Shepherd Press

What Shepherd Press does

Shepherd Press is a privately held Christian publishing company founded in 1996 by Pastor Paul David Tripp in Wapwallopen, Pennsylvania, after he was unable to secure a traditional publisher for 'Shepherding a Child's Heart.' The company operates as a digital-first, direct-to-consumer publisher with a catalog of 484 products across 17+ categories and 100+ authors, anchored by the flagship title 'Shepherding a Child's Heart,' which has sold over one million copies over 30 years. Product lines include full-length books, LifeLine mini-books (print and ePub), LifeLine for Teens, children's books, men's and women's resources, parenting resources, disability resources (via Joni & Friends), Spanish-language editions, and a 2026 imprint, Focus Publishing. Materials are sold in print, eBook, audiobook (MP3 and Audible), and DVD formats.

Shepherd Press runs on a standard, low-technical-complexity stack: a WordPress site with the Customizr theme, Cart66 Cloud for the storefront and order processing, Authorize.net for payments, MailChimp for the newsletter, Google Analytics for traffic, and Akismet/Jetpack for site hygiene. There is no proprietary technology, no mobile app, and no API surface; the website functions as the company's commerce, content, and brand hub. Distribution is multi-channel and global in claim: DTC e-commerce at shepherdpress.com, toll-free phone (1-800-338-1445), email and mail orders, the Audible audiobook marketplace, social commerce links from Facebook and Instagram, and tiered wholesale/bulk fulfillment for churches, ministries, and institutional buyers.

The revenue model is overwhelmingly transactional and one-time-license: unit sales of physical books ($2-$35), eBooks ($8.99-$17.99), and audiobooks (~$19.99), supplemented by volume-based bulk discounts such as LifeLine mini-books at $4.79 each for 5+ copies and the 'God's Good News' title scaled down to $1.89 each at 5,000+ units. The company supplements sales with an owned-media content funnel consisting of a 2,456+-post blog, a podcast on Apple Podcasts/Spotify/RSS, a Friday newsletter offering a free ebook incentive, and active YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram accounts. The customer base is fragmented across individual Christian readers, Christian parents and families, biblical counselors and church ministries, Spanish-speaking Christians, and teenagers — with no disclosed single-customer concentration.

Name

Shepherd Press

Legal name

Shepherd Press, Inc.

Website

https://shepherdpress.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shepherd Press is a privately held Christian publishing company selling gospel-centered books, mini-books, audiobooks, and children's resources via DTC e-commerce, Audible, and bulk/wholesale channels to individual Christian readers, families, biblical counselors, and churches.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Christian Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Religious Nonfiction & Theology Publishing (Apologetics, Doctrine, Ethics) (MPAJAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sermon, Homiletics & Ministry Resource Publishing (Preaching Aids, Pastoral Resources) (MPAJAHAD), Devotional & Prayer Publishing (Devotionals, Prayer Books, Meditation Guides) (MPAJAHAB), Religious & Spiritual Print-on-Demand (Bibles, Devotionals) (MPAJANAG), Religious Children’s Publishing (Faith-Based Kids & YA) (MPAJAHAJ), Children’s Religious & Values-Based Publishing (MPAJAFAL)

Keywords

• Christian publishing
• Biblical counseling books
• Religious books retailer
• Christian audiobooks
• Christian children's books

Headquarters

HQ city

Wapwallopen

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Book Sales: Direct sales of physical books, eBooks, audiobooks, and DVDs through the company website. Products sold individually at published price points with bulk discount options.
2. eBook and Digital Downloads: Sale of digital versions of books including ePub formats. Typically priced lower than physical counterparts.
3. Audiobook Sales: Sale of audiobook downloads and streaming through company website, as well as third-party Audible platform distribution.
4. Wholesale and Bulk Orders: Bulk discount sales to churches, ministries, and wholesale customers. Special pricing for large orders (e.g., 10,000+ copies for God's Good News title).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Shepherd Press is a Christian publishing company that curates, publishes, and distributes gospel-centered books, mini-books, children's titles, eBooks, audiobooks, and DVDs focused on heart transformation, biblical counseling, parenting, marriage, and practical Christian living. It sells its catalog of more than 484 products from over 100 authors directly to consumers and churches through its own online store, phone/mail orders, the Audible platform, and wholesale bulk orders, and operates the Focus Publishing imprint acquired in 2026.

