Virago Press
Virago Press is a London-based feminist book publishing imprint founded in 1973, operating within Hachette UK. It publishes contemporary fiction and the Virago Modern Classics backlist by women writers, distributed globally via Amazon, Waterstones, indie bookshops, and its own Shopify e-commerce store.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1973
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Virago Press does
Virago Press is a London-based feminist book publishing imprint founded in 1973, operating as a wholly owned subsidiary imprint of Little, Brown Book Group Limited within Hachette UK (ultimately owned by France's Lagardère SCA). The imprint publishes a curated catalog spanning contemporary fiction, non-fiction, politics, history, and children's literature, with a central mission to champion women's voices and, more recently, writers of underrepresented genders. Its flagship line, Virago Modern Classics, republishes out-of-print and underrepresented works by women writers such as Sarah Waters, Daphne du Maurier, Mary Renault, and Rosamond Lehmann, while ongoing launches in 2024-2026 include titles from Allie Rowbottom, Gloria Naylor, and Pemi Aguda.
The business generates revenue through two main streams: (1) direct book sales across physical (paperback ~£9.99-£15.99), ebook, and audiobook formats distributed through Amazon, Waterstones, Foyles, independent bookshops, and Virago's own Shopify-powered e-commerce store; and (2) licensing and rights royalties — translation, film/TV, and other subsidiary rights — administered through Hachette UK's rights department. Supporting ecosystem assets include the ourshelves podcast, the Virago Modern Classics Book Club, themed reading-recommendation lists, and a discount-incentivized email newsletter. Operationally, Virago runs on standard publishing and marketing technology — Shopify, Stripe, Google Analytics, and Meta/Google/X tracking pixels — with no disclosed proprietary AI or data assets.
With 11-50 employees and no independent revenue disclosure, Virago functions as a small specialist imprint within a much larger corporate parent, leveraging Hachette UK's distribution scale and rights infrastructure while maintaining a differentiated editorial brand. The company holds accessibility credentials including the ABC Charter (2019), Marrakesh Treaty compliance, and RNIB/Bookshare partnership, and operates across at least seven geographies including the UK, Ireland, UAE, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Germany.
Virago Press firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Virago Press
- Legal name
- Little, Brown Book Group Limited
- Website
- https://virago.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1973
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Virago Press is a London-based feminist book publishing imprint founded in 1973, operating within Hachette UK. It publishes contemporary fiction and the Virago Modern Classics backlist by women writers, distributed globally via Amazon, Waterstones, indie bookshops, and its own Shopify e-commerce store.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Virago Press industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Literary & Classics Publishing (MPAJAAAC), Politics, Current Affairs & Social Commentary Publishing (MPAJAAAM)
Keywords
Where Virago Press is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Virago Press business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Book Sales: Revenue generated from selling physical books (paperback/hardcover), ebooks, and audiobooks through direct-to-consumer online channels and wholesale distribution to retailers.
- Licensing and Rights: Revenue from translation rights, film/TV rights, and other subsidiary rights licensing through Hachette UK rights department.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Physical paperback books |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Virago Press product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Virago Press is a feminist book publishing house that publishes fiction, non-fiction, and children's books written predominantly by women, with a particular emphasis on feminist and underrepresented voices. Its signature product line is the "Virago Modern Classics" series, which reissues classic works by women authors. The imprint operates as part of Little, Brown Book Group within Hachette UK and sells its books through its own online store, bookshops, and retail/wholesale channels.
Product overview
Virago Press is a feminist publishing imprint of Little, Brown Book Group (part of Hachette UK), founded in 1973. The company publishes a portfolio of books spanning fiction, politics, history, and children's literature. Its core offerings include the Virago Modern Classics collection (classic novels by women writers republished in new editions), contemporary fiction and non-fiction titles, and a children's books program. Supporting products include the Virago Gift Range (curated gift collections), the ourshelves podcast, the Virago Book Club, the Virago Store (direct online retail), curated reading recommendations organized by theme, and a newsletter subscription service. The company also publishes under its main imprint with titles across genres including historical fiction, romance, and contemporary fiction, with a mission to champion women's voices and welcome submissions from writers of underrepresented genders.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Virago Modern Classics: A collection of classic literature reissued by Virago, featuring works by authors such as Rosamond Lehmann, Gloria Naylor, and Sarah Waters.
