Dry Climate Studios

What Dry Climate Studios does

Dry Climate Studios is a privately held, founder-owned children's book publisher based in Chicago, Illinois, operating since approximately 2013-2015. The company produces the 'Alphabet Cities and Places' series of picture books and board books in which each letter of the alphabet corresponds to a landmark, attraction, or cultural element of a specific U.S. city or geographic region. The catalog spans at least 10 U.S. destinations, including Aspen, Boston, Chicago, New York City, the Rocky Mountains, San Francisco, Seattle, Texas, Washington D.C., and most recently Michigan. The company also sells companion matted prints (16x20 and 11x14 inch) featuring city-themed artwork and a small line of gift items.

The business is run by a small team of three named individuals (Maria Kernahan, Will Kernahan, and Michael Schafbuch) and operates without external institutional capital. Revenue is generated entirely through one-time consumer purchases of physical goods. Distribution is multi-channel: direct-to-consumer sales through the company website (dryclimatestudios.com), marketplace sales via Amazon, and trade/wholesale distribution through Baker & Taylor Publishing Services, which supports bookstore and gift-shop accounts. Customer segments include parents and families with young children (ages 0-8), educational institutions (schools, libraries), and retailers/gift shops.

The product line is fundamentally a static physical-media publishing business with no digital platform, no app, no AI/ML components, and no enterprise software offering. The growth model is incremental catalog expansion (one new title per cycle) plus cross-selling of branded prints and gifts. There is no evidence of venture funding, acquisition activity, or aggressive scale investment, suggesting the company operates as a lifestyle/small business rather than a venture-backed growth property.

Name

Dry Climate Studios

Legal name

Dry Climate Studios

Website

https://dryclimatestudios.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dry Climate Studios is a privately held Chicago-based children's book publisher producing the 'Alphabet Cities and Places' series of picture books and board books featuring U.S. cities and states, sold through its website, Amazon, and Baker & Taylor to parents, educators, and gift retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Books

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAJAFAA

Picture Book Publishing

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Children’s Publishing (Picture Books, Middle Grade, YA)

SECONDARYEDAGAIAC

Children’s Nonfiction Educational (Science, History, Nature)

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Children’s & Young Adult Educational Trade Publishing

SECONDARYMPAJAAAF

Art, Photography & Illustrated Books Publishing

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Book Publishing (Trade & Consumer)

Keywords

• Children's picture books
• Alphabet educational books
• Children's board books
• City-themed publishing
• Illustrated art prints

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Picture Book Sales: Sale of alphabet-themed children's picture books featuring cities and places. Books include 'A is for Aspen', 'B is for Boston', 'C is for Chicago', 'N is for New York', 'T is for Texas', 'M is for Michigan', and titles for Rocky Mountains, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C.
2. Board Book Sales: Sale of board book editions of city/place alphabet books for younger children. Includes board book versions of Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Texas, New York, Rocky Mountains, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.
3. Matted Print Sales: Sale of 16x20 and 11x14 matted prints featuring city-themed artwork including Art Institute, Bridges, Quad, Bean, Chicago Jerseys, T Rex, Wrigley, Boston Jerseys, Gondola, and Water Tower designs.
4. Gift Items: Sale of gift items through the GIFTS section of the website.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Dry Climate Studios designs, publishes, and sells alphabet-themed children's picture books and board books under the "Alphabet Cities and Places" line, with each letter paired to an iconic landmark, attraction, or cultural element of a specific U.S. city or geographic region. The company also produces and sells companion matted art prints (16x20 and 11x14) and gift items, distributing through wholesale partner Baker & Taylor Publishing Services and selling direct via its own website and Amazon.

