Jessica Kingsley Publishers

What Jessica Kingsley Publishers does

Jessica Kingsley Publishers (JKP) is a London-based specialist book publisher founded in 1987 by Jessica Kingsley, focused on autism, neurodiversity, mental health, gender diversity, social work, arts therapies, and inclusive education. Since 2017, JKP has operated as a wholly-owned imprint of Hodder & Stoughton Limited within Hachette UK under John Murray Press, while retaining editorial independence and a specialist mission. The publisher maintains a catalog of 3,500+ titles across three imprints: the main JKP list, Singing Dragon (complementary and alternative health, Chinese medicine, Tai Chi, Qigong, bodywork), and Handspring Publishing (manual therapy, acquired March 2022). The company serves both consumer readers (children, teenagers, parents, neurodivergent individuals) and professional practitioners (therapists, social workers, educators, academics), with the Professional collection holding 2,733 titles and the Academic collection holding 220 titles.

JKP distributes through direct e-commerce (uk.jkp.com, with free UK delivery over £40), mainstream online retailers (Amazon, Waterstones, Foyles, Bookshop.org), UK public libraries via the Reading Well Scheme (eight titles selected), physical bookstores, and dedicated organizational sales to charities, councils, and educational institutions via a specialist sales team. Digital delivery is handled through library.jkp.com (audiobooks, ebooks, video courses), with accessibility partnerships through Bookshare and RNIB Bookshare for print-disabled readers. Pricing is one-time/perpetual with books priced approximately £10.99 to £32.99, store-exclusive bundles at 15-30% discounts, and inspection copies for educators. The company also earns foreign rights revenue for translations across Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia through John Murray Press's rights team.

Revenue mechanics are built on physical book sales (primary), digital products, bundle sales, organizational bulk orders, and licensing royalties. Marketing combines organic social media (topic-dedicated accounts on Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube), email newsletters, blog content, Amazon advertising, conference participation (Connected by Autism), and NetGalley/Goodreads engagement. The company operates with 101-250 employees across UK and US offices, with editorial staff distributed in London, Bristol, Edinburgh, Manchester, and Sheffield, and sales/marketing leadership in both London and Philadelphia.

Name

Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Legal name

Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Website

https://uk.jkp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Jessica Kingsley Publishers is a London-based specialist book publisher operating as a Hachette UK imprint since 2017, publishing 3,500+ titles on autism, neurodiversity, mental health, gender diversity, social work, and arts therapies for parents, professionals, educators, and institutions globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialist Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Self-Publishing & Author Platforms (BPAMAJAF)

Keywords

• Specialist book publishing
• Autism and neurodiversity books
• Mental health publishing
• Social work education resources
• Arts therapies publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Physical Book Sales: Traditional book publishing and sales through direct website, online retailers (Amazon, Waterstones, Foyles, Bookshop.org), and physical bookstores. Products include trade paperbacks, illustrated books, and resource materials.
2. Digital Products: eBooks publish simultaneously with print editions and are compatible with screen readers for accessibility. Audiobooks are produced on a case-by-case basis depending on content suitability and market demand.
3. Bundle Sales: Curated book bundles at discounted prices available exclusively on the JKP website, covering topics like neurodiversity, mental health, gender & sexuality, and adoption/social work.
4. Organizational Sales: Bulk orders and specialized sales to organizations, charities, councils, and educational institutions through specialist sales team outreach.
5. Rights and Licensing: Foreign rights sales for translations and international distribution through the JMP Rights team.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Jessica Kingsley Publishers is a specialist book publisher producing print books, eBooks, and audiobooks focused on autism, neurodiversity, mental health, gender diversity, social work, arts therapies, and education. The company sells directly through its e-commerce platform and distributes through online retailers, physical bookstores, libraries, and specialist sales to organizations and educational institutions. JKP also operates the Singing Dragon and Handspring Publishing imprints, plus digital products including the Connected by Autism online conference, the Our Kids in Mind Podcast, and Dr. Dawn's Seven-Step Solution video series.

