Lived Places Publishing
Lived Places Publishing is an independent academic publisher producing concise, 100% human-authored course readings on lived experience at the intersection of identity and place. It serves academic libraries, faculty, and students globally through DRM-free ebooks and perpetual-access institutional licensing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Lived Places Publishing does
Lived Places Publishing is a privately held independent academic publishing house (Lived Places Publishing, LLC, Texas) operating in the social sciences and humanities. Founded around 2020-2021 by David Parker, the company produces concise course readings exploring lived experience at the intersection of identity and place. Its flagship offering is the Intersections: The Identity & Place Collection, a library of 150 titles organized into 25 scholar-led subject collections covering Activism, Black Studies, Disability Studies, Gender Studies, Queer Studies, Social Work, and other identity-and-place disciplines.
The catalog is delivered as DRM-free ebooks in EPUB and PDF formats, with EPUBs produced to the University of Michigan Fulcrum EPUB Specification for accessibility and assistive-technology compatibility, and as print-on-demand physical books. Distribution is multi-channel: direct-to-consumer via the company website (eBook, PDF, audiobook, and print at price points from approximately USD 11.99 to USD 44.95), through online retailers including Amazon, and to academic libraries via perpetual-access institutional licensing distributed through EBSCO eBooks, KGL ACCUCOMS, and Lyrasis. Open access is supported via a 5%-of-sales set-aside, with titles discoverable through DOAB and preserved in CLOCKSS.
The business model is asset-light: a virtual operating structure (registered mailing address c/o Newgen KnowledgeWorks in Austin, Texas, 1-10 employees), print-on-demand manufacturing, a non-returnable sales posture, and a 100% human-authored content brand that is explicitly positioned against AI-generated material. Customer segments are academic libraries, university faculty and educators, students, and academic researchers across North America, Europe, Australia, and Canada. Recent strategic activity includes the launch of the inaugural virtual Intersectional Lived Experience Conference 2026, ongoing expansion of the seminar series and guest speaker program, and the 2026 addition of 45 new titles.
Lived Places Publishing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lived Places Publishing
- Legal name
- Lived Places Publishing, LLC
- Website
- https://livedplacespublishing.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Lived Places Publishing is an independent academic publisher producing concise, 100% human-authored course readings on lived experience at the intersection of identity and place. It serves academic libraries, faculty, and students globally through DRM-free ebooks and perpetual-access institutional licensing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lived Places Publishing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Academic Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Education Research & Pedagogy Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAH)
Keywords
Where Lived Places Publishing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Lived Places Publishing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Direct eBook Sales: Individual consumers purchase eBooks directly from the Lived Places Publishing website in multiple formats (EPUB, PDF, Audiobook) at varying price points. Print books are also available for direct purchase.
- Institutional Licensing: Libraries and academic institutions purchase perpetual access to the Intersections Collection (150+ titles) with DRM-free, unlimited user access. Pricing includes region-appropriate discounts to ensure global accessibility.
- Retail Distribution: Books are available through online retailers including Amazon. The company directs customers to retailers for purchases where return rights are important.
- Open Access Publishing: 5% of all sales are set aside to fund open access publishing, allowing some titles to be freely available.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Individual eBook purchase - EPUB format |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Individual eBook purchase - PDF format |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Individual audiobook |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Print/Paperback edition |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Print book pricing in AUD |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Lived Places Publishing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lived Places Publishing is an independent academic publisher that produces concise, curriculum-aligned course readings on lived experience at the intersection of identity and place. Its flagship offering is the Intersections Collection of 150 ebook titles across 25 subject areas (Black Studies, Disability Studies, Gender Studies, Queer Studies, etc.), delivered as DRM-free EPUB and PDF with perpetual, unlimited-user licensing for libraries and direct sales to individuals.
Product overview
Lived Places Publishing is an independent academic publishing house that produces concise course readings exploring lived experience at the intersection of identity and place. The core offering is the Intersections: The Identity & Place Collection, a library of 150 ebook titles organized into 25 subject-specific collections (including Activism, Black Studies, Disability Studies, Gender Studies, and others) led by top scholars. All titles are delivered as DRM-free ebooks in EPUB and PDF formats with unlimited user access. The company also publishes individual ebook titles in multiple formats (ebook, paperback, hardback, audiobook) and maintains an Open Access program funded by 5% of sales. Institutional partners include Fulcrum, Newgen KnowledgeWorks, DOAB, Lyrasis, Cassyni, Zendy, ACCUCOMS, EBSCO eBooks, and CLOCKSS.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Intersections: The Identity & Place Collection: Main collection featuring 150 titles including 45 new titles for 2026, covering 25 topic areas focused on lived experience and identity studies.
