Thinkingdom Media Group

What Thinkingdom Media Group does

Thinkingdom Media Group Ltd. (新经典文化股份有限公司, SSE: 603096) is a Beijing-headquartered, publicly listed Chinese book publisher and media company founded in 2002 and listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange on April 25, 2017. The company operates across five business segments: book planning and editing, physical book publishing and distribution, e-books and digital content, retail bookstore operations (Thinkingdom Bookstore), and copyright extensions including book-to-film adaptation projects. Its economic foundation is a curated catalog of more than 4,000 published titles, exclusive publishing relationships with over 1,400 internationally distinguished authors (including multiple Nobel laureates such as García Márquez, Toni Morrison, and Kawabata Yasunari), and a 200-million-plus readership base. The flagship brand 新经典文化 (New Classic Culture) anchors the literary publishing business, supported by four dedicated sub-brands: 爱心树 (The Giving Tree) for children's books (with Caldecott, Greenaway, and Hans Christian Andersen award recipients), 青马文化 (Feel) for Chinese-language literature, 十月文化 (October Literature) for contemporary Chinese works, and 飓风社 (Hurricane) for Japanese content in partnership with Kodansha.

The business operates a multi-channel distribution model selling directly to consumers through Dangdang (China's largest online bookstore, where Thinkingdom has held #1 supplier status for 8 consecutive years), Douban Books, the company's own Thinkingdom Bookstore retail outlets, and digital platforms, with no enterprise or institutional anchor customers. Revenue derives from unit sales of physical and digital books (one-time purchase and subscription), copyright licensing and royalties (particularly for screen adaptations), and retail margins from owned bookstores. International expansion has been executed through wholly-owned subsidiaries in France (Editions Philippe Picquier, focused on Chinese literature going global), the United States (Kane Press and Boyds Mills Press, the latter acquired in May 2019), and Japan (Thinkingdom Japan Co., Ltd., established January 2018), supplemented by three joint ventures: Hurricane (with Kodansha, 2014), October Literature (with Beijing Publishing Group), and Feel (with Taiwan Crown Publishing Group and Hong Kong Qingma). Senior leadership is anchored by founder Chen Mingjun (Chairman and General Manager since 2009) with operational depth from Peking University, East China Normal, and Renmin University-trained executives. The company's stated ambition is to become 'one of the international leaders of the industry.'

Name

Thinkingdom Media Group

Legal name

新经典文化股份有限公司

Website

https://readinglife.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Thinkingdom Media Group (SSE: 603096) is a Beijing-based publicly listed Chinese book publisher managing 4,000+ titles from 1,400+ distinguished authors, serving a 200M+ readership through retail, digital, and bookstore channels, with international subsidiaries in France, the US, and Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)

Keywords

• Book publishing
• Literary fiction
• Childrens books
• Ebook distribution
• Copyright licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Book Publishing and Distribution: Core publishing business including book planning, editing, and distribution of physical and digital books to retail channels across China
2. E-books and Digital Content: Digital book publishing and distribution through online platforms
3. Book Retail Business: Retail operations including Thinkingdom Bookstore and other retail channels
4. Copyright and Licensing: Copyright extension business including book-to-film adaptation projects and other rights licensing

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Thinkingdom Media Group is principally engaged in the planning, publishing, and distribution of books, with a focus on literary fiction, children's books, and translated international works. The company also operates related businesses including e-books and digital reading, book retail, and the extension of book copyrights into film, television, and digital media adaptations.

Product overview

Thinkingdom Media Group is a content innovation-driven publishing enterprise operating multiple business segments: books planning, publishing and distribution, e-books, books retail, and copyright extensions including film adaptations. The portfolio comprises the core Thinkingdom brand managing relationships with over 1400 international authors, several sub-brands (爱心树 for children's books, 青马文化 for Chinese literature, 十月文化 for contemporary works, and 飓风社 for Japanese content), international subsidiaries including French publisher Editions Philippe Picquier and American Kane Press, plus the Macondo Simulator interactive experience. The company went public on Shanghai Stock Exchange (603096) on April 25, 2017.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 爱心树 (The Giving Tree): Children's books brand dedicated to helping every child become a book lover. Has won multiple international awards including Caldecott Medal, Greenaway Medal, German Juvenile Literature Award, and Hans Christian Andersen Award.
• 青马文化 (Feel)
• 十月文化 (October Literature)
• 飓风社 (Hurricane)

