, and reference titles across many imprints. Comparable on illustrated gift/reference catalog, international co-edition model, and multi-format (print/ebook/audiobook) distribution.

Emerging players

• Sirrocco Publishing: Independent illustrated non-fiction publisher with a focus on visual and gift titles. Comparable on illustrated gift format and trade distribution, though with a smaller catalog than Amber.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/amberbooksltd
• Xx.com/AmberBooks
• Facebookfacebook.com/amberbooks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Amber Books