Sleeping Bear Press
Sleeping Bear Press is a children's book publisher founded in 1998 and part of Cherry Lake Publishing Group, producing award-winning board books, picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade novels for K-12 schools, public libraries, and families in the US and Canada via direct sales and Canadian distribution through Saunders Book Company.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersAnn Arbor, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Sleeping Bear Press does
Sleeping Bear Press is a children's book publisher founded in April 1998 and headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It operates as one of five imprints under Cherry Lake Publishing Group, alongside Cherry Blossom Press, Cherry Lake Press, 45th Parallel Press, and Torch Graphic Press. The imprint publishes board books, beginning readers, picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade novels, with a distinctive alphabet series format that combines original art, poetry, and expository text. Its catalog includes award-winning titles recognized by School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist, and The Legend of Sleeping Bear holds the designation as an Official Children's Book of the State of Michigan.
The company serves K-12 schools, public libraries, and families primarily in the United States and Canada. Its go-to-market is sales-led and channel-driven: dedicated sales representatives handle US institutional accounts, while Saunders Book Company serves as the exclusive Canadian distribution partner. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time sales of physical books and digital formats (web-hosted flip-book eBooks, PDF downloads, ePub, Kindle), supplemented by institutional site licenses with unlimited simultaneous user access and downloadable teaching guides. The technology stack includes a web-hosted eBook platform built in HTML5 with dual Flash and mobile support, MARC records for library catalog integration, and multiple authentication options (username/password, IP address, referring URL, MARC record links). E-commerce is powered by the TitleLeaf platform shared across the Cherry Lake Publishing Group imprints, with a unified group shopping cart.
Sleeping Bear Press firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sleeping Bear Press
- Legal name
- Sleeping Bear Press
- Website
- https://sleepingbearpress.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Sleeping Bear Press is a children's book publisher founded in 1998 and part of Cherry Lake Publishing Group, producing award-winning board books, picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade novels for K-12 schools, public libraries, and families in the US and Canada via direct sales and Canadian distribution through Saunders Book Company.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sleeping Bear Press industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Children's Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Middle Grade Publishing (MPAJAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Early Readers & Chapter Books Publishing (MPAJAFAB), Children’s Activity & Workbook Publishing (MPAJAFAG), Children’s Nonfiction Publishing (MPAJAFAE)
Keywords
Where Sleeping Bear Press is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ann Arbor
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sleeping Bear Press business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Physical Book Sales: Sleeping Bear Press generates revenue through the sale of physical books including board books, beginning readers, picture books, and middle-grade novels in hardcover and paperback formats.
- E-book Sales: Digital content sold in multiple formats including web-hosted eBooks, PDF downloads, ePub, and Kindle. E-books are available for individual purchase or institutional site licenses with unlimited simultaneous access.
- Institutional/Library Licensing: Schools and libraries can purchase site licenses with unlimited user access. MARC records available for orders over $350 at no additional cost; $12 per order for smaller orders.
- Teaching Resources and Guides: Downloadable teaching guides, activity pages, and educational resources sold in conjunction with books.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Individual book purchases |
| Subscription | Annual | School and Library Institutional Accounts |
| Subscription | Annual | E-book Institutional Licensing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Sleeping Bear Press product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sleeping Bear Press publishes award-winning children's books for ages 0-14, including board books, beginning readers, picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade novels. The imprint also offers digital formats including web-hosted eBooks with flip-book functionality and PDF downloads, along with MARC records for library catalog integration and downloadable teaching guides for classroom use.
