What Acta Publications does

ACTA Publications is a privately held, 65-year-old Catholic and spiritual book publisher founded in 1957 and headquartered at 4848 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois, under publisher Gregory F. Augustine Pierce. The company issues 8 to 10 new titles annually and maintains a backlist of more than 400 books and CDs, with editorial scope spanning Catholic devotional content, social justice and community organizing, caregiving, grief and bereavement, family and parenting, fiction, poetry, sports, and children's books. It also operates the In Extenso Press imprint, dedicated to legacy-style, experience-driven manuscripts that fall outside the purview of traditional publishers.

The product surface is conventional for a niche trade publisher: print books, audio CDs, and a small DVD line, organized across categories such as prayer, scripture, biography, gift books, and life-transition resources. There is no proprietary technology platform; the firm runs a standard BigCommerce e-commerce storefront as its primary sales interface, supplemented by a toll-free phone order line (800-397-2282) and a separate mailing address for manuscript submissions. Distribution is entirely direct, with no third-party retail or wholesale channels disclosed in the source data.

ACTA generates revenue through one-time unit sales of books and media, with individual titles priced from approximately $0.99 to $44.95 (most in the $8–20 range), gift certificates offered in $25 to $100 denominations, and bulk pricing with consignment and drop-shipment options for institutional buyers such as parishes, schools, and religious-education programs. International shipping is offered with prepayment in USD. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer, augmented by organic social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram via @todayscatholic), an email newsletter, and the company's website. There are no disclosed subscription, licensing, SaaS, advertising, or data revenue streams, and no public financial, headcount, or funding disclosures are available in the source material.

Name

Acta Publications

Legal name

ACTA Publications

Website

https://actapublications.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ACTA Publications is a privately held, Chicago-based Catholic and spiritual book publisher, founded in 1957. It releases 8-10 new titles annually and sells a 400-title backlist directly to consumers, parishes, and religious educators via online, phone, and bulk channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Worship & Liturgy Publishing (Liturgical Texts, Missals, Service Books, Hymnals) (MPAJAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Children’s Religious & Values-Based Publishing (MPAJAFAL)

Keywords

• Catholic book publishing
• Spiritual development books
• Religious education resources
• Grief and caregiving books
• Social justice publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Book and Media Sales: ACTA Publications generates revenue through the direct sale of books, audio/video resources, and media products. They publish 8-10 new titles per year and maintain a backlist of over 400 books and CDs. Products are sold directly to consumers via their e-commerce website, phone orders, and bulk/institutional sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ACTA Publications is a Catholic and spiritual book publisher that produces and sells books, CDs, and DVDs for religious education, spiritual development, prayer, grief support, social justice, family, fiction, and life transitions. The company publishes 8-10 new titles per year and maintains a backlist of over 400 titles sold directly to consumers and institutions through its e-commerce website, phone orders, and bulk/institutional channels.

Product overview

ACTA Publications operates as a book and media publishing company with two distinct offerings: the main ACTA Publications brand and the In Extenso Press imprint. The company publishes religious education and spiritual development books, sports titles, social justice and community organizing materials, caregiving and grief resources, storytelling and novels, and children's books. They publish 8-10 new titles annually with a backlist exceeding 400 books and CDs. Their product portfolio spans categories including Catholic devotional books, cookbooks, crafts and art, family and parenting, grief support, humor, pilgrimage, prayer, relationships, social justice, sports books, fiction, poetry, stories, illustrated books, inspiration, scripture and religion, biography and autobiography, leadership and organizing, and gift books for all ages and seasons of life.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• In Extenso Press: An imprint of ACTA Publications dedicated to discovering, editing, designing, printing, and distributing books that may fall outside the often narrow purview of traditional publishers. These are typically books that are the fruit of reflection upon years, decades, or a lifetime of experience, offered by authors as a kind of legacy.

Products and services

• ACTA Publications Books and Media A catalog of published Catholic and spiritual books, CDs, and DVDs covering devotionals, prayer, scripture, biography, social justice, grief, family, fiction, and life transitions; sold directly to consumers and institutions.
• In Extenso Press An imprint of ACTA Publications that discovers, edits, designs, prints, and distributes legacy-style reflective books that often fall outside the purview of traditional publishers, including personal testimony and reflection works.
• ACTA Publications Gift Certificates Gift certificates available in $25, $50, $75, and $100 denominations that can be redeemed for ACTA Publications books, CDs, and DVDs.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• St. Mary's PressminorOthers · 12 July 2018In July 2018, some of ACTA's Catholic titles were sold to St. Mary's Press. This was a portfolio transaction rather than an ongoing partnership.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Loyola Press: Catholic publisher producing books, faith formation curricula, and retreat resources for parishes and families—directly comparable in parish/institutional sales and family-life category overlap.
• Orbis Books: Catholic publisher with a strong social justice and liberation theology focus—directly overlapping ACTA's social justice and community organizing category while being more academic/justice-oriented.
• Liturgical Press: Catholic publisher specializing in liturgical, scriptural, and sacramental materials with both academic and pastoral titles—overlapping ACTA's prayer/devotions and sacramental/liturgical categories while being more academic-leaning.
• Pauline Books & Media: Catholic publisher operated by the Daughters of St. Paul, producing trade books, spiritual reading, and media for Catholic and general Christian audiences—similar scope to ACTA across devotional, inspirational, and gift titles.
• Franciscan Media: Catholic publisher (formerly St. Anthony Messenger Press) producing spirituality, prayer, and gift books for Catholic readers—very similar gift-channel and devotional positioning to ACTA.
• Ave Maria Press: Catholic book publisher at the University of Notre Dame publishing trade books, spiritual/devotional titles, and parish resources—directly comparable to ACTA's Catholic lay-reader focus and parish/institutional sales channels.
• Our Sunday Visitor: Catholic publishing and parish resources company producing books, pamphlets, and curriculum for parishes, schools, and individual Catholics—overlapping with ACTA's parish/institutional bulk-sales channel and Catholic reader base.
• Liguori Publications: Catholic publisher producing Catholic missals, pamphlets, and small books for parishes and individuals—comparable in parish distribution and devotional/practical Catholic content.
• St. Mary's Press: Catholic publisher that acquired ACTA's Catholic titles in 2018; publishes Catholic resources for youth, young adults, and parish programs—directly overlapping with ACTA's Catholic education and faith formation offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Sheed & Ward / Rowman & Littlefield Religion imprints: Large academic/religious publisher whose imprints publish Catholic theology, spirituality, and trade titles—broader portfolio than ACTA but with overlapping trade Catholic book categories.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/actapub
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCpN2NnHPuCw-rJpXhgINDVA
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/ACTA-Publications/144495265571382
• Instagraminstagram.com/todayscatholic

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 Acta Publications