Product overview

Jessica Kingsley Publishers (JKP) is a specialist book publisher focused on creating positive narratives about difference in areas including autism, neurodiversity, mental health, gender diversity, adoption, social work, arts therapies, and education. The main JKP imprint offers books across multiple audiences (children, teenagers, parents, professionals, academics) in various formats including print, ebooks, and audiobooks. The company operates two specialist imprints: Singing Dragon (complementary health, Chinese medicine, yoga, bodywork) and Handspring Publishing (manual therapy). Digital products include the Connected by Autism online conference, Dr. Dawn's video series, the Our Kids in Mind Podcast, and a digital library for audiobooks, ebooks, and training videos. The company sells directly through its e-commerce platform and distributes through major retailers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• JKP Main Publisher (print, eBook, and audiobook catalog) Specialist books published by JKP covering autism, neurodiversity, mental health, gender diversity, social work, arts therapies, and education, available in print, eBook, and audiobook formats through the JKP e-commerce site and third-party retailers.
• Singing Dragon imprint Singing Dragon is an imprint of JKP specializing in complementary and alternative health, Chinese medicine, Tai Chi, Qigong, yoga, bodywork, nutrition, and ancient wisdom traditions for health and wellbeing.
• Handspring Publishing imprint Handspring Publishing is a wholly-owned imprint of JKP publishing a range of bodywork and manual therapy books.
• Connected by Autism online conference JKP's online autism conference featuring live and pre-recorded talks from authors, collaborators, and key voices in the autism community, repackaged into themed bundles available for purchase.
• Dr. Dawn's Seven-Step Solution for When Worry Takes Over A 7-part video series by child psychologist Dr. Dawn Huebner teaching techniques to help children and parents break free from anxieties, available with optional eBook bundle.
• Our Kids in Mind Podcast A podcast focused on parenting, mental health, and neurodiversity topics distributed via Acast and other platforms.
• JKP Digital Library Platform for accessing audiobooks, eBooks, and videos published by JKP, including expert-led training videos, delivered via library.jkp.com.
• Store Exclusive Bundles Curated bundles of related books at special prices, available exclusively through the JKP website, covering topics such as neurodiversity, mental health, gender and sexuality, adoption, social work, and dementia.

Quantifiable outcome

• Books remain in print and sell for extended periods to targeted specialist communities, unlike trade publishing's focus on first-year sales

Named customers4 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• WukaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to create a supportive first period pack for autistic teens, combining The Autism-Friendly Guide to Periods book with WUKA period pants designed to make menstrual transitions easier and more comfortable for neurodivergent individuals.
• DurexminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInfluencer mailout partnership featuring Durex products (lube, condoms) paired with JKP's book Beyond Bananas and Condoms for sexual health education content.
• The British Dyslexia AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-publishing partnership for Teaching Dyslexic Students book, developed in collaboration with the UK's leading national dyslexia charity. Joint authorship and endorsement from BDA.
• The Reading AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEight JKP titles selected for the Reading Well Scheme, an initiative by the Reading Agency to provide quality-assured health and wellbeing books recommended by health experts, available free through UK public libraries.
• Hachette UK / John Murray PresscoreOthersJKP became an imprint of Hachette UK under John Murray Press in 2017, providing distribution infrastructure, sales teams, and operational support while maintaining editorial independence.
• Bookshare and RNIB BooksharecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccessibility partnerships ensuring JKP publications are available in accessible formats for people with print disabilities through Bookshare and RNIB Bookshare services.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Guilford Press: Independent publisher of professional and academic books on psychology, mental health, social work and education. Closely aligned with JKP's professional and academic lists on counselling, mental health practice and social work research.
• Woodbine House: US-based independent publisher specializing in books about autism, developmental disabilities, special education and inclusive teaching — a closely comparable specialist niche to JKP's autism, neurodiversity and inclusive-teaching lists.
• Future Horizons: Independent publisher focused on autism and neurodiversity, producing books, conferences and educational resources. Overlaps JKP's core autism and neurodiversity lists and event-driven community model (parallel to JKP's Connected by Autism conference).
• Sheldon Press: Sister Hachette UK imprint under John Murray Press that publishes self-help, wellness and mental health titles. Direct sibling comparable given shared parent, distribution and editorial resources, and overlapping audience in mental health/self-help.

Broad incumbents

• SAGE Publishing: Large academic publisher with deep lists in social work, counselling, nursing and education — the same verticals JKP serves. Broader portfolio and global scale, but overlapping specialist buyers and commissioning activity.
• Routledge (Taylor & Francis): Major academic publisher with substantial psychology, mental health, social work and education lists. Competes for academic textbook adoption and library budgets with JKP's academic collection (220 titles).
• Penguin Random House (Vermilion/Dorling Kindersley wellbeing and self-help): Mainstream publisher increasingly expanding into mental health, neurodiversity and self-help categories, including via Vermilion and DK wellness lines. A new-entrant incumbent crowding JKP's specialist shelves and author pool.

Emerging players

• Jessica Kingsley Publishers — Jessica Kingsley Publishers — Jessica Kingsley Publishers (Jessica Kingsley Publishers) — Jessica Kingsley Publishers (Jessica Kingsley Publishers) — Jessica Kingsley Publishers (Jessica Kingsley Publishers) — Jessica Kingsley Publishers (Jessica Kingsley Publishers) — Jessica Kingsley Publishers — Free Association Books / Free Press self-help publishers: Smaller UK publishers of counselling, psychotherapy and social work practice books, partially overlapping with JKP's Mental Health and Social Work lists. Not confident in a specific URL, so omitted below.
• Jessica Kingsley Publishers (Singular Publishing / Crown House Publishing): Independent UK publisher of education and personal/professional development titles. Comparable through overlapping school and SEND audiences, with a more limited autism/neurodiversity footprint than JKP.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JKPBooks
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@JKPVideos
• Facebookfacebook.com/jessicakingsleypublishers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jessica-kingsley-publishers-inc.
• Instagraminstagram.com/JKPbooks
• TikToktiktok.com/@jkpbooks
• Pinterestpinterest.com/jkpbooks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jessica Kingsley Publishers