Turnaround Publisher Services

What Turnaround Publisher Services does

Turnaround Publisher Services is a UK-based book trade distributor founded in 1984, structured as an Employee Ownership Trust and headquartered in London with a warehouse facility in Hertford. The company provides end-to-end sales and distribution services — dedicated sales representation across global territories, warehousing and fulfillment, customer service, in-house marketing (including a monthly sales kit), eBook conversion and digital distribution, and weekly/monthly sales reporting through a publisher portal — to a portfolio of publishers ranging from small independent literary presses to large mainstream houses, as well as to non-book brands such as Moleskine (notebooks/stationery) and magazines Kinfolk and Drift. Its customer base on the buying side spans bookshop chains, wholesalers, galleries, comic book stores, and online retailers, with primary geographic focus on the UK and European markets and worldwide supply on request.

Name

Turnaround Publisher Services

Legal name

Turnaround Publisher Services Ltd

Website

https://turnaround-uk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Turnaround Publisher Services is a UK-based employee-owned book trade distributor, founded in 1984, providing sales, warehousing, marketing, digital conversion, and reporting services to independent and mainstream publishers, with primary focus on the UK and European book trade markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book Distribution Services: Turnaround acts as a trade distributor for publishers, handling sales, warehousing, and distribution of physical and digital books. Revenue is generated through distribution fees and margins on sales to trade customers including bookshops, wholesalers, and online retailers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Turnaround Publisher Services is a trade book distributor founded in 1984 that provides sales and distribution services to publishers across the UK and European book trades. The company offers an integrated suite of services covering sales representation, warehousing and fulfillment, customer services, in-house marketing, eBook conversion and digital distribution, and sales reporting through a publisher portal. Its customers include bookshop chains, wholesalers, galleries, comic book stores, and online retailers, with the company also operating a consumer-facing e-commerce storefront.

Product overview

Turnaround Publisher Services is a book distribution company offering an integrated suite of services including Sales, Customer Services, Warehousing, Marketing, Digital (eBook conversion and distribution), and Reporting. The company operates primarily in the UK and European markets, distributing books for independent literary presses and mainstream publishing houses. They also distribute Moleskine notebooks and stationery, and magazines such as Kinfolk and Drift. Their services are complemented by a consumer-facing e-commerce platform (books.turnaround-uk.com) and a publisher portal for real-time sales and stock monitoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sales Services

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MoleskinecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTurnaround serves as the distributor for Moleskine notebooks and stationery products, handling their sales and distribution to the UK and European trade.
• KinfolkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTurnaround distributes Kinfolk magazine to the UK and European market.
• DriftcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTurnaround distributes Drift magazine to the UK and European market.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BookSource: BookSource is a UK-based book distributor offering sales, warehousing, and distribution services to publishers across the UK and Ireland. Closely aligned with Turnaround in service scope, customer segments (publishers and trade retailers), and geographic focus on the British book trade.
• Gardners Books: Gardners is a major UK-based book wholesaler serving independent and chain retailers with similar trade distribution, warehousing, and supply chain services. Direct comparable to Turnaround in target customer base (UK bookshops and retailers) and core book wholesaling activity.
• Combined Book Services (CBS): CBS is a long-standing UK book distributor providing warehousing, fulfillment, and trade distribution for publishers. Operates with a similar service mix and serves comparable publisher and trade customer segments, making it a direct functional peer to Turnaround.

Broad incumbents

• Hachette UK Distribution: Hachette UK operates one of the largest in-house book distribution operations in the UK, serving its own imprints and selected third-party publishers. Comparable to Turnaround in book trade distribution activity but as part of a much larger publisher-distributor group with broader catalog and reach.
• Ingram Content Group: Ingram is the world's largest book distributor and wholesaler with global print, digital, and print-on-demand fulfillment capabilities. A broad incumbent offering overlapping trade distribution services to publishers at significantly greater scale and geographic reach than Turnaround.
• Baker & Taylor: Baker & Taylor is a major North American book distributor and wholesaler serving publishers, libraries, and retailers worldwide. Comparable in core book distribution activity to Turnaround but at far greater scale, with a broader product portfolio and geographic footprint.

Regional players

• Peribo: Peribo is an Australian-based book distributor representing publishers across Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific. Operates in a similar book trade distribution role as Turnaround but primarily in the Australasian region rather than UK/Europe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• TikToktiktok.com/@turnarounduk
• Xx.com/turnarounduk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Turnaround Publisher Services