Trolley Books

What Trolley Books does

Trolley Books is an independent photography and contemporary art book publisher founded in 2001 in London by Gigi Giannuzzi, and led since his death in 2012 by Director Hannah Watson. The company publishes a curated programme across four product lines — New Releases, Backlist (95 titles), Rare & Out-of-Print titles, and Limited Editions — spanning documentary photojournalism, social reportage, conflict photography, portraiture, and contemporary art monographs. Its publishing track record includes works by Magnum-affiliated photographers (Philip Jones Griffiths, Paolo Pellegrin, Larry Towell) and first books by photographers who later achieved international recognition (Alex Majoli, Maisie Cousins, Siân Davey, Andi Galdi Vinko), with four major industry awards (Kraszna-Krausz 2005/2023, Paris Photo–Aperture Foundation 2016/2019). Works are held in permanent collections of Tate, the V&A, the National Gallery of Art Washington DC, and Centre Pompidou.

The business operates from a Grade II* listed building at 59 Riding House Street, Fitzrovia, co-located with TJ Boulting, a contemporary art gallery established in 2011 that hosts exhibitions, book launches, and artist talks, creating an integrated publishing-and-exhibition ecosystem. There is no proprietary technology stack; the digital layer is a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront (trolleybooks.com) plus an Instagram presence and email newsletter. Distribution is split between direct-to-consumer sales globally via the website and wholesale worldwide distribution through Thames & Hudson, excluding North America. Marketing relies on book launches, gallery events, art-fair participation (BOP, Photo London), press coverage, and photography-industry partnerships (Photoworks, Martin Parr Foundation).

Name

Trolley Books

Legal name

Trolley Books

Website

https://trolleybooks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Trolley Books is an independent London-based photography and contemporary art book publisher, founded 2001, with a 95-title backlist and a co-located gallery (TJ Boulting), selling worldwide via DTC e-commerce and Thames & Hudson distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Book sales: Direct sales of photography books, art publications, limited editions, and rare/out-of-print titles through the company's e-commerce website. Products range from standard publications ($14-$136) to limited editions ($204-$407) and rare books ($102-$407).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Trolley Books is an independent publisher of photography and contemporary art books, releasing titles across social reportage, photojournalism, and contemporary art. Its offering is organised into four product lines — New Releases, Backlist, Rare & Out of Print, and Limited Editions — comprising 95+ titles available globally through its Shopify storefront and via wholesale distribution partner Thames & Hudson. The publisher also operates the TJ Boulting contemporary art gallery in Fitzrovia, London, which hosts exhibitions, book launches, and artist talks alongside the publishing programme.

Product overview

Trolley Books is an independent photography book publisher founded in 2001, operating as a single-platform publishing house with no modular product architecture. The company publishes four core product lines: New Releases (current season's publications featuring contemporary photographers), Backlist (the publisher's historical catalogue of photography books since inception), Rare & Out of Print (collectible discontinued titles sold at premium prices), and Limited Editions (special signed prints, posters, and bundled publications). Associated with the press is TJ Boulting Gallery, a contemporary art gallery in Fitzrovia, London established in 2011. The publishing programme focuses on photojournalism, documentary photography, and contemporary art, with titles spanning social documentary, conflict photography, portraiture, and art monographs. Distribution is handled worldwide by Thames & Hudson, except in North America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TJ Boulting: Contemporary art gallery established in 2011, located in Fitzrovia, central London

Products and services

• New Releases Current season's newly published photography books featuring contemporary photographers and artists, sold directly via the Trolley Books Shopify storefