Upstart Press

What Upstart Press does

Upstart Press is a privately-held, independent New Zealand publishing house founded in late 2013 by three publishing-industry veterans — Kevin Chapman (formerly MD of Hachette NZ and Anne Geddes Publishing), Patricia Dunmore (founder of Dunmore Press), and Warren Adler (formerly Editorial Director of Hachette and director of Rugby Press). The company publishes non-fiction, commercial fiction, and children's picture books, with a distinct concentration on New Zealand-authored content covering sport, natural history, biography, and Māori mythology. Its catalog is structured across three imprints: the core Upstart Press brand, the Mower sports imprint (which produces the annual Rugby Almanack and Cricket Almanack), and White Cloud Books (acquired in 2022 from New Holland New Zealand and focused on natural history, travel, and NZ stories).

The business operates a dual model combining traditional publishing with adjacent services. Upstart Distribution, based at the Penrose facility in Auckland, provides warehousing, fulfilment, and sales-agency services to third-party NZ publishers — including acting as distributor for Lee Lamb Books. Revenue is generated through three streams: one-time retail book sales via the DTC e-commerce site and trade wholesale, rights licensing to international publishers who release titles under their own imprints, and managed-services revenue from distribution. Distribution is multi-channel: direct-to-consumer e-commerce, trade wholesale (Upstart Distribution), international export agents in the UK, North America, and Australia, and rights licensing. Marketing relies on organic social (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok) and an email newsletter. Technology stack is conventional — a WordPress-based storefront plus a separate distribution website — with no app, no API, and no AI capability disclosed.

The company employs 1–10 people and is headquartered in Takapuna, New Zealand. It remains founder-owned with no institutional investment, no funding rounds, and no parent company. Upstart Press represents a mid-scale independent NZ press with diversified monetisation, an established international footprint, and an active inorganic-growth posture demonstrated by the 2022 White Cloud Books acquisition.

Name

Upstart Press

Legal name

Upstart Press

Website

https://upstartpress.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Upstart Press is a privately-held New Zealand independent publisher founded in 2013, producing non-fiction, commercial fiction, and children's books via three imprints (Upstart, Mower, White Cloud Books). It also operates Upstart Distribution, providing warehousing and sales-agency services to other NZ publishers from its Penrose facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Takapuna

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Direct sales of physical books (non-fiction, commercial fiction, and children's books) through the company's e-commerce website. Revenue is generated through one-time purchase transactions at listed retail prices inclusive of GST.
2. Rights Licensing: Sells publishing rights to other publishers who publish books created by Upstart Press under their own imprints, generating licensing and royalty revenue.
3. Distribution Services: Provides warehousing and distribution services to other New Zealand publishers from its Penrose distribution facility, serving as both a distribution provider and sales/distribution agent.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Upstart Press is an independent New Zealand publisher that produces and sells non-fiction, picture books, and commercial fiction, with particular strength in children's books, sports almanacks, and New Zealand-themed non-fiction. In addition to its publishing operations across imprints including Mower (sports) and White Cloud Books (natural history/travel), the company operates Upstart Distribution, providing warehousing, sales, and distribution services to other New Zealand publishers from its Penrose facility.

Product overview

Upstart Press is a leading independent New Zealand publishing company operating as a single unified publishing platform with multiple imprints and book series. The core publishing operation produces non-fiction (spanning food/drink, biography, sport, popular culture), commercial fiction, and children's books. Sports publications are handled under the Mower imprint, while natural history and travel content publishes under the White Cloud Books imprint (acquired 2022 from New Holland New Zealand). The company also operates Upstart Distribution, providing warehousing and distribution services to other NZ publishers from its Penrose facility. Key product lines include the A Photographic Guide to ... Series covering NZ natural history, annual Rugby and Cricket Almanacks, the I Know This To Be True biography series, and The Great Kiwi and Māui mythology children's book series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mower: Sports books imprint publishing under the Mower brand
• White Cloud Books

