Profile Books
Profile Books is a UK-based independent trade publisher, founded 1996, operating multiple imprints (Profile Books, Souvenir Press, Wellcome Collection, Economist Books, Pursuit Books, Serpent's Tail) across 1,439 non-fiction and fiction titles for general, academic, and institutional readers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersCambridge, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Profile Books does
Profile Books is a UK-based independent trade publisher founded in 1996 by Andrew Franklin, operating from London headquarters at 29 Cloth Fair. The company runs a multi-imprint publishing platform spanning Profile Books, Souvenir Press, Wellcome Collection, Economist Books, Pursuit Books, Serpent's Tail, Third Millennium, Profile Editions, The Clerkenwell Press, and Tuskar Rock, with a catalog of 1,439 titles covering subjects from arts, biography, business, current affairs, history and philosophy through to puzzle books, crime fiction, and workplace guides. Profile co-publishes with institutional partners including The Economist and Wellcome Collection, and publishes authors such as Robert Greene, Julia Cameron, Mary Beard, Ryan Holiday, Shoshana Zuboff, and G.T. Karber (creator of the Murdle franchise).
Profile Books firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Profile Books
- Legal name
- Profile Books Limited
- Website
- https://profilebooks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Profile Books is a UK-based independent trade publisher, founded 1996, operating multiple imprints (Profile Books, Souvenir Press, Wellcome Collection, Economist Books, Pursuit Books, Serpent's Tail) across 1,439 non-fiction and fiction titles for general, academic, and institutional readers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Profile Books industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Independent Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Business, Personal Finance & Careers Trade Publishing (MPAJAAAK)
Keywords
Where Profile Books is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cambridge
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Profile Books business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Book Sales: One-time sales of physical and digital books through direct e-commerce and retail distribution channels
- Publishing Rights and Royalties: Revenue from publishing contracts with authors, including royalty payments and international rights licensing
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual book titles at standard retail pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Profile Books product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Profile Books is an independent UK publisher that develops, produces, and sells non-fiction and quality fiction titles across multiple imprints including Profile Books, Souvenir Press, Wellcome Collection, Economist Books, Pursuit Books and Serpent's Tail. It distributes physical and digital books through its own WooCommerce-based profilebooks.com storefront, physical retailers such as Waterstones and independent bookshops, and online marketplaces such as Amazon and Apple Books. The company also manages publishing rights, royalty arrangements and co-publishing partnerships with The Economist and Wellcome Collection.
Product overview
Profile Books is a UK-based independent publisher operating multiple imprints (Profile Books, Souvenir Press, Wellcome Collection, Economist Books, Pursuit Books) and publishing across diverse subject categories. The company is known for its bestselling puzzle series including Murdle (adult and junior), Bordergrams, and the Economist Edge workplace guides. Profile Books publishes non-fiction titles spanning arts, biography, business, climate, current affairs, fiction, health, history, philosophy, politics, reference, science, self-help, and travel. Notable authors include Robert Greene, Julia Cameron, Mary Beard, Ryan Holiday, and Shoshana Zuboff. The publisher celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2026.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Murdle Puzzle Series: Internationally bestselling murder mystery logic puzzle series by G.T. Karber, including adult and junior editions, that has sold over 1 million copies
- Bordergrams
- Economist Edge
- Vintage Murders
Products and services
- Profile Books Main Imprint The flagship imprint of Profile Books, a fearless independent publisher of inventive non-fiction books, powerful voices and lively thought, covering subjects from the dawn of the cosmos to the fate of futures.
- Souvenir Press Imprint An imprint focused on books for a healthier, happier, more interesting life, covering useful science, psychology, food, health and fitness, major life moments, skills, craft and creativity, home, nature and sustainability, gift, memoir and fiction.
- Wellcome Collection Imprint An imprint in partnership with Wellcome that explores health and human experience, covering history, memoir, psychology, medicine, and science.
- Economist Books Imprint An imprint publishing in partnership with The Economist, offering publications on current affairs, economics, workplace guides, and gift/humour titles.
- Murdle Puzzle Series The internationally bestselling murder mystery logic puzzle series by G.T. Karber, including adult and junior editions, that challenges readers to find whodunnit, where and why.
- Murdle Junior Children's puzzle books from the globally bestselling Murdle series, including puzzle activity books and mystery novels for young detectives.
- Bordergrams Spy-themed puzzle series from the bestselling author of Murdle, G.T. Karber, featuring geographical word puzzles.
- Economist Edge A new generation of workplace guides offering fresh insight into the world of work, part of the Economist Books list.