Products and services
- Virago Modern Classics A long-running series of reprinted classic fiction and non-fiction works by women authors, aimed at general readers, libraries, and academic collections.
- Virago Press fiction titles Original fiction books published by Virago Press, predominantly by women authors and addressing feminist themes, sold to individual readers and through retail/library channels.
- Virago Press non-fiction titles Non-fiction books published by Virago Press spanning feminist, social, cultural, and historical subjects, sold to individual readers and libraries.
- Virago Press children's books Children's books published by Virago Press, sold to parents, schools, and libraries through retail and institutional channels.
Companies that use Virago Press
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Virago Press technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Virago Press partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Virago Press competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Jacaranda Books: London-based independent publisher focused on Black, British, and minority ethnic writers. Overlaps with Virago's broadening feminist-inclusive editorial stance and serves a parallel underrepresented-voices segment.
- Tilted Axis Press: Small UK independent press focused on translated fiction from Asia, with a strong feminist and decolonial editorial lens. A younger, smaller-scale analog to Virago with comparable mission-driven positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Penguin Random House UK: World's largest trade publisher with multiple imprints publishing feminist literary fiction (Vintage, Chatto & Windus). Competes for the same authors and readers as Virago but at vastly greater scale.
- Faber & Faber: Historic UK literary publisher with a renowned literary fiction and poetry list. Comparable in prestige literary positioning and classics reissue strategy, though broader in editorial scope than Virago.
- Bloomsbury Publishing: Major UK-listed publisher with strong literary fiction and women's voice imprints (e.g., Bloomsbury Circus). Overlaps with Virago in literary feminist fiction but operates at significantly larger scale across multiple genres.
Direct peers
- Daunt Books: London-based independent publisher and bookshop chain focused on literary fiction and travel writing. Comparable in scale and curated literary editorial identity, with overlapping trade distribution channels.
- Galley Beggar Press: Norwich-based small literary press publishing fiction and non-fiction with a reputation for championing women authors and underrepresented voices. Operates at a similar small imprint scale to Virago with overlapping feminist editorial priorities.
- And Other Stories: Independent Sheffield- and Barcelona-based literary publisher focused on translated and contemporary fiction, including many women writers. Comparable to Virago in mission-driven editorial stance and indie literary positioning.
- Serpent's Tail: UK literary publisher (now part of Profile Books) focused on international and translated fiction, including many women writers. Comparable in publishing literary fiction and non-fiction with an independent editorial voice, though not explicitly feminist-focused.
- Persephone Books: London-based independent publisher that republishes neglected mid-20th century fiction and non-fiction, with a strong emphasis on women's writing. The closest direct analog to Virago Modern Classics, though it operates as an independent rather than within a major publishing group.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Virago Press social profiles
Digital presenceVirago Press compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Virago Press financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Virago Press leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Virago Press funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Virago 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 Virago Press
What does Virago Press do?
Virago Press is a feminist book publishing house that publishes fiction, non-fiction, and children's books written predominantly by women, with a particular emphasis on feminist and underrepresented voices. Its signature product line is the "Virago Modern Classics" series, which reissues classic works by women authors. The imprint operates as part of Little, Brown Book Group within Hachette UK and sells its books through its own online store, bookshops, and retail/wholesale channels.
Is Virago Press a public or private company?
Virago Press is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Virago Press founded?
Virago Press was founded in 1973. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Virago Press based?
Virago Press is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Virago Press make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are licensing and Rights.
Who are Virago Press's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Jacaranda Books and Tilted Axis Press. Broad incumbents are Penguin Random House UK, Faber & Faber and Bloomsbury Publishing. Direct peers are Daunt Books, Galley Beggar Press, And Other Stories, Serpent's Tail and Persephone Books.
Does Virago Press have an API?
No public API is recorded for Virago Press.
What industry is Virago Press in?
Virago Press's product category is Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAA, General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction), with a secondary code of MPAJAAAC, Literary & Classics Publishing. Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.