What zed books does

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc is a UK-headquartered, publicly traded publishing group (London Stock Exchange: BMY) founded in 1986 by Nigel Newton and domiciled at 50 Bedford Square, London. The group operates across academic, children's, fiction, non-fiction, and educational publishing through a portfolio of imprints and wholly owned subsidiaries, including Bloomsbury Academic, Bloomsbury Professional, Bloomsbury Children's, Osprey Publishing, The Arden Shakespeare, Methuen Drama, and Fairchild Books — the latter two of which run alongside its Irish subsidiary, Bloomsbury Publishing Ireland Limited. Its catalog spans more than 40 academic subject categories, with the Politics & International Relations collection alone covering 55 sub-disciplines from African Politics to Security Studies.

The company's core products are scholarly books and digital academic resources. Its academic division serves academic institutions (universities, colleges, research libraries), undergraduate and graduate students, and professionals and policy makers in government, NGOs, and international organizations. Distribution operates through direct e-commerce storefronts in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and India; digital platforms including Bloomsbury Digital Resources and Bloomsbury Libraries Unlimited; and an academic review copy program for instructors. Marketing is content-driven, leaning on the Bloomsbury Academic Blog, Politics & International Relations newsletters, downloadable catalogs, and organic search across a deeply structured subject taxonomy.

The business model is conventional publishing: revenue is generated via book sales across print and digital formats (academic titles priced approximately £17.99–£85.00), supplemented by digital resource licensing to libraries and institutions. As a publicly listed entity with no disclosed parent company, Bloomsbury is independently owned by public shareholders, with no in-scope data on funding rounds, headcount, or revenue figures in the provided source material.

Name

zed books

Legal name

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Website

https://zedbooks.net

Company type

Public

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc is a London-headquartered, publicly traded publisher (LSE: BMY) operating academic, children's, fiction, and educational imprints. It serves academic institutions, students, and professionals worldwide through scholarly books and digital platforms including Bloomsbury Digital Resources and Bloomsbury Libraries Unlimited.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic and Trade Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313), Book Publishers (513130), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Government & Public Policy Publishing (Regulations, Gazettes, Legislative Tracking) (MPAJACAI), Business, Economics & Management Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAF), Business, Personal Finance & Careers Trade Publishing (MPAJAAAK)

Keywords

• Academic book publishing
• Scholarly books
• Children's books
• Fiction publishing
• Trade publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc is a UK-based publishing house that publishes and sells academic, children's, fiction, non-fiction, and educational books through its own retail sites and digital libraries. The Politics & International Relations academic collection covers political theory, international and diplomatic history, security studies, conflict resolution, and government policy across 55 sub-categories including African Politics, China Studies, European Politics, Middle East Politics, and Security and Strategic Studies.

Product overview

Bloomsbury Publishing operates as a comprehensive academic publisher offering a broad portfolio of books and digital resources across multiple disciplines. The Politics & International Relations collection is one of 40+ subject categories in their Academic division, spanning subjects from Anthropology to Theology. The collection includes specialized series and sub-brands such as The Arden Shakespeare, Methuen Drama, and Fairchild Books, alongside digital resources like Bloomsbury Digital Resources and Bloomsbury Libraries Unlimited.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bloomsbury Academic: Academic publishing imprint covering humanities, social sciences, and arts
• Bloomsbury Children's
• The Arden Shakespeare
• Methuen Drama
• Bloomsbury Digital Resources
• Bloomsbury Libraries Unlimited
• 33 1/3
• Object Lessons
• LitUp
• Lit in Colour

Products and services

• Politics & International Relations Collection Academic book collection covering political theory, international and diplomatic history, security studies, conflict resolution, and government policy. Features 55 sub-categories including African Politics, American Government, China Studies, European Politics, Human Rights, International Relations Theory, Middle East Politics, Political Economy, Security and Strategic Studies, and Terrorism and Political Violence. Targeted at academic institutions, researchers, students, and policy professionals.
• Children's Books Children's books across age ranges (0-5, 5+, 7+, 9+, teens 11+, and Young Adult) published under the Bloomsbury Children's imprint, including the Harry Potter series (J.K. Rowling).
• Harry Potter Series Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, offered in multiple editions including Classic, Illustrated, Interactive Illustrated, Hogwarts House, Box Sets and Gift, Pocket, Adult, and Accessible Editions and Other Languages.
• Fiction Titles Fiction titles across Accessible Editions, Crime/Thriller/Mystery, Fantasy/Mythology/Sci-Fi, General & Literary Fiction, Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction, Horror & Gothic, Poetry, Romance, Short Stories, and True Crime; includes Sarah J. Maas titles.
• Non-Fiction Titles Non-fiction titles across categories including Biography & Memoir, Business/Economics/Management, Environment & Climate, Food & Drink, History, Philosophy & Ideas, Politics/Current Affairs/Culture, Popular Science, Psychology, and Travel & Adventure.
• Education Titles Education titles for Early Years, Primary, and Secondary stages, marketed to schools and educators.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Simon & Schuster: Major US-headquartered trade publisher with comparable adult fiction, non-fiction, and children's lists, competing for the same English-language author pool as Bloomsbury's trade divisions.
• Penguin Random House: Largest global trade book publisher, directly comparable to Bloomsbury across adult fiction, non-fiction, and children's publishing, including flagship franchise publishing where Bloomsbury competes for authors and shelf space.
• Cambridge University Press: Major academic publisher with strong Politics & IR, international relations, and area studies catalogs, competing head-to-head with Bloomsbury Academic for institutional adoption and library sales.
• SAGE Publications: Scholarly publisher focused on social sciences including politics and international relations, competing with Bloomsbury Academic for textbook and research monograph adoption.
• HarperCollins: Global trade and children's publisher with a significant academic and educational arm, competing with Bloomsbury for both backlist and frontlist titles across English-language markets.
• Taylor & Francis: Major scholarly publisher with a heavy social sciences and humanities portfolio including politics and international relations, comparable to Bloomsbury's academic division in author base and institutional channels.
• Oxford University Press: Large academic and scholarly publisher with deep Politics & International Relations, area studies, and humanities lists, directly overlapping Bloomsbury Academic's core subject coverage.
• Routledge: Imprint of Taylor & Francis with deep humanities and social sciences lists, closely comparable to Bloomsbury Academic in subject breadth and institutional sales motion.
• Hachette Book Group: Major trade and reference publisher with global distribution; comparable to Bloomsbury in scope of adult trade, illustrated, and reference publishing.
• Wiley: Public scholarly and academic publisher with extensive social science and political science lists; overlaps with Bloomsbury Academic in library and university distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ZedBooks
• Facebookfacebook.com/ZedBooks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zed-books

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries4 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 zed books