What W.F.Howes does

W.F. Howes is a UK-based audiobook publishing company and the international publishing brand of RBmedia, the world's largest audiobook publisher. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Leicester, the company publishes and distributes audiobooks under multiple imprints — W.F. Howes (core catalog of thousands of titles including bestsellers and originals from authors such as Diana Gabaldon, Hilary Mantel, Julia Quinn, Jojo Moyes, and V.E. Schwab), Quest (digital-first publishing of popular eBook titles), Ukemi Audiobooks (previously unavailable classics from ancient Greek and Latin to 20th-century works), and Dharma Audiobooks (Buddhist recordings). The company employs 101-250 people and serves two principal customer segments: individual consumers purchasing audiobooks through digital retail platforms, and libraries and educational institutions licensing content through institutional platforms.

The company's core technology is a digital audiobook publishing and distribution operation that leverages RBmedia's global infrastructure. Distribution is channel-led rather than direct: W.F. Howes reaches end consumers through Audible, Spotify, Apple, Google Play, Kobo, Storytel, Nextory, and Audiobooks.com, and serves libraries and schools through OverDrive, BorrowBox, and Hoopla, with Ulverscroft Group handling physical audiobook CD distribution. The revenue model is licensing and royalty-based, generating income from wholesale audiobook sales to retail platforms and licensing arrangements with library systems. Recent product activity (2026) includes a film-tie-in publishing strategy aligning audiobook releases with blockbuster film adaptations — notably Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic and Virginia Woolf's Night and Day — as well as a renewal agreement with Jojo Moyes for new recordings of 13 catalog titles. Marketing operates largely under the RBmedia corporate umbrella through brand pages, news channels, and platform-side featured placements.

W.F. Howes is a wholly-owned subsidiary of RBmedia, which is headquartered in Landover, Maryland, and operates as a strategic operating brand rather than an independently capitalized entity. The company has no external investor backing, no disclosed funding rounds, and functions within a parent-subsidiary structure where RBmedia controls corporate resources, distribution, and publishing infrastructure.

Name

W.F.Howes

Legal name

W. F. Howes Ltd

Website

https://wfhowes.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

W.F. Howes is the UK's leading audiobook publisher and an international publishing brand of RBmedia, publishing thousands of titles under multiple imprints and distributing through all major digital retailers and library platforms worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Audiobook Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Audiobook Publishers (Trade & Consumer) (MPAJAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Library & Education Audiobook Distribution (Public Libraries, Schools, Academic) (MPAJAIAE), Audiobook Production & Studios (Narration, Recording, Editing, Mastering) (MPAJAIAB), Digital Books & Audiobooks Retail (E-books/Audiobooks) (CRALAAAI)

Keywords

• Audiobook publishing
• Digital audio distribution
• Audiobook production
• Publishing imprints
• Library audiobook licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Leicester

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Audiobook Publishing and Distribution: W.F. Howes publishes audiobooks under multiple imprints and distributes through digital retailers and library platforms. Revenue is generated through sales of audiobooks to consumers via retail platforms and licensing to library systems.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

W.F. Howes is the UK's leading audiobook publisher and an international publishing brand of RBmedia. The company produces audiobooks under multiple imprints—W.F. Howes, Quest (Digital First), Ukemi Audiobooks (classics), and Dharma Audiobooks (Buddhist recordings)—and distributes thousands of titles through all major digital retailers (Audible, Spotify, Apple, Google Play, Kobo, Audiobooks.com, Storytel, Nextory) and library platforms (OverDrive, BorrowBox, Hoopla).

Product overview

W.F. Howes is an audiobook publishing company operating as an international publishing brand of RBmedia. The company publishes audiobooks under multiple imprints: W. F. Howes (core brand publishing bestsellers, award-winners, and originals), Quest (Digital First audio publishing for popular eBook titles), Ukemi Audiobooks (previously unavailable classics from ancient to 20th-century texts), and Dharma Audiobooks (Buddhist recordings sub-imprint). The company distributes thousands of titles through all major digital retailers and library platforms, working with bestselling authors including Diana Gabaldon, Hilary Mantel, Julia Quinn, Jojo Moyes, and V. E. Schwab.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Quest: Quest is a leader in 'Digital First' audio publishing, featuring audiobooks of the most popular eBook titles from both traditional and independent authors. Started over 5 years ago, Quest is home to bestselling authors including Mark Dawson, Nick Louth, David Blake, Kerry Barnes, and V. E. Schwab.
• Ukemi Audiobooks
• Dharma Audiobooks

