Murdoch Books
Murdoch Books is an Australian book publisher founded in 1991 that publishes and sells commercial non-fiction across cooking, health, wellness, and lifestyle categories via its own e-commerce site, retail booksellers, and international rights licensing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersCrows Nest, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Murdoch Books does
Murdoch Books is an Australian book publishing company founded in 1991, headquartered in Crows Nest, Australia, operating with a workforce of 11-50 employees. The company publishes and sells commercial non-fiction books across multiple lifestyle verticals, including cooking, health and wellness, traditional knowledge, and activity titles. The product portfolio spans cookbooks such as Weber's Ultimate Aussie Barbecue, Eat Like a Sardinian, and Hong Kong Cult Recipes; wellness titles including The Women's Longevity Handbook and She Births; reference works such as The Knowledge by Victor Steffensen; and activity titles like Cozy Hawaii.
The company's technology footprint is limited to a standard e-commerce storefront at murdochbooks.com, which offers browsing, search, cart functionality, and curated sections for new releases, coming soon titles, and bestsellers. There is no proprietary technology stack or AI capability disclosed. Distribution is bifurcated between direct-to-consumer sales via the company's own e-commerce platform and wholesale distribution to retail booksellers, supported by a dedicated Booksellers resource section on the website. Marketing is conducted through the e-commerce site, organic social channels (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube), and SEO-driven discovery.
Murdoch Books generates revenue through two principal streams: one-time sales of published books to consumers and retailers, and licensing royalties from rights and international sales to third-party publishers in overseas markets. The primary customer segment is individual consumers interested in cooking, health, wellness, and lifestyle non-fiction, with booksellers and retailers functioning as a secondary B2B channel. Geographic focus centers on Australia and New Zealand, supplemented by international rights licensing.
Murdoch Books firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Murdoch Books
- Legal name
- Murdoch Books
- Website
- https://murdochbooks.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Murdoch Books is an Australian book publisher founded in 1991 that publishes and sells commercial non-fiction across cooking, health, wellness, and lifestyle categories via its own e-commerce site, retail booksellers, and international rights licensing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Murdoch Books industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313), Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Health, Wellness & Fitness Trade Publishing (MPAJAAAL), Book & Periodical Wholesalers (Trade Distribution) (MPAJAKAA)
Keywords
Where Murdoch Books is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Crows Nest
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Markets served
Murdoch Books business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Book Sales: Primary revenue stream from direct sales of published books to consumers through the company's e-commerce website and distribution to retail booksellers.
- Rights and International Sales: Revenue generated through licensing of publishing rights to international markets and third parties.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Murdoch Books product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Murdoch Books is an Australian book publishing company that commissions, produces, and sells commercial non-fiction books across categories including cooking, health, wellness, lifestyle, and general interest. The company distributes titles directly to consumers through its own e-commerce website (murdochbooks.com) and supplies retail booksellers and other channels, while also licensing publishing rights internationally.
Product overview
Murdoch Books is a book publishing company that offers a diverse catalog of books across multiple genres. Their product portfolio includes cookbooks (such as Weber's Ultimate Aussie Barbecue, Eat Like a Sardinian, Hong Kong Cult Recipes), health and wellness titles (The Women's Longevity Handbook, She Births), reference and knowledge books (The Knowledge), and activity books (Cozy Hawaii). The company operates through its e-commerce website where customers can browse, search, and purchase physical books. Books are organized into categories including New Releases, Coming Soon, and general browsing, with a focus on bestselling titles featured on the homepage.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Weber's Ultimate Aussie Barbecue A barbecue cookbook by Laura Romeo featuring Australian recipes.
- Cozy Hawaii A coloring/activity book by Jade Summer featuring Hawaiian themes.
- Eat Like a Sardinian A cookbook by Francesco Mattana featuring Sardinian cuisine and dietary traditions.
- The Knowledge A book by Victor Steffensen focused on traditional knowledge.
- The Women's Longevity Handbook A health and wellness handbook by Ginni Mansberg focused on women's longevity.
- She Births A book by Nadine Richardson covering childbirth and birth preparation.