Product overview

Dry Climate Studios publishes the Alphabet Cities and Alphabet Places children's book series. The core product line consists of alphabet-themed picture books and board books featuring A-Z tours of cities and geographic locations including Aspen, Boston, Chicago, Michigan, New York City, the Rocky Mountains, San Francisco, Seattle, Texas, and Washington D.C. The company also offers companion matted prints in 16x20 and 11x14 inch sizes featuring iconic landmarks from the book series. Books are distributed through Baker & Taylor Publishing Services and sold via Amazon.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Alphabet Cities and Places: Product line featuring alphabet-based children's books about cities and places across the United States

Products and services

• Alphabet Cities and Places — Picture Books Children's picture books that take readers on an A-Z tour of a specific U.S. city or place, with each letter representing a landmark, attraction, or cultural element of the featured location.
• Alphabet Cities and Places — Board Books Condensed board book editions of the Alphabet Cities series designed for younger children with durable pages, available for Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Texas, New York, Rocky Mountains, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.
• M is for Michigan Children's alphabet picture book taking readers on an A-Z tour of Michigan, highlighting Michigan landmarks, geography, and cultural traditions.
• A is for Aspen Children's alphabet picture book featuring Aspen, Colorado as the geographic theme.
• B is for Boston Board book version of the Boston alphabet children's book, designed for younger children with durable pages.
• C is for Chicago Board book version of the Chicago alphabet children's book, designed for younger children with durable pages.
• N is for New York Board book version of the New York City alphabet children's book, designed for younger children with durable pages.
• S is for Seattle Board book version of the Seattle alphabet children's book, designed for younger children with durable pages.
• T is for Texas Board book version of the Texas alphabet children's book, designed for younger children with durable pages.
• R is for Rocky Mountains Board book version of the Rocky Mountains alphabet children's book, designed for younger children with durable pages.
• S is for San Francisco Board book version of the San Francisco alphabet children's book, designed for younger children with durable pages.
• W is for Washington D.C. Board book version of the Washington D.C. alphabet children's book, designed for younger children with durable pages.
• Matted Prints (16x20 and 11x14) Matted art prints featuring iconic city landmarks from the Alphabet Cities series, available in 16x20 and 11x14 inch sizes. Designs include Art Institute, Bridges, Quad, Bean, Chicago Jerseys, T Rex, Wrigley, Boston Jerseys, Gondola, and Water Tower themes.
• Gift Items Gift items offered through the GIFTS section of the Dry Climate Studios website.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• Baker & Taylor Publishing ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary distribution partner for Dry Climate Studios. Handles all trade account distribution for books and related products. Contact: email [email protected] or phone 419-281-5100. Christina Noriega serves as Director of Gift and Special Sales handling special sales inquiries at 419-606-2133 or [email protected].

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Albert Whitman & Company: Independent children's book publisher focused on picture books and middle-grade titles with an educational/social-emotional emphasis. Comparable as a similarly sized independent children's publisher.
• Adventure Publications: Publishes state nature and activity books (e.g., 'B is for Badger' competitor, state-specific coloring and nature guides). Comparable in producing location-themed children's titles for U.S. regional markets.
• Familius: Independent publisher of children's books, gifts, and novelty titles with a focus on family and educational content. Comparable as a small/independent publisher selling through wholesale, direct, and gift shop channels.
• Pelican Publishing Company: Independent regional publisher of children's, cookbook, and specialty titles, including state and city-themed books. Comparable as a small independent publisher with a regional/geographic editorial focus.
• Sleeping Bear Press: Publishes the well-known 'B is for Badger' and state-themed alphabet books series (e.g., 'L is for Lincoln', 'V is for Volunteer'). Most direct competitor — same geographic/alphabet framework and same children's picture book format.

Broad incumbents

• Workman Publishing / Timber Press: Independent publisher (now part of Hachette) with a strong illustrated children's and gift calendar/print business. Comparable in leveraging illustrated IP across multiple formats including calendars and decorative prints.
• Scholastic: Major children's publisher with extensive K-12 distribution, school and library channel reach, and broad alphabet/early-reader offerings. Comparable as a competitor for shelf space, school/library adoption, and parent awareness in the same buyer segments.
• Quarto Group (Quirk Books): Larger independent publisher (Quarto/Quirk) with significant children's and gift-book catalogs. Comparable as an independent publisher with a multi-format children's approach but operating at materially greater scale.
• Penguin Random House (Grosset & Dunlap / Penguin Workshop): Largest trade publisher with children's imprints producing state/city themed picture books and broad alphabet series. Comparable as incumbent competitor dominating bookstore, library, and gift-shop distribution.
• Chronicle Books: Mid-sized independent publisher with a strong children's picture book and gift/illustrated book catalog. Comparable in producing illustrated children's titles with gift and decorative-print adjacencies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DryClimateStudios

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Dry Climate Studios