- Vintage Murders Collections of classic murder mysteries featuring golden age writers like Nicholas Blake, Ruth Rendell, Dorothy L. Sayers and modern contemporaries.
- Profile Books Subject Catalog Books across diverse subjects including Arts/Language/Literature, Biography/Memoir, Business/Management, Climate/Environment, Current Affairs, Fiction, Health/Wellbeing, History/Classics, Humour/Gift, Philosophy/Ideas, Politics/Economics, Reference, Science/Mathematics, Self Help/Advice, and Travel/Nature.
Companies that use Profile Books
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Profile Books technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Profile Books partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Souvenir PresscoreSouvenir Press became an imprint of Profile Books in 2018 after the death of founder Ernest Hecht. Souvenir publishes books for a healthier, happier, more interesting life, focusing on useful science, psychology, food, health, nature and gift/memoir titles.
- Wellcome CollectioncoreWellcome Collection books explore health and human experience. The partnership publishes titles on birth, beginnings, illness and loss, grappling with life's big questions through compelling writing and design. Wellcome Collection is a free museum challenging how people think and feel about health by connecting science, medicine, life and art.
- The EconomistcoreProfile's Economist Books list reflects and shares The Economist's ambitions, offering publications that inform and entertain readers with the latest ideas, debates and analysis. The list includes workplace guides, the Economist Edge series, classics like The World in Conflict, and gift titles.
- Indies AllianceminorProfile Books participates in the Indies Alliance alongside other independent publishers for the National Year of Reading 2026 initiative, including Commuter Library book drops across the UK.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Profile Books competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Faber & Faber: Long-established independent UK trade publisher with comparable focus on literary fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and drama. Directly comparable in scale, editorial identity, and multi-decade independent ownership status to Profile Books.
- Canongate Books: Independent UK publisher known for ambitious non-fiction and literary fiction. Closely comparable in scale, imprint strategy, and reputation for distinctive editorial voice.
- Granta Books: Independent UK publisher with strong lists in literary fiction, non-fiction, and essay. Comparable in imprint-based operation, curation-led model, and similar revenue scale to Profile Books.
- Bloomsbury Publishing: UK-listed independent publisher with comparable breadth across non-fiction, fiction, and academic/professional titles. Direct competitor for authors and shelf space, with overlapping subject categories.
- Oneworld Publications: Independent UK publisher with strong literary fiction and non-fiction lists. Comparable as a similarly-sized indie focused on prize-winning commercial titles.
Broad incumbents
- Penguin Random House: Global trade publishing market leader. Competes for the same authors, retailers, and award slots as Profile Books but operates at vastly larger scale across all formats and territories.
- HarperCollins: Major global trade publisher with strong non-fiction and fiction lists. Competes broadly in the same author pool and retail channels that Profile Books operates in.
- Hachette Book Group: Large global publisher with extensive non-fiction and commercial fiction. Broad incumbent competitor for author acquisitions and major retail shelf placement.
- Pan Macmillan: UK arm of a major international publisher with significant non-fiction and fiction lists. Direct competitor in UK retail and for the same profile of authors that Profile publishes.
- Simon & Schuster: Major global trade publisher with comparable non-fiction depth. Competes for bestsellers and award recognition in overlapping subject categories.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Profile Books social profiles
Digital presenceProfile Books financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Profile Books leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profile Books subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Profile Books funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Profile Books M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Profile Books
What does Profile Books do?
Profile Books is an independent UK publisher that develops, produces, and sells non-fiction and quality fiction titles across multiple imprints including Profile Books, Souvenir Press, Wellcome Collection, Economist Books, Pursuit Books and Serpent's Tail. It distributes physical and digital books through its own WooCommerce-based profilebooks.com storefront, physical retailers such as Waterstones and independent bookshops, and online marketplaces such as Amazon and Apple Books. The company also manages publishing rights, royalty arrangements and co-publishing partnerships with The Economist and Wellcome Collection.
Is Profile Books a public or private company?
Profile Books is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Profile Books founded?
Profile Books was founded in 1996. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Profile Books based?
Profile Books is headquartered in Cambridge, United States, in the North America region.
How does Profile Books make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are publishing Rights and Royalties.
Who are Profile Books's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Faber & Faber, Canongate Books, Granta Books, Bloomsbury Publishing and Oneworld Publications. Broad incumbents are Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group, Pan Macmillan and Simon & Schuster.
Does Profile Books have an API?
No public API is recorded for Profile Books.
What industry is Profile Books in?
Profile Books's product category is Independent Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAK, Business, Personal Finance & Careers Trade Publishing. Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.