Penny Press
Penny Press Ltd is an independent Coventry, UK-based publisher of science and technology books and websites. It specializes in B4A Android development guides (English, Spanish, Russian) and science titles, selling direct-to-consumer via its own store and Amazon.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersCoventry, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Penny Press does
Penny Press Ltd is a privately-held, independent book and website publisher based in Coventry, United Kingdom. Founded in 1995 and operating with 1-10 employees, the company specializes in two product domains: technology publishing — primarily books and resources about developing Android applications using B4A (Basic4Android), a third-party rapid app development tool from Anywhere Software — and science publishing, including the History of the Universe ebook, the Time Crystal fiction series, and children's titles such as Science of Christmas and Halloween Magic. The B4A book is offered in English, Spanish, and Russian editions and is described as the world's best-selling book dedicated to B4A development.
The company's technology stack is built on WordPress for web publishing and supports PDF/A-compliant ebook creation distributed in PDF, EPUB, and MOBI (Kindle) formats, with paperback editions bundled alongside digital versions. A signature commercial feature is the "Free Updates Policy," offering lifetime ebook updates to direct-store customers when new editions are released. Distribution operates through two primary channels: a proprietary direct-to-consumer e-commerce store (pennypress.co.uk/store) with global shipping, and Amazon Marketplace for paperback and Spanish-edition distribution. The company is operated by publisher Philip Brown and resident author Wyken Seagrave, with no external funding, parent company, or enterprise customers identified.
Penny Press runs a direct-to-consumer one-time-license model with low-priced offerings (£10-£38), supplemented by foreign rights licensing on a regional or world exclusive basis. Marketing is conducted through a network of educational content websites, email newsletters, and content marketing tied to science communication. There is no disclosed revenue, no subscription or enterprise revenue streams, and an explicit policy of not accepting new submissions for publication (as of June 2023). The customer base spans Android developers (primary), science enthusiasts, and children/parents — all reached through horizontal, persona-based segmentation rather than enterprise sales.
Penny Press firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Penny Press
- Legal name
- Penny Press Ltd
- Website
- https://pennypress.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Penny Press Ltd is an independent Coventry, UK-based publisher of science and technology books and websites. It specializes in B4A Android development guides (English, Spanish, Russian) and science titles, selling direct-to-consumer via its own store and Amazon.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Penny Press industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mass Market & Paperback Publishing (MPAJAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Children’s Nonfiction Publishing (MPAJAFAE), Children’s Activity & Workbook Publishing (MPAJAFAG)
Keywords
Where Penny Press is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Coventry
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Penny Press business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- eBook Sales: Digital sales of programming and science books in PDF, EPUB, and MOBI formats with free lifetime updates for store purchases.
- Paperback Book Sales: Physical book sales through their store with free delivery, often bundled with ebook versions.
- Foreign Rights Licensing: Foreign language rights available for all books in all languages on regional or world exclusive basis.
- Amazon Marketplace Sales: Distribution through Amazon for paperback versions of books.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | B4A eBook with Free Updates |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | B4A Paperback with Free Delivery, eBook and Updates |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | B4A en Español - Paperback with Shipping and Free eBook and Updates |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | B4A Russian eBook Version 7.01 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Ruined and Rebuilt Paperback |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Donation to Wyken Seagrave |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Penny Press product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Penny Press publishes and sells educational books and companion websites on science and technology, anchored by the B4A book on Android app development using BASIC and a catalogue of science titles spanning cosmology, the history of the universe, and children's science. Titles are released as ebooks (PDF, EPUB, MOBI/Kindle) and paperbacks through the company's own online store and Amazon, with free lifetime updates for direct ebook purchases.
Product overview
Penny Press is an independent publisher based in Coventry, UK that publishes books and websites dealing with science and technology. Their product portfolio centers on educational books and related digital content across two main domains: (1) Technology publications focusing on Android app development using B4A (Basic4Android), including comprehensive guides available in English, Spanish, and Russian with free updates; and (2) Science publications that use the history of the universe as a framework to introduce scientific concepts. Their science fiction Time Crystal series includes two published volumes and an upcoming single-volume edition. Additional products include the History of the Universe eBook, Science of Christmas for children, Halloween Magic, and Cronclast. They also operate multiple educational websites including History of the Universe and Time Crystal. Books are available as ebooks in multiple formats (PDF, EPUB, Kindle/MOBI) and as paperbacks, with free lifetime updates offered to customers who purchase directly from their store.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- B4A Book Comprehensive guide to developing Android apps using B4A (Basic4Android), a rapid application development tool using the BASIC language. Covers installation, visual editor, app planning, design, development, testing, publishing, and monetization for beginners through to expert developers. Available as ebook (£15.99) and paperback bundle with free ebook and lifetime updates (£37.99, ISBN 9781512296259).
- B4A eBook en Español Spanish-language edition of the B4A book covering version 9.80 of B4A, presented as a 764-page ebook with nearly 4,000 images, aimed at Spanish-speaking Android developers learning B4A.
- B4A en Español (Paperback) Spanish-language paperback edition of the B4A book priced at £37.99, including free shipping, the companion ebook, and free updates, distributed primarily through Amazon.es.
- B4A Russian Edition (Быстрая разработка приложений на Бейсике) Russian-language version of the B4A book covering version 7.01, titled 'Быстрая разработка приложений на Бейсике' (Rapid Application Development in BASIC), priced at £14.99 for Russian-speaking developers.
