Frances Lincoln
Frances Lincoln is a publishing imprint under The Quarto Group that publishes illustrated adult and children's books spanning art, gardening, biography, history, crafts, and lifestyle subjects, distributed globally through Quarto's wholesale, retail, and e-commerce channels across the UK and US markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Frances Lincoln does
Frances Lincoln is a publishing imprint operating as a brand under The Quarto Group, a diversified illustrated book publisher. Founded in 1977 and headquartered in London, it publishes adult-focused illustrated titles across art, gardening, architecture, biography, history, outdoor lifestyles, cultural diversity, and craft categories. The imprint runs alongside a structurally complementary sub-imprint, Frances Lincoln Children's Books, which covers illustrated picture books, activity books, and fiction/non-fiction for young readers. Together the two imprints form a family-of-brands play focused on high-quality illustrated content for both consumer and library buyers.
Revenue is generated through traditional book publishing mechanics: imprint-originated titles are produced, sold, and distributed globally via The Quarto Group's shared infrastructure. Distribution leverages Quarto's wholesale relationships with online retailers, physical bookstore chains, and the group's own e-commerce channels, alongside catalog-based B2B outreach. Consumer acquisition runs through the QuartoKnows.com portal, email newsletters, and Quarto-level social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok. There is no proprietary technology platform, app, or API product in the source material; the offering is the editorial/curated publishing output itself.
Headcount listed at the imprint level is 1-10, reflecting imprint-specific roles only, with editorial, sales, marketing, finance, and distribution functions shared at the Quarto Group level. Frances Lincoln has no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, partnerships, patents, regulatory actions, executive leadership team, or customer logos in the available material, and operates as a privately held brand under its parent.
Frances Lincoln firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Frances Lincoln
- Legal name
- Frances Lincoln
- Website
- https://franceslincoln.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Frances Lincoln is a publishing imprint under The Quarto Group that publishes illustrated adult and children's books spanning art, gardening, biography, history, crafts, and lifestyle subjects, distributed globally through Quarto's wholesale, retail, and e-commerce channels across the UK and US markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Frances Lincoln industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Children’s Nonfiction Publishing (MPAJAFAE)
Keywords
Where Frances Lincoln is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Frances Lincoln business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Frances Lincoln product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Frances Lincoln publishes a range of gardening, architecture, art, outdoor guides, cultural diversity titles, and picture story books through two imprints: Frances Lincoln for adult illustrated non-fiction and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for picture books, activity books, and children's fiction/non-fiction. Both imprints operate under The Quarto Group and distribute titles globally through the group's wholesale, online, and retail channels.
Product overview
Frances Lincoln operates as a publishing imprint under The Quarto Group, encompassing two distinct imprints: Frances Lincoln (adult titles) and Frances Lincoln Children's Books. Both imprints publish illustrated books, activity books, and titles across subjects including art, crafts, gardening, history, biography, and children's literature. The imprints are part of The Quarto Group's broader portfolio of over 25 publishing imprints distributed across US and UK markets.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Frances Lincoln Adult-focused publishing imprint under The Quarto Group offering illustrated titles spanning art, gardening, history, biography, culture, and lifestyle subjects for adult trade readers.
- Frances Lincoln Children's Books Children's publishing imprint under The Quarto Group focusing on illustrated books, activity books, fiction, and nonfiction titles for young readers.
Companies that use Frances Lincoln
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Frances Lincoln technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Frances Lincoln partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves3 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Frances Lincoln competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Chronicle Books: US illustrated book publisher with strong gift, lifestyle, children's, and design titles. Closely comparable on illustrated adult nonfiction and children's book formats, with similar mid-sized imprint economics.
- Walker Books: UK children's book publisher known for high-quality illustrated picture books. Directly comparable to Frances Lincoln Children's Books on illustrated and activity book formats for the same age groups.
- Phaidon Press: Independent illustrated book publisher focused on art, architecture, design, food, and visual culture. Direct peer to Frances Lincoln's adult imprint given overlap in art, architecture, and lifestyle illustrated titles for a similar educated consumer audience.
- Thames & Hudson: Global illustrated publisher with strong art, architecture, history, and design lists. Direct overlap with Frances Lincoln's adult imprint categories and similar design-led editorial philosophy.
- Laurence King Publishing: Illustrated publisher specializing in art, design, fashion, and illustrated children's books. Strong direct overlap with Frances Lincoln on illustrated adult nonfiction and children's picture book categories.
- Abrams Books: US publisher of high-quality illustrated books across art, photography, design, cooking, and children's categories. Closely comparable to Frances Lincoln's illustrated adult nonfiction and children's picture book portfolio.
Emerging players
- Nosy Crow: Award-winning independent UK children's publisher focused on illustrated picture books and apps. Comparable on illustrated children's nonfiction and picture book format, though more digitally oriented.
- Templar Publishing: UK illustrated children's book publisher with novelty, picture book, and activity formats. Comparable to Frances Lincoln Children's Books on illustrated and activity-driven children's titles.
Broad incumbents
- HarperCollins: Global trade publisher with major illustrated children's (HarperCollins Children's) and adult nonfiction programs. Broad incumbent peer whose scale and retailer relationships set the competitive benchmark for mid-sized illustrated imprints.
- Penguin Random House: Largest trade book publisher globally with broad illustrated, children's, and adult nonfiction lists. Provides scale context as the broad incumbent whose mid-list illustrated and children's titles compete with Frances Lincoln's releases.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Frances Lincoln social profiles
Digital presenceFrances Lincoln financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Frances Lincoln leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Frances Lincoln funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frances Lincoln 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 Frances Lincoln
What does Frances Lincoln do?
Frances Lincoln publishes a range of gardening, architecture, art, outdoor guides, cultural diversity titles, and picture story books through two imprints: Frances Lincoln for adult illustrated non-fiction and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for picture books, activity books, and children's fiction/non-fiction. Both imprints operate under The Quarto Group and distribute titles globally through the group's wholesale, online, and retail channels.
Is Frances Lincoln a public or private company?
Frances Lincoln is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Frances Lincoln founded?
Frances Lincoln was founded in 1977. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Frances Lincoln based?
Frances Lincoln is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
Who are Frances Lincoln's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Chronicle Books, Walker Books, Phaidon Press, Thames & Hudson, Laurence King Publishing and Abrams Books. Emerging players are Nosy Crow and Templar Publishing. Broad incumbents are HarperCollins and Penguin Random House.
Does Frances Lincoln have an API?
No public API is recorded for Frances Lincoln.
What industry is Frances Lincoln in?
Frances Lincoln'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 MPAJAFAE, Children’s Nonfiction Publishing. Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.