Products and services

• Upstart Distribution Outsourced warehousing, sales, and distribution service offered to other New Zealand publishers from the company's Penrose, Auckland facility. The service also includes acting as a sales and distribution agent for specific publisher clients (e.g., Lee Lamb Books).
• A Photographic Guide to ... Series Series of photographic guidebooks covering New Zealand flora, fauna, and natural history, including trees, wildflowers, sea fishes, spiders, insects, seashells, alpine plants, ferns, rocks and minerals, birds, moths and butterflies, mushrooms and fungi, and fossils. Targeted at general readers and reference buyers interested in NZ natural history.
• Rugby Almanack Annual publication featuring comprehensive coverage of New Zealand rugby, published under the Mower sports imprint. Priced at premium/hardcover level (e.g., $55.00 inc GST) and aimed at rugby fans, historians, and reference readers.
• New Zealand Cricket Almanack Annual publication providing comprehensive coverage of New Zealand cricket, published under the Mower sports imprint. Aimed at cricket followers and reference readers seeking season-by-season NZ cricket records and commentary.
• I Know This To Be True Series Series of inspirational biographies featuring notable figures such as Jacinda Ardern, Nelson Mandela, Greta Thunberg, Gloria Steinem, and Brendon McCullum. Sold as individual titles to general readers, gift buyers, and younger audiences.
• The Great Kiwi Series Children's book series featuring New Zealand themes, including The Great Kiwi ABC Book, The Great Kiwi 123 Book, and related titles. Targeted at young children and parents/educators seeking locally themed early-learning books.
• Māui Mythology Series Children's book series featuring Māori mythology stories about Māui, including How Māui Fished up the North Island, How Māui Slowed the Sun, Māui and the Secret of Fire, and Māui I Te Ra. Aimed at young readers, parents, and educators introducing Māori mythology.
• Flying Furballs Series Children's fiction series (books 1-6) featuring adventure stories. Targeted at middle-grade readers (approximately ages 6-12), sold as individual titles and as a set.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• New Holland New Zealand (White Cloud Books)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2022Acquired New Holland New Zealand in 2022, which became a new imprint called White Cloud Books. White Cloud Books publishes across the spectrum of non-fiction with particular focus on natural history, travel and New Zealand stories.
• Lee Lamb BooksminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUpstart Press acts as sales and distribution agent for Lee Lamb Books, providing distribution services to this New Zealand publisher.
• Export Agents (UK, North America, Australia)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExport agents in the UK, North America and Australia handle international distribution of Upstart Press titles, providing market access in these key regions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• HarperCollins New Zealand: NZ arm of HarperCollins Publishers. Direct competitor in NZ trade fiction, non-fiction, and children's categories with substantially larger publisher catalogs and international distribution infrastructure.
• Penguin Random House New Zealand: NZ division of the world's largest trade publisher. Competes for the same NZ trade book buyers, bookshops, and authors; has far greater catalog depth and marketing scale than Upstart in shared categories.
• Hachette New Zealand: NZ arm of the global Hachette Book Group; Upstart's founders Kevin Chapman and Warren Adler were formerly executives at Hachette NZ. Operates as a broad trade publisher across the same fiction, non-fiction, and children's categories, but with global scale and deeper marketing budgets.
• Allen & Unwin (NZ/Australia): Largest independent trade publisher in Australia/NZ, publishing fiction, non-fiction, children's, and sports books. Competes directly with Upstart for NZ-authored non-fiction, picture books, and trade distribution relationships in the Australasian market.

Direct peers

• New Holland Publishers: Australia/NZ publisher of illustrated non-fiction, natural history, and travel — Upstart acquired the NZ subsidiary in 2022 (White Cloud Books). Same non-fiction categories, photography-heavy illustrated titles, and complementary author networks.
• Scribe Publications: Independent Australian/NZ publisher of literary fiction, non-fiction, and select children's titles. Similar size, founder-driven culture, and editorial specialization to Upstart Press; comparable export agent network into the UK and North America.
• Text Publishing (Australia): Independent Australian trade publisher of literary fiction, non-fiction, and some children's. Highly comparable scale and editorial approach to Upstart, with similar export/rights strategies into NZ, UK, and North America.
• Walker Books Australia: Australia/NZ children's book publisher (picture books, board books, illustrated non-fiction). Direct peer for Upstart's children's book segment, sharing the same target age groups, retail channels, and NZ/AU author ecosystem.
• Scholastic New Zealand: Major children's book publisher and distributor in NZ; directly competes with Upstart's children's imprint in picture books, board books, and middle-grade fiction, and likewise runs distribution services to NZ schools and bookshops.

Regional players

• Craig Potton Publishing: NZ-based independent publisher specializing in natural history, landscape, and New Zealand-themed illustrated books — direct overlap with the White Cloud Books imprint acquired by Upstart in 2022. Closely comparable NZ specialty non-fiction positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/upstartpressnz
• Facebookfacebook.com/upstartpress
• Instagraminstagram.com/upstartpressnz
• TikToktiktok.com/@upstartpressnz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upstart-press

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 Upstart Press