PN Review

What PN Review does

PN Review is a privately held poetry magazine founded in 1973 as Poetry Nation and headquartered at the University of Manchester library. The publication operates as a bimonthly print magazine (six issues per year) under the editorial direction described as 'probably the cleverest of the current poetry magazines' by Ian Hamilton in the Daily Telegraph, and has published work by internationally recognized poets including Octavio Paz, John Ashbery, Les Murray, Laura Riding, Christopher Middleton, Jorie Graham, and Sasha Dugdale.

The company's product portfolio is structured around a bimodal print-and-digital offering. The core product is the bimonthly print magazine, distributed globally to individual and institutional subscribers, with current output evidenced by issue 289 (May-June 2026). A digital online archive provides searchable access to over 280 issues containing more than 11,800 poems, articles, reports, interviews, and reviews spanning five decades. Distribution is mediated through a website (pnreview.co.uk), a Substack newsletter delivering curated archive items, and social channels on Facebook and Bluesky. There is no proprietary native application, no API, and no disclosed integrations; the underlying technology is described simply as a web-based publishing platform with an online archive system.

PN Review's revenue model is subscription-based, with subscribers paying for combined print and online access. The company employs 1-10 people, with support acknowledged from Arts Council England for its interactive digital project. Customers are individual poetry enthusiasts, poets and writers (as contributors and readers), and academic institutions and libraries that subscribe for research use. The company celebrated its 50th anniversary (jubilee) in 2023 and continues to operate actively.

Name

PN Review

Legal name

PN Review

Website

https://pnreview.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PN Review is a privately held British poetry magazine founded in 1973, publishing new poetry, criticism, essays, and reviews bimonthly in print and online. It serves individual poetry enthusiasts, contributing poets and writers, and academic libraries through subscription access to a fifty-year archive.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Literary Magazine / Poetry Journal

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAI)

Keywords

• Poetry magazine publishing
• Literary essays criticism
• Contemporary poetry journal
• Print literary subscription
• Poetry archive online

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Print and Online Subscriptions: PN Review generates revenue through subscription fees for both print and online access to the magazine. Subscribers gain access to current issues and the extensive archive of over 280 issues containing poetry, essays, reviews, and interviews.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PN Review publishes a bimonthly poetry magazine in both print and online formats, featuring new poetry, rediscoveries, literary essays, commentary, interviews, and reviews from international contributors. Subscribers gain access to current issues and a comprehensive online archive spanning over 280 issues and more than 11,800 poems, articles, interviews, and reviews accumulated over 50 years of continuous publication.

Product overview

PN Review is a poetry magazine offering both print and digital subscription products. The publication began as 'Poetry Nation' in 1973 and operates as a bimodal platform combining print publication (six issues annually in hardback format) with comprehensive online archive access. The portfolio consists of the core print magazine, online access subscriptions, a searchable digital archive of over 280 issues spanning five decades, and a Substack newsletter for curated content delivery. In 2023, PN Review celebrated its 50th anniversary (jubilee), marking five decades of publishing poetry and literary criticism.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PN Review Print Magazine A bimonthly (six issues per year) poetry magazine published in hardback format, featuring new poetry, rediscoveries, literary commentary, essays, interviews, and reviews from international contributors. Targeted at individual poetry enthusiasts, literary readers, contributing poets, and academic libraries.
• PN Review Online Access An online subscription product providing digital access to the current bimonthly issues and the full digital archive of over 280 issues containing more than 11,800 poems, articles, reports, interviews, and reviews. Targeted at individual readers and academic institutions.
• PN Review Substack Newsletter An email newsletter delivered via Substack that distributes curated items from the PN Review archive to subscribers, supporting engagement with the magazine's literary content and driving online archive subscriptions.

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.

• Arts Council EnglandcoreOthersArts Council England provides ongoing support and assistance to PN Review's interactive project. The organization is acknowledged on the website footer as a key supporter of the publication's digital initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Poetry Review: The Poetry Society's quarterly magazine publishes contemporary poetry and criticism in the UK. Comparable as a UK-based subscription poetry magazine with a similar editorial mission of platforming contemporary poets.
• The Kenyon Review: American literary magazine founded in 1939 publishing poetry, fiction, essays, and reviews. Comparable as a long-running subscription poetry and literary criticism magazine with a university affiliation (Kenyon College).
• The Paris Review: Long-running American literary quarterly publishing poetry, fiction, essays, and interviews. Comparable as a print-and-online subscription literary magazine with a distinguished archive and global contributor base.
• Ploughshares: American literary magazine publishing poetry and fiction with a quarterly print cadence. Comparable as a subscription poetry and literary magazine with an established archive and academic affiliation (Emerson College).
• Granta: UK-based literary magazine publishing fiction, poetry, essays, and reportage with a quarterly print cadence and digital subscription. Comparable as a British literary periodical with international editorial reach and an archive-driven subscription model.
• Poetry Foundation (Poetry Magazine): Poetry magazine is the most prominent US poetry magazine, publishing poetry, criticism, and essays since 1911 with a similar bimonthly cadence and digital archive. Directly comparable as a subscription-based literary poetry magazine with a deep archival offering.
• The Hudson Review: American quarterly literary magazine publishing poetry, fiction, and criticism since 1948. Comparable as a long-running subscription-based literary periodical focused on poetry and literary essays.

Regional players

• Poetry London: UK-based independent poetry magazine publishing contemporary poetry and criticism. Comparable as a UK subscription poetry magazine, though operating on a smaller scale and with a less extensive archive than PN Review.

Broad incumbents

• London Review of Books: Leading UK literary review publishing long-form essays and reviews with bimonthly print cadence. Comparable as a UK subscription literary periodical, though it focuses on book reviews and essays rather than poetry.
• Times Literary Supplement: Long-established UK weekly literary review covering literature, poetry, and criticism. Comparable as a British subscription-based literary periodical with a distinguished archive and academic readership.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PNReview
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pn-review

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 PN Review