Products and services

• W.F. Howes Audiobooks Core audiobook publishing brand of W.F. Howes, producing and distributing a catalog of thousands of audiobook titles including bestsellers, award-winners, and originals from prestigious authors such as Diana Gabaldon, Hilary Mantel, Julia Quinn, Jojo Moyes, and V.E. Schwab. Distributed through all leading consumer retailers and library platforms worldwide.
• Quest Audiobooks Digital First audio publishing imprint under W.F. Howes, featuring audiobooks of popular eBook titles from both traditional and independent authors. Home to bestselling authors including Mark Dawson, Nick Louth, David Blake, Kerry Barnes, and V.E. Schwab.
• Ukemi Audiobooks Imprint under W.F. Howes that produces previously unavailable fiction and nonfiction classics, ranging from ancient Greek, Roman, and Latin texts to 20th-century classics.
• Dharma Audiobooks Sub-imprint under Ukemi Audiobooks specializing in Buddhist recordings, featuring some of the leading Buddhist teachers and writers.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• AudiblecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRBmedia's key partnership with Audible for distribution of W.F. Howes audiobook titles. Audible is one of the world's largest audiobook platforms.
• SpotifycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Spotify for audiobook distribution through Spotify's growing audiobook catalog.
• Apple BookscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partnership with Apple Books for audiobook sales to Apple device users.
• OverDrivecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKey library distribution partnership providing W.F. Howes audiobooks to public libraries through OverDrive's platform.
• BorrowBoxcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLibrary platform partnership for digital audiobook distribution to library patrons.
• HooplacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLibrary platform partnership enabling library patrons to access W.F. Howes audiobook titles.
• Ulverscroft GroupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUlverscroft manufactures, sells, and distributes audiobook CDs published by W.F. Howes for libraries requiring physical formats.
• RBmediaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerW.F. Howes is an international publishing brand of RBmedia, the largest audiobook publisher in the world. RBmedia provides distribution network, publishing infrastructure, and corporate resources.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tantor Media: Tantor Media is a US audiobook publisher and another RBmedia sister brand, focused on fiction, nonfiction, and academic titles distributed through the same retailer and library network as W.F. Howes. It is a direct peer in publishing model, production, and distribution channels.
• Storytel: Storytel is a Swedish subscription-based audiobook and e-book streaming platform that also operates as an audiobook publisher through its Storyside imprint, distributing W.F. Howes titles. Comparable to W.F. Howes as both an audiobook publisher and a distribution partner; operates a competing subscription model in addition to retail.
• Recorded Books: Recorded Books is a US audiobook publisher and a sister brand to W.F. Howes within RBmedia, producing and distributing audiobooks through the same retailer and library network. It is the most direct functional peer given shared parent, shared infrastructure, and overlapping target market of US/English-language audiobook listeners.
• Ulverscroft Group: Ulverscroft Group is a UK-based audiobook publisher and CD manufacturer that produces and distributes audiobooks specifically for libraries, and is named in W.F. Howes' data as the CD distribution partner. Direct peer in UK audiobook publishing, particularly in the library/institutional segment.
• GraphicAudio: GraphicAudio is an RBmedia sister brand producing full-cast, dramatized audiobooks of science fiction, fantasy, and adventure titles. Directly comparable as an RBmedia audiobook publisher sharing distribution infrastructure, though differentiated by its dramatized/narrated production style.
• Dreamscape Media: Dreamscape Media is an audiobook publisher within the RBmedia portfolio specializing in a wide range of genres including children's and young adult titles, distributing through the same retailer and library network as W.F. Howes. It is a direct peer in audiobook publishing operations and go-to-market.
• Highbridge Audio: Highbridge Audio is an RBmedia sister brand focused on nonfiction and literary audiobook publishing. Comparable to W.F. Howes as a directly-aligned audiobook publisher sharing production, distribution, and rights management infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• Penguin Random House Audio: Penguin Random House Audio is the audiobook division of one of the world's largest trade publishers, publishing bestsellers, literary fiction, and nonfiction. Comparable to W.F. Howes as a competing audiobook publisher at the high end of the market, though it operates as part of a much broader publishing portfolio.
• Simon & Schuster Audio: Simon & Schuster Audio is the audiobook imprint of Simon & Schuster, producing bestsellers and literary titles in audio format. Comparable to W.F. Howes in audiobook publishing operations and target consumer segments, though embedded in a Big Five publisher portfolio.
• Hachette Audio: Hachette Audio is the audiobook imprint of Hachette Book Group, a Big Five trade publisher, producing audiobooks across fiction, nonfiction, and business. Comparable to W.F. Howes in audiobook publishing and trade distribution, but with the broader publisher scale of Hachette.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WFHowes

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 W.F.Howes