Product overview

Shepherd Press is a Christian publishing company that curates, publishes, and distributes gospel-centered books and materials focused on heart transformation and practical Christian living. The company operates primarily through its e-commerce online store platform (https://shepherdpress.com/store/) featuring 484 products. Their core product lines include full-length Books covering biblical counseling and Christian growth, Children's Books including the Concord Cunningham Scripture Sleuth series and Herein is Love series, LifeLine Mini-books (58 titles) providing practical help for common life struggles, and LifeLine for Teens (22 titles) addressing teen-specific issues. They also offer Counseling resources under Counsel for the Heart and Critical Issues in Biblical Counseling categories, as well as Men's and Women's Resources. Materials are available in multiple formats including print, eBooks, Audiobooks (including Audible), Video (DVD), and Spanish translations. Shepherd Press also publishes under the Focus Publishing imprint (acquired in 2026) and partners with Joni & Friends for Disability Resources. The company supports its publications with a podcast, blog, and newsletter. Key author Paul David Tripp's flagship title Shepherding a Child's Heart has sold over 1 million copies since its 1995 publication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Focus Publishing: An imprint of Shepherd Press providing Christian resources encouraging Christlikeness for over three decades.

Products and services

• Children's Books Christian-themed books for children covering Bible stories, wisdom, and the Christmas narrative. Includes the Concord Cunningham Scripture Sleuth series, the Herein is Love series covering Genesis through Deuteronomy, and titles such as Get Wisdom!, God With Us, and Why Christmas? Targeted at parents, Sunday schools, and Christian educators.
• LifeLine Mini-books Bible-saturated, practical mini-books (58 titles) providing accessible help for common life problems including pornography, trials, forgiveness, motivation, anxiety, cancer, Parkinson's disease, chronic pain, church membership, marriage, depression, addiction, and deployment. Available in print and ePub formats with bulk discounts.
• LifeLine for Teens Mini-books (22 titles) addressing current teen-specific issues with biblical, practical application. Topics include gender identity, authority, grief, forgiveness, life purpose, leadership, purity, anger, faith doubt, and family struggles.
• Books (full-length Christian titles) Full-length Christian books covering biblical counseling, biblical manhood, media choices, and practical Christian living. Includes titles from Paul David Tripp, Jim Berg, and other roster authors.
• Critical Issues in Biblical Counseling series Series maintaining a discerning view of biblical counseling faithful to the founders of the Biblical Counseling Movement. Titles include Biblical Counseling and Autism in Children, Biblical Counseling and Common Grace, Biblical Counseling and Mental Disorder Diagnosis, and Biblical Counseling and The Psychologies.
• Counsel for the Heart resources Christian counseling resources covering topics like house building, confidence in counseling, one-anothering, flock discipling, essential virtues, freedom in Christ, anxiety, depression, addiction, suffering, and church membership.
• Disability Resources (with Joni & Friends) Resources developed in partnership with Joni & Friends addressing disability and suffering. Topics include marriage pressures due to disability, child with disability, friend with disability, grandchild with disability, sibling with disability, and Down syndrome.
• Focus Publishing imprint Imprint of Shepherd Press (since early 2026) providing Christians with resources encouraging Christlikeness. Includes titles on Christian life issues, communication, conflict resolution, family heritage, and discipleship.
• eBooks (digital format) Digital versions of Shepherd Press titles available in ePub and other ebook formats. Most titles offered in both print and digital formats, typically priced lower than physical copies.
• Audiobooks Audiobook versions of select Shepherd Press titles including Shepherding a Child's Heart, Instructing a Child's Heart, When Sinners Say 'I Do', Christ Formed in You, Don't Make Me Count to Three, and others. Available as MP3 downloads and through the Audible platform.
• Video (DVD lecture series) DVD lecture series including Instructing a Child's Heart DVD, Shepherding a Child's Heart DVD, and When Sinners Say 'I Do' DVD.
• Men's Resources Christian books and resources for men including Craftsmen, Endure, Man Up Kneel Down, Minivan Manhood, The Exemplary Husband, Time for The Talk, and Warrior Wounded Wisdom.