Products and services

• Literary book publishing Planning, editing, publishing, and distribution of literary fiction titles in Chinese, featuring works by authors such as Yu Hua (余华), Mo Yan (莫言), and Zhang Ailing, targeted at adult Chinese readers.
• Children's book publishing Publishing of children's literature under The Giving Tree (爱心树) imprint, covering picture books and children's fiction targeted at Chinese parents and young readers.
• Hurricane book imprint Publishing program operated under the Hurricane (飓风社) imprint brand for selected book titles marketed to Chinese readers.
• October Literature imprint Publishing of literary titles under the October Literature (十月文化) imprint, serving Chinese literary readers.
• Feel imprint Publishing program operated under the Feel (青马文化) imprint brand for Chinese-language book titles.
• Editions Philippe Picquier (France) French publishing subsidiary headquartered in France, publishing literature in French and providing the company with an established European publishing presence and rights portfolio.
• Kane Press and Boyds Mills Press (United States) US-based children's book publishing subsidiaries that publish English-language children's titles, providing the company with a US publishing presence and English-language rights catalog.
• Thinkingdom Japan Japanese publishing subsidiary providing the company with a publishing presence in Japan and supporting the Japanese-language market.
• E-books and digital reading services Digital publishing and e-book distribution service providing electronic editions of catalog titles to Chinese readers through digital reading platforms.
• Book retail operations Owned retail channel for direct sale of published titles to consumers, complementing the wholesale distribution network.
• Copyright extensions and IP licensing Licensing of rights from the title catalog for adaptation into film, television, and other digital media formats, creating incremental revenue beyond book sales.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 million readership
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Thinkingdom Japan Co. Ltd. (株式会社新经典)coreOthers · 1 January 2018Wholly-owned subsidiary established in Japan in January 2018 to expand international presence and publishing operations.
• Kodansha (日本讲谈社)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Joint venture partner in 飓风社 (Hurricane Imprint), established in Beijing in 2014, focusing on Japanese picture books and later expanding to adult literary and cultural books from Japan.
• Taiwan Crown Publishing Group (台湾皇冠出版集团)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner in 青马文化 (Feel Company Limited), focusing on Chinese literary creation and publishing works by influential Chinese-language authors including Eileen Chang and Echo.
• Hong Kong Qingma Company (香港青马公司)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner in 青马文化 (Feel Company Limited), contributing to publishing influential Chinese-language literary works.
• Beijing Publishing Group (北京出版集团)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner in 十月文艺出版社 (October Literature), focusing on modern and contemporary literary works and theory, publishing award-winning titles like '人民的名义'.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Penguin Random House: The world's largest trade book publisher. Comparable as global rights-holder for many of the same authors Thinkingdom licenses in simplified Chinese, and as counterparty for cross-border translation rights negotiations.
• China South Publishing & Media Group: One of China's largest state-affiliated publishing groups, operating across trade, education, and periodicals. Comparable as a domestic general-interest book publisher competing for shelf space, rights, and reader attention alongside Thinkingdom.
• Shanghai Century Publishing Group: Major Shanghai-based trade and academic publisher, also listed in China. Directly comparable on translated fiction, Chinese literature, and the children's book segment where Thinkingdom's Giving Tree brand competes.

Direct peers

• Kodansha: Major Japanese trade and manga publisher and Thinkingdom's joint-venture partner in Hurricane Imprint. Comparable as a publisher of Japanese picture books and literary works Thinkingdom distributes in China, and as a counterparty/cross-border IP partner.
• Editions Gallimard: Leading French literary publisher with international prestige. Closely comparable to Thinkindom's owned subsidiary Editions Philippe Picquier in the niche of introducing Chinese and Asian literature to French-speaking readers.
• Cheers Publishing (Zhongxin): CITIC Press's flagship imprint for translated business/self-help titles. Comparable in adult trade translated publishing with similar readership overlap, particularly on bestsellers that travel through Dangdang and JD.
• Beijing United Publishing (BUPT): A leading Chinese trade publisher with strong children's and literary divisions, direct competitor to Thinkingdom's Giving Tree imprint and to its translated fiction franchise; share shelf space on Dangdang, JD, and Tmall bookstores.
• CITIC Press: Beijing-based trade publisher focused on business, personal finance, and translated nonfiction/literature. Closely comparable on translated adult trade titles, brand-driven curation, and digital-first distribution, with similar author-relations economics.
• Scholastic Corporation: US children's book publisher focused on educational and picture books. Comparable to Kane Press and Boyds Mills Press under Thinkingdom's US children publishing portfolio, and as a global benchmark for award-winning children's publishing economics.

Emerging players

• China Literature (Yuewen/阅文集团): Tencent-backed digital reading platform and online literature publisher. Comparable as a competitor for reader attention and a model for digital subscription monetization that Thinkingdom is pursuing through e-books and reading apps.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Thinkingdom Media Group