What Hera does

Hera Books Ltd is a UK-based independent trade publisher specializing in popular and mass-market fiction, founded in 2018 and headquartered in London. The company publishes across multiple commercial genres including domestic thrillers, suspenseful mysteries, romance, romcoms, emotional sagas, historical fiction, and contemporary bookclub fiction, with a multi-series strategy covering the Cora Lael Mystery crime series, The West End Nannies historical series, and the Made in Scotland series. Its output is released in both ebook and paperback formats and is distributed globally through Macmillan Distribution (MDL) for UK and international trade customers, complemented by regional sales representatives covering Australia/New Zealand (Hardie Grant Books), Europe/Caucasus/Central Asia (Durnell Marketing), Middle East/Turkey (Avicenna Partnership), Asia/China (Ashton International), South Africa (Jonathan Ball Publishers), and Ireland (Geoff Bryan).

The company's revenue model is based on direct-to-consumer and trade sales of one-time perpetual licenses (ebooks and paperbacks) via its own website and major online retailers including Amazon, Waterstones, Hive, Bookshop.org, Kobo, Apple Books, and Google Play. Since 2021, Hera has operated as a subsidiary of Canelo, with the parent's infrastructure supporting broader distribution and reach. The core technology is a publishing operation rather than a software platform: editorial curation, author acquisition, manuscript development, and series/franchise management form the operating backbone, with no proprietary consumer-facing software, app, or API disclosed. Marketing is conducted through the company website and organic social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest).

Name

Hera

Legal name

Hera Books Ltd

Website

https://herabooks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hera Books is a UK-based independent trade publisher of popular and mass-market fiction across genres including thrillers, romance, sagas, and historical fiction, serving general fiction readers globally since 2018 as a Canelo subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313), Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB), Mass Market & Paperback Publishing (MPAJAAAD)

Keywords

• Commercial fiction publishing
• Mass-market fiction
• Ebook publishing
• Trade book publishing
• Indie book publisher

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Hera generates revenue through the sale of ebooks and paperback books across multiple genres including domestic thrillers, suspenseful mysteries, romance, romcoms, emotional sagas, and contemporary fiction. Books are sold through multiple retail channels including Amazon, Waterstones, Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play, and independent booksellers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Hera is an independent trade book publisher that acquires, edits, produces, and sells popular and mass-market fiction in ebook and paperback formats across multiple genres. Its catalogue includes domestic thrillers, suspenseful mysteries, romance, romcoms, emotional sagas, and contemporary fiction, distributed directly to consumers via online retailers and to trade customers via Macmillan Distribution and regional sales representatives.

Product overview

Hera Books is a UK-based independent book publisher offering a curated portfolio of popular and mass-market fiction. The company publishes across multiple genres including domestic thrillers, suspenseful mysteries, romance and romcoms, emotional sagas, historical fiction, and contemporary bookclub fiction. Hera operates a multi-series strategy with branded series including the Cora Lael Mystery series (crime fiction featuring a psychologist protagonist with unique abilities), The West End Nannies series (1960s historical fiction), and the Made in Scotland series. Titles are published as both ebooks and paperbacks, distributed through major UK and international retailers, and sold via platforms including Amazon, Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play, Waterstones, and independent booksellers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hera Books Publishing Imprint Core publishing imprint that acquires, edits, produces, and distributes popular and mass-market fiction in ebook and paperback formats across multiple genres.
• Cora Lael Mystery Series Crime fiction book series featuring Dr Cora Lael, a psychologist with a unique ability to sense emotional echoes from objects, published as ebooks and paperbacks.
• The West End Nannies Series Historical fiction book series set in 1960s England about nannies working in children's residential care and day nurseries.
• Made in Scotland Series Scottish-themed historical fiction book series, with titles including WW2-era sagas about sisters in the Women's Land Army.
• Here Comes Summer Romance novel (fake-dating, second-chance) by Georgie Kain featuring an influencer and her ex-boyfriend traveling through major European cities, published in ebook format.
• Keep My Secrets Psychological thriller by Elena Wilkes about a social worker hiding a secret connected to a fifteen-year-old murder.
• Wife Support System Novel by Kathleen Whyman about three women moving into communal living to share childcare and workloads, shortlisted for the Comedy Women in Print prize 2020.
• The Man I Married Psychological thriller by Elena Wilkes about a woman who discovers her husband's darkest secrets after finding a photograph from his past.

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.

• CanelocoreOthers · 1 January 2021Hera was acquired by Canelo in 2021. This acquisition is expected to expand Hera's publishing reach, with support from Canelo's infrastructure and resources.
• Macmillan Distribution (MDL)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHera, as part of Canelo, is distributed in the trade by Macmillan Distribution (MDL). MDL handles order processing for UK and international trade customers, with dedicated email and telephone support for order placement.
• Hardie Grant BooksregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHardie Grant Books serves as Hera's sales representative for Australia and New Zealand, located at Ground Floor, Building 1, 658 Church St, Richmond, VIC, 3121.
• Durnell MarketingregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDurnell Marketing handles Hera's sales representation for Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia regions.
• Avicenna PartnershipregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAvicenna Partnership serves as Hera's sales representative for Middle East, Turkey, Malta and North Africa.
• Ashton International (Julian Ashton)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAshton International handles Hera's sales representation for Singapore, East Asia and China.
• Jonathan Ball PublishersregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJonathan Ball Publishers serves as Hera's sales representative for South Africa.
• Geoff BryanregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGeoff Bryan represents Hera for sales in Ireland.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Peers

• Aria (Head of Zeus):

Direct peers

• One More Chapter: HarperCollins UK digital-first imprint focused on commercial fiction including romance, thriller, and bookclub titles. Directly comparable in mission, target reader, and digital-first distribution approach.
• Bookouture: UK digital-first commercial fiction publisher (acquired by Hachette) publishing women's fiction, thriller, romance, and historical saga. Operates a directly analogous digital-led mass-market fiction model with similar author acquisition approach.
• Canelo: Canelo is the parent company of Hera Books and itself a UK independent publisher of commercial fiction across multiple genres, operating an overlapping catalog and shared distribution infrastructure. Direct parent/peer comparison for both catalog overlap and as the entity most able to benchmark Hera's economics.
• Boldwood Books: UK-based independent publisher specializing in commercial fiction across romance, thriller, saga, and contemporary genres with strong digital-first distribution. Closely comparable in business model, genre focus, and imprint size to Hera.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/herabooks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Hera