- Hong Kong Cult Recipes (mini) A cookbook by Tony Tan featuring traditional Hong Kong recipes.
Companies that use Murdoch Books
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Murdoch Books technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Murdoch Books partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Murdoch Books competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wakefield Press: Adelaide-based independent publisher with a curated list across literary fiction, non-fiction, and some lifestyle and food titles. Comparable to Murdoch Books on Australian independent-publisher scale, niche curatorial positioning, and ANZ-only geographic focus.
- Affirm Press: Melbourne-based independent trade publisher with a strong focus on non-fiction, current affairs, lifestyle, and food. Comparable to Murdoch Books on independent-publisher scale, ANZ focus, and editorial emphasis on lifestyle and general-interest non-fiction.
- Hardie Grant Publishing: Independent Australian trade publisher with a heavy focus on cookbooks, lifestyle, food, and travel titles, headquartered in Melbourne. Directly comparable to Murdoch Books on category mix (cookbooks, wellness, lifestyle), ANZ geography, and independent-publisher scale.
- Text Publishing: Independent Australian trade publisher known for literary fiction, non-fiction, and some lifestyle titles. Comparable as an ANZ independent publisher of similar scale that shares distribution channels and competing for similar retail shelf space.
- Thames & Hudson Australia: Australian arm of Thames & Hudson, known for illustrated, lifestyle, food, and design-led non-fiction titles. Comparable to Murdoch Books on cookbook and illustrated lifestyle publishing, ANZ distribution model, and curatorial visual emphasis.
Broad incumbents
- Allen & Unwin: Australia's largest independent trade book publisher and distributor. Closest comparable ANZ independent, though materially larger and broader in category coverage; also acts as distribution partner to Murdoch Books as evidenced by shared CDN assets.
- Hachette Australia: Australian operation of Hachette Book Group publishing across trade, lifestyle, food, and wellness. Competes with Murdoch Books for ANZ retail listings, cookbook authors, and lifestyle category leadership at materially greater scale.
- HarperCollins Australia: Australian imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, publishing broadly across trade, lifestyle, health, and cookbook categories. Comparable as a competing ANZ trade publisher with a multi-category frontlist that overlaps with Murdoch Books' cookbook and wellness titles.
- Penguin Random House Australia: Australian arm of the world's largest trade publisher, publishing across fiction, non-fiction, lifestyle, and cookbooks. Competes with Murdoch Books for retail shelf space and cookbook/lifestyle authors in the ANZ market at significantly greater scale.
- Pan Macmillan Australia: Australian arm of Pan Macmillan publishing a broad range of trade non-fiction, lifestyle, and food titles. Comparable to Murdoch Books as an ANZ-based trade publisher competing for the same cookbook and lifestyle author pool and retail buyer relationships.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Murdoch Books social profiles
Digital presenceMurdoch Books financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Murdoch Books leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Murdoch Books funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Murdoch Books 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 Murdoch Books
What does Murdoch Books do?
Murdoch Books is an Australian book publishing company that commissions, produces, and sells commercial non-fiction books across categories including cooking, health, wellness, lifestyle, and general interest. The company distributes titles directly to consumers through its own e-commerce website (murdochbooks.com) and supplies retail booksellers and other channels, while also licensing publishing rights internationally.
Is Murdoch Books a public or private company?
Murdoch Books is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Murdoch Books founded?
Murdoch Books was founded in 1991. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Murdoch Books based?
Murdoch Books is headquartered in Crows Nest, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Murdoch Books make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are rights and International Sales.
Who are Murdoch Books's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wakefield Press, Affirm Press, Hardie Grant Publishing, Text Publishing and Thames & Hudson Australia. Broad incumbents are Allen & Unwin, Hachette Australia, HarperCollins Australia, Penguin Random House Australia and Pan Macmillan Australia.
Does Murdoch Books have an API?
No public API is recorded for Murdoch Books.
What industry is Murdoch Books in?
Murdoch Books'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 MPAJAAAL, Health, Wellness & Fitness Trade Publishing. Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.