- History of the Universe eBook An ebook that reviews knowledge from a wide range of sciences to piece together the story of how we arrived, starting from the Big Bang, using the history of the universe as a unifying narrative to introduce diverse scientific concepts to general readers.
- Time Crystal Volume 1: Illustrated Cosmic Monopole First volume in the Time Crystal science-fiction series, telling the fictional story of a CERN disaster in which a cosmic monopole creates a black hole, time stops, and blue Time Crystals appear, distributed via Kindle on Amazon.
- Time Crystal Volume 2: The Time Tunnel Second volume in the Time Crystal series, telling the story of how scientists at CERN broke the LHC and almost destroyed the universe and how it was ultimately fixed, published as 456-page ebook and paperback editions.
- Science of Christmas A children's book by Simon Cotton, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Birmingham, describing fun science experiments children can do at home on the theme of Christmas and exploring science through holiday traditions.
- Halloween Magic A children's ebook in the 'Silly Science' series that uses a tongue-in-cheek approach to help children under 10 understand that magic has a scientific basis, explaining how to perform science-based magic tricks.
Quantifiable outcome
- World's best-selling B4A book
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Penny Press
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Penny Press technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Penny Press partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Anywhere SoftwarecoreAnywhere Software creates B4A (Basic4Android), the rapid Android app development tool that Penny Press publishes books about. Penny Press is a niche publisher specializing in B4A documentation, with in-house author Wyken Seagrave writing comprehensive guides for the B4A platform.
- Gutenberg ProjectminorVolunteer organization performing digitization of Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910-1911) which Penny Systems publishes online at eb11.co.uk.
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Penny Press competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pragmatic Programmers: Pragmatic Programmers is an independent technical publisher focused on software development books in ebook, print, and screen-friendly formats. It is comparable to Penny Press as a small-to-mid independent publisher with a developer-first catalog and direct-to-consumer ecommerce.
- O'Reilly Media: O'Reilly is the dominant technical book publisher specializing in programming, software development, and technology titles. Penny Press's B4A book competes in the same technical programming book category, both targeting developers with comprehensive guides and offering digital and print formats.
- No Starch Press: No Starch Press is an independent publisher specializing in technical books with quirky, accessible angles (e.g., science, programming, making). Penny Press's mix of science-meets-technology titles and illustrated children's science books shares No Starch's independent, niche-driven publishing approach.
- Packt Publishing: Packt is a technology-focused book publisher offering in-depth programming and IT titles in ebook and print formats, with frequent updates and a broad international author base. It directly competes with Penny Press's B4A book in the developer-education niche, particularly for mobile and Android development.
- Manning Publications: Manning publishes technical and programming books with a strong focus on in-depth developer education, including mobile development titles. It shares Penny Press's niche publisher model of premium technical books sold direct and through retailers like Amazon.
- Apress: Apress is a major technical book publisher covering programming, IT, and engineering topics, with strong distribution across print and digital channels. It competes with Penny Press in the Android development and broader developer education categories.
Broad incumbents
- Wiley: Wiley is a major global publisher with extensive technical, scientific, and educational divisions (including Wiley-Blackwell). Penny Press's science and technology catalog overlaps with Wiley's broader publishing portfolio, but Penny Press is a far smaller, specialized player.
- Springer Nature: Springer Nature is a leading academic and scientific publisher producing scholarly books, journals, and reference works. Penny Press's History of the Universe, Time Crystal, and children's science titles sit in adjacent territory to Springer Nature's popular science and educational publishing.
- DK (Dorling Kindersley): DK is a global illustrated book publisher with strong science, technology, and children's educational catalogs. Penny Press's illustrated cosmic history and children's science titles compete in adjacent illustrated nonfiction categories.
Regional players
- Usborne Publishing: Usborne is a major UK-based independent children's book publisher known for activity books, science experiments, and educational titles. Penny Press's Science of Christmas and Halloween Magic titles compete in the same UK children's science/activity book category.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Penny Press social profiles
Digital presencePenny Press financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Penny Press leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Penny Press funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Penny Press 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 Penny Press
What does Penny Press do?
Penny Press publishes and sells educational books and companion websites on science and technology, anchored by the B4A book on Android app development using BASIC and a catalogue of science titles spanning cosmology, the history of the universe, and children's science. Titles are released as ebooks (PDF, EPUB, MOBI/Kindle) and paperbacks through the company's own online store and Amazon, with free lifetime updates for direct ebook purchases.
Is Penny Press a public or private company?
Penny Press is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Penny Press founded?
Penny Press was founded in 1995. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Penny Press based?
Penny Press is headquartered in Coventry, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Penny Press make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. eBook Sales are the primary driver. The others are paperback Book Sales, foreign Rights Licensing and amazon Marketplace Sales.
Who are Penny Press's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pragmatic Programmers, O'Reilly Media, No Starch Press, Packt Publishing, Manning Publications and Apress. Broad incumbents are Wiley, Springer Nature and DK (Dorling Kindersley). Usborne Publishing is listed as a regional player.
Does Penny Press have an API?
No public API is recorded for Penny Press.
What industry is Penny Press in?
Penny Press's product category is Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAD, Mass Market & Paperback Publishing, with a secondary code of MPAJAFAE, Children’s Nonfiction Publishing. Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.