Products and services
- Intersections: The Identity & Place Collection The primary ebook collection featuring 150 titles across 25 topic areas including Activism, Black Studies, Disability Studies, and Gender Studies, sold to academic libraries with perpetual, DRM-free unlimited user access.
- Individual Ebook Titles Individual ebook titles sold separately to consumers in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audiobook formats, priced from approximately $11.99 to $44.95 USD.
- Open Access Titles Select titles made freely available to readers without purchase, funded by an allocation of 5% of all sales.
- Subject Collections Curated sub-collections of titles organized by academic discipline and led by named Collection Editors, covering 25 areas such as Black Studies, Disability Studies, Environmental Justice Studies, and Social Work.
Quantifiable outcome
- 45 new titles planned for 2026
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Lived Places Publishing
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Lived Places Publishing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature3 records
Lived Places Publishing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Fulcrum (University of Michigan)coreFulcrum is a platform for publishing, discovering, and preserving open-access scholarly work. Lived Places Publishing EPUBs follow the Fulcrum EPUB Specification for accessibility compliance.
- Newgen KnowledgeWorkscoreNewgen provides publishing technology and services. The company's mailing address is c/o Newgen North America in Austin, TX.
- LyrasisminorLyrasis is a non-profit membership organization that provides technology and content solutions for libraries, archives, and museums.
- KGL ACCUCOMSminorACCUCOMS provides sales and marketing services for academic publishers to reach international markets.
- EBSCO eBookscoreEBSCO is a major library aggregator providing access to ebooks for academic institutions worldwide.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Lived Places Publishing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Common Notions: Small independent publisher focused on radical, identity, and movement-aligned scholarship — an emerging player with overlapping subject coverage and similar library/academic audience.
Direct peers
- Pluto Press: Independent publisher with strong lists in critical social theory, activism, and identity studies — overlapping subject matter and a similarly progressive, mission-driven positioning.
- University of Michigan Press: Academic press with adjacent humanities/social science focus; notably, Michigan's Associate University Librarian (Charles Watkinson) sits on LPP's Advisory Board and Fulcrum/U-M underpins LPP's EPUB specification.
- Verso Books: Independent publisher with extensive lists in critical theory, race/gender/queer studies, and social movements — overlapping editorial scope and an independent, library-focused distribution approach.
- Berghahn Books: Independent academic publisher specializing in social sciences, identity, and area studies with library-friendly digital programs — directly comparable in catalog shape and library-distribution motion.
- Duke University Press: Independent academic publisher with deep lists in identity studies, gender/queer studies, Black studies, and the social sciences — the closest niche competitor to Lived Places Publishing's Intersections Collection.
- Bristol University Press: Independent academic press with strong social science lists (including policy and inequality studies) and library-friendly digital licensing — comparable in editorial scope and institutional sales motion.
- Policy Press: Social-policy focused academic imprint of Bristol University Press; overlaps with LPP's social-work, activism, and identity collections and targets the same library buyer.
- Haymarket Books: Independent, progressive publisher covering activism, race, gender, and social movements — directly comparable subject coverage with a mission-aligned, library-friendly model.
Broad incumbents
- Routledge (Taylor & Francis): Major academic publisher with broad lists across social sciences and humanities including identity studies — a large incumbent against which LPP must differentiate on niche depth and human-authored positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Lived Places Publishing social profiles
Digital presenceLived Places Publishing compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Lived Places Publishing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lived Places Publishing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Lived Places Publishing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lived Places Publishing 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 Lived Places Publishing
What does Lived Places Publishing do?
Lived Places Publishing is an independent academic publisher that produces concise, curriculum-aligned course readings on lived experience at the intersection of identity and place. Its flagship offering is the Intersections Collection of 150 ebook titles across 25 subject areas (Black Studies, Disability Studies, Gender Studies, Queer Studies, etc.), delivered as DRM-free EPUB and PDF with perpetual, unlimited-user licensing for libraries and direct sales to individuals.
Is Lived Places Publishing a public or private company?
Lived Places Publishing is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Lived Places Publishing founded?
Lived Places Publishing was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Lived Places Publishing based?
Lived Places Publishing is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lived Places Publishing make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Direct eBook Sales are the primary driver. The others are institutional Licensing, retail Distribution and open Access Publishing.
Who are Lived Places Publishing's main competitors?
Common Notions is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Pluto Press, University of Michigan Press, Verso Books, Berghahn Books, Duke University Press, Bristol University Press, Policy Press and Haymarket Books. Routledge (Taylor & Francis) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Lived Places Publishing have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lived Places Publishing.
What industry is Lived Places Publishing in?
Lived Places Publishing's product category is Academic Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAFAH, Education Research & Pedagogy Scholarly Publishing. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.