What on Earth Books

What What on Earth Books does

What on Earth Books is a private, for-profit publishing company founded in 2010 and headquartered in Tonbridge, United Kingdom. The company operates in the children's trade publishing vertical, specializing in non-fiction titles for young readers — a focused sub-segment within the broader UK children's book market. Based on available firmographic data, the company employs between 11 and 50 staff, placing it in the small-to-mid independent publisher tier.

The company's business model, by inference from its category positioning, is a conventional children's trade publishing operation: revenue is generated through printed book sales distributed via retail and wholesale channels (physical bookshops, online retailers, and educational/library supply), supplemented by rights licensing and direct-to-consumer sales. Author and illustrator IP, editorial curation, and title-by-title release cadence form the core production model. No pricing structure, distribution agreements, author roster, or catalog metrics were retrievable from the source material — the company website (whatonearthbooks.com) returned only a loading/verification page during data gathering, limiting deeper visibility into operational specifics.

The end-customer base spans parents, schools, educators, libraries, and gift-buyers purchasing children's non-fiction content. No information on management team, ownership structure, funding history, partnerships, awards, or international distribution was disclosed in the source data, which constrains the analytical depth available. The company appears to be a niche specialist rather than a diversified publishing house, with its competitive positioning centered on the editorial differentiation of its non-fiction catalog for children.

Name

What on Earth Books

Website

https://whatonearthbooks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

What on Earth Books is a UK-based independent publisher founded in 2010 in Tonbridge, specializing in non-fiction books for children. The privately held company employs 11-50 staff and serves parents, schools, libraries, and educators through trade book distribution channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Nonfiction Publishing (MPAJAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Children’s Nonfiction Educational (Science, History, Nature) (EDAGAIAC)

Keywords

• Children's nonfiction books
• Illustrated reference publishing
• Educational picture books
• Juvenile nonfiction titles
• Children's book publisher

Headquarters

HQ city

Tonbridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Core offering

What on Earth Books is a publishing house that produces and sells nonfiction illustrated books for children, including picture books and reference titles aimed at young readers. The company operates as an independent children's nonfiction publisher based in Tonbridge, United Kingdom.

Product overview

No product information available from the source data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves1 record

Broad incumbents

• Scholastic: Large children's book publisher with an extensive nonfiction and educational catalog; broad incumbent serving school and trade channels for kids' nonfiction.
• National Geographic Kids: Major children's nonfiction imprint covering science, nature, and history; comparable on nonfiction children's publishing with much larger parent reach.
• Oxford University Press Children's Books: Educational children's publisher producing nonfiction and reference titles for schools and libraries; comparable on educational nonfiction publishing.
• Penguin Random House Children's: Major children's publishing division with broad nonfiction coverage; broad incumbent comparable on the publishing category if not on scale.

Direct peers

• Nosy Crow: Independent UK children's book publisher producing both fiction and nonfiction titles for young readers; comparable indie peer in children's publishing.
• Walker Books: Independent UK children's book publisher with a substantial nonfiction list; comparable indie children's publishing model.
• Usborne Publishing: Independent UK children's book publisher with a strong nonfiction and activity book catalog; direct competitor in the same niche as What on Earth Books.
• Barefoot Books: Independent children's book publisher known for illustrated and educational nonfiction titles; comparable as a small specialist in the children's nonfiction niche.
• DK (Dorling Kindersley): Specialist in illustrated children's nonfiction and reference titles; closely comparable on nonfiction children's book publishing.
• Lonely Planet Kids: Children's imprint focused on nonfiction, geography, and educational titles; directly comparable as a nonfiction children's publisher with a defined subject focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat1 record

Key risks4 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/whatonearthbook
• Facebookfacebook.com/WhatonEarth.Books
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/what-on-earth-publishing-ltd

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 What on Earth Books