Allison and Busby
Allison and Busby is a London-based independent UK trade publisher of fiction and non-fiction across crime, romance, historical, fantasy, and biography genres, selling print and e-books direct-to-consumer, through Amazon, and via Waterstones, WHSmith, and independent booksellers worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Allison and Busby does
Allison and Busby is an independent UK trade book publisher headquartered at 11 Wardour Mews, London, operating as a private limited company (Allison & Busby Ltd). Founded in 1967, the company publishes a diversified catalog of fiction and non-fiction titles spanning crime, mystery and thriller, romance and saga, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, fantasy, biography and memoir, true crime, non-fiction, and humour/gift titles. The publisher also maintains an A&B Classics imprint for legacy titles and produces annual catalogues and a public stocklist spreadsheet targeted at trade booksellers.
The company sells through a WordPress-based e-commerce website at allisonandbusby.com with direct UK, European, and Rest of World shipping (free UK delivery over £15), and through third-party channels including Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com (via the Amazon Associates affiliate program), Waterstones, WHSmith, and independent booksellers. E-book editions are offered alongside print for all titles. Distribution is omnichannel and consumer-direct with no disclosed enterprise or institutional contracts.
Commercial operations are supported by an Author of the Month and Books of the Month program featuring £2 promotional pricing and free chapter tasters, a monthly email newsletter, a blog with author guest posts, social channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok, regular reader competitions, and participation in UK book festivals and author events. The company has 1-10 employees, no disclosed funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no AI, API, or proprietary technology disclosures. Founded by Margaret Busby, the firm operates as an owner-managed indie with revenue not publicly disclosed.
Allison and Busby firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Allison and Busby
- Legal name
- Allison & Busby Ltd
- Website
- https://allisonandbusby.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Allison and Busby is a London-based independent UK trade publisher of fiction and non-fiction across crime, romance, historical, fantasy, and biography genres, selling print and e-books direct-to-consumer, through Amazon, and via Waterstones, WHSmith, and independent booksellers worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Allison and Busby industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313), Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Author Website, Storefront & Direct-to-Reader Commerce (D2C Sales) (MPAJAJAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- eBook & Digital Reading Platforms (BPAMAJAK), Author Marketing, PR & Launch Services (Ads, Book Tours, Influencers) (MPAJAJAL)
Keywords
Where Allison and Busby is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Allison and Busby business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Book Sales: Physical book and e-book sales through the company's own website and third-party retailers. The company sells books across multiple genres including crime, romance, historical fiction, and non-fiction.
- Affiliate Revenue: Participant in Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program providing advertising fees from links to Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | UK Delivery - Free over £15, £4.00 under £15 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Europe - £11.50 first book, £3.00 each subsequent |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Rest of World - £20.50 first book, £7.00 each subsequent |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Special promotional pricing - £2 off Books of the Month |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Allison and Busby product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Allison and Busby is an independent UK book publisher that acquires, edits, produces, and distributes trade books in print and e-book formats across multiple genres, including crime/mystery/thriller, romance, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, fantasy, biography, memoir, true crime, and non-fiction. The company sells directly to readers through its own e-commerce website with UK, European, and worldwide shipping, distributes wholesale to UK bookstores such as Waterstones and WHSmith, and participates in the Amazon Associates affiliate program.
Product overview
Allison and Busby is a UK-based independent book publisher offering physical print books and e-books across multiple genres. The company's core product portfolio includes Fiction (Crime/Mystery/Thriller, Romance/Saga, Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, A&B Classics, and Fantasy), Biography & Memoir, True Crime, Non-Fiction, and Humour & Gift Books. The company operates through direct sales via their website, with physical books shipped internationally (UK, Europe, and Rest of World) and digital e-book downloads. Allison and Busby also publishes annual catalogues for booksellers and participates in the Amazon Associates affiliate program.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Fiction Books (Print)
Companies that use Allison and Busby
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Allison and Busby technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Allison and Busby partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights5 records
Allison and Busby competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Salt Publishing: Small UK-based independent publisher of literary fiction, poetry, and crime. Directly comparable on size, independent status, and genre focus.
- Pushkin Press: Independent UK publisher focused on translated literary fiction and crime. Comparable as a small independent with curated, quality-led list and D2C capabilities.
- Canongate Books: Edinburgh- and London-based independent trade publisher with fiction, crime, and non-fiction across similar genres. Directly comparable as a UK independent with multi-genre list and D2C website.
- Oneworld Publications: Independent UK publisher of literary fiction, crime, and non-fiction, with growing international reach. Closely comparable on list composition and independent positioning.
- Profile Books: Independent UK trade publisher covering fiction, history, biography, and non-fiction. Highly comparable in scale, independent status, and editorial positioning.
- Bloomsbury Publishing: UK-based independent trade publisher with a comparable mix of fiction, crime, and non-fiction. Comparable on catalog breadth, genre focus, and D2C distribution model, though materially larger.
Broad incumbents
- Faber & Faber: Historic UK literary publisher with strong fiction, poetry, and non-fiction lists. Comparable on independent heritage and editorial quality, but operates at materially greater scale.
- Pan Macmillan: Major UK trade publisher with broad fiction and non-fiction lists. Larger incumbent competing for the same authors, shelf space, and reader segments.
- Hodder & Stoughton: Major UK trade imprint of Hachette with significant crime and fiction lists. Competes for authors and retail placement within Allison & Busby's core genres.
- Amazon Publishing: Amazon's own publishing imprints (Lake Union, Thomas & Mercer, etc.) publishing crime, romance, and historical fiction. Overlaps directly with Allison & Busby's core genres and benefits from native shelf placement on Amazon's retail platform.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Allison and Busby social profiles
Digital presenceAllison and Busby financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Allison and Busby leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Allison and Busby funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Allison and Busby 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 Allison and Busby
What does Allison and Busby do?
Allison and Busby is an independent UK book publisher that acquires, edits, produces, and distributes trade books in print and e-book formats across multiple genres, including crime/mystery/thriller, romance, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, fantasy, biography, memoir, true crime, and non-fiction. The company sells directly to readers through its own e-commerce website with UK, European, and worldwide shipping, distributes wholesale to UK bookstores such as Waterstones and WHSmith, and participates in the Amazon Associates affiliate program.
Is Allison and Busby a public or private company?
Allison and Busby is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Allison and Busby founded?
Allison and Busby was founded in 1995. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Allison and Busby based?
Allison and Busby is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Allison and Busby make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are affiliate Revenue.
Who are Allison and Busby's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Salt Publishing, Pushkin Press, Canongate Books, Oneworld Publications, Profile Books and Bloomsbury Publishing. Broad incumbents are Faber & Faber, Pan Macmillan, Hodder & Stoughton and Amazon Publishing.
Does Allison and Busby have an API?
No public API is recorded for Allison and Busby.
What industry is Allison and Busby in?
Allison and Busby's product category is Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAJAE, Author Website, Storefront & Direct-to-Reader Commerce (D2C Sales), with a secondary code of BPAMAJAK, eBook & Digital Reading Platforms. Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.