• Women's Resources Christian books and resources for women including Gospel Images, Guiltless Living, Hello God, In the Aftermath, Marriage Is Hard, Sanctuary, The Excellent Wife series, and Walking with Grace.
• Parenting Resources Resources for parents covering topics like instructing children's hearts, everyday talk about faith and sex, parenting through teen struggles with depression, rebellion, and same-sex attractions, toddlers, pornography exposure, and transgender identity.
• Spanish-language titles Spanish language editions of select Shepherd Press titles including Cuando Pecadores Dicen 'Acepto' (When Sinners Say 'I Do' Spanish Edition), Un Manuel Del Evangelio (A Gospel Primer Booklet Spanish Edition), and Wise Words for Moms Spanish Edition.
• Little Books Compact Christian books including Rediscovering Family Worship, The Little Book of Coffee-Cup Meditations, The Little Book of Great Comfort for Grieving Christians, and The Little Book On Being Healthy and Well.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million copies of 'Shepherding a Child's Heart' sold in 30 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Focus PublishingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 22 December 2025Focus Publishing has become an imprint of Shepherd Press. Focus had faithfully provided Christians with resources encouraging Christlikeness for over three decades. In early 2026, Focus titles became available through Shepherd Press website. Shepherd Press handles fulfillment during transition, with wholesale customers submitting purchase orders to [email protected].
• Joni & FriendscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShepherd Press has partnered with Joni & Friends to offer disability resources to families and churches. These resources faithfully and practically address the matter of suffering and how best to minister God's grace into the lives of people affected by disabilities.
• Cart66 CloudcoreTechnology or IntegrationCart66 Cloud hosts Shepherd Press online store and processes and fulfills orders.
• Authorize.netcoreTechnology or IntegrationAuthorize.net processes credit card payments for shepherdpress.com online store transactions.
• Audible (Amazon)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShepherd Press distributes audiobook products through Audible's platform, including titles like Shepherding a Child's Heart, Instructing a Child's Heart, and When Sinners Say 'I Do'.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Multnomah: Christian living and inspirational publisher with similar audience of evangelicals seeking gospel-centered personal growth resources.
• New Growth Press: Independent Christian publisher focused on biblical counseling, parenting, and gospel-centered living; nearly identical editorial positioning to Shepherd Press and serves the same church and counselor buyer.
• P&R Publishing: Reformed Christian publisher closely aligned with the Biblical Counseling Movement; publishes counseling, theology, and discipleship titles in formats and subject areas that overlap significantly with Shepherd Press's core catalog.
• Harvest House Publishers: Mid-sized evangelical publisher with strong parenting, family, and Christian living lines that compete head-to-head with Shepherd Press titles such as Shepherding a Child's Heart.

Broad incumbents

• Tyndale House Publishers: Large Christian publisher with extensive parenting and living-lines catalog; competes for the same church and family buyer but at meaningfully greater scale and marketing reach.
• Thomas Nelson: One of the largest Christian trade publishers; overlaps with Shepherd Press in parenting and Christian living categories and dominates retail shelf presence.
• Moody Publishers: Established Christian publisher with broad theology, counseling, and discipleship lines; broader portfolio but overlapping biblical counseling and discipleship readers with Shepherd Press.
• Crossway: Major Christian publisher (ESV Bible) with significant theology, counseling, and discipleship titles; broader scale and reach but overlapping evangelical audience and authors.
• B&H Publishing Group: Broad evangelical publisher covering theology, counseling, and family ministry with significant retail and church distribution that overlaps Shepherd Press channels.

Regional players

• Christian Focus Publications: UK-based Reformed Christian publisher with overlapping theological editorial and children's/evangelism titles; comparable catalog but primarily serves UK and European markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ShepherdPress
• Facebookfacebook.com/ShepherdPress
• Instagraminstagram.com/shepherdpressinc
• Xx.com/ShepherdPress
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shepherd-press

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Shepherd Press