Product overview
Sleeping Bear Press is a children's book publisher that publishes a diverse portfolio of print and digital products. Their print offerings include beautifully illustrated board books, beginning readers (such as Frog and Friends and Digger and Daisy series), picture books, chapter books (like Stella Batts), and middle-grade novels. They are known for their unique alphabet series format that combines original art, poetry, and expository text. Their digital offerings include hosted eBooks in an interactive flip-book format and downloadable PDF eBooks, with supporting MARC records for library integration. They also provide teaching guides and activity pages as educational resources. The publisher has an Own Voices, Own Stories collection featuring diverse authors and stories.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Board Books
- Beginning Readers
- Picture Books
- Chapter Books
- Middle-Grade Novels
- Alphabet Series
- Web-Hosted eBooks
- PDF eBooks
- MARC Records
- Teaching Guides
- Own Voices, Own Stories Collection
Quantifiable outcome
- Multiple starred reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist across numerous titles
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Sleeping Bear Press
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Sleeping Bear Press technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Sleeping Bear Press partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Saunders Book CompanycoreOfficial Canadian distributor for Sleeping Bear Press products. Handles all Canadian school and library market distribution. Located at PO Box 308, Collingwood Ontario L9Y 3Z7. Phone: 800-461-9120. Email: [email protected]
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Sleeping Bear Press competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Charlesbridge: Independent children's book publisher emphasizing educational and curriculum-aligned titles across picture books, early readers, and middle grade. Directly comparable in its K-12 school and library sales motion and emphasis on nonfiction and STEM content.
- Albert Whitman & Company: Independent children's book publisher of similar size publishing picture books, middle-grade, and educational titles for the school and library market. Comparable in scale, institutional focus, and curated catalog approach.
- Candlewick Press: Independent children's book publisher producing illustrated picture books, beginning readers, chapter books, and middle-grade novels for the trade and library markets. Comparable in product mix, age-range breadth, and institutional customer base.
- Boyds Mills Press: Children's book imprint under the Highlights family publishing illustrated fiction and nonfiction for young readers including picture books, early readers, and middle grade. Comparable in mission-driven educational publishing and multi-format output (print and digital).
- Lee & Low Books: Independent children's publisher with a mission-driven focus on diversity, publishing picture books, early readers, and middle-grade titles for schools and libraries. Comparable through its Own Voices–style author program that parallels Sleeping Bear Press's Own Voices, Own Stories collection.
Broad incumbents
- Scholastic: The dominant US children's publisher and book distributor with deep K-12 school and library penetration through book fairs, classroom book clubs, and institutional channels. Comparable end customers but vastly larger scale, marketing budget, and distribution footprint.
- HarperCollins Children's Books: Major children's imprint publishing picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade titles including I Can Read and other educational series. Comparable product mix but operates as part of a global publishing conglomerate with broader resources.
- Chronicle Books: Independent publisher with a strong children's illustrated book line and gift/seasonal catalog serving both trade and institutional markets. Comparable in illustrated children's publishing but broader in scope across adult and gift categories.
- Penguin Random House Children's Books: Major publishing group with extensive children's picture book, early reader, and middle-grade catalogs serving retail and institutional channels. Overlaps in product categories and end customers but operates at a significantly larger scale.
Regional players
- Usborne Publishing: UK-based children's publisher with a US subsidiary producing illustrated picture books, early readers, and activity books for retail and educational markets. Comparable product categories but primarily UK-rooted distribution model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sleeping Bear Press social profiles
Digital presenceSleeping Bear Press financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sleeping Bear Press leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Sleeping Bear Press funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sleeping Bear Press 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 Sleeping Bear Press
What does Sleeping Bear Press do?
Sleeping Bear Press publishes award-winning children's books for ages 0-14, including board books, beginning readers, picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade novels. The imprint also offers digital formats including web-hosted eBooks with flip-book functionality and PDF downloads, along with MARC records for library catalog integration and downloadable teaching guides for classroom use.
Is Sleeping Bear Press a public or private company?
Sleeping Bear Press is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Sleeping Bear Press founded?
Sleeping Bear Press was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sleeping Bear Press based?
Sleeping Bear Press is headquartered in Ann Arbor, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sleeping Bear Press make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Physical Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are E-book Sales, institutional/Library Licensing and teaching Resources and Guides.
Who are Sleeping Bear Press's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Charlesbridge, Albert Whitman & Company, Candlewick Press, Boyds Mills Press and Lee & Low Books. Broad incumbents are Scholastic, HarperCollins Children's Books, Chronicle Books and Penguin Random House Children's Books. Usborne Publishing is listed as a regional player.
Does Sleeping Bear Press have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sleeping Bear Press.
What industry is Sleeping Bear Press in?
Sleeping Bear Press's product category is Children's Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAFAC, Middle Grade Publishing, with a secondary code of MPAJAFAB, Early Readers & Chapter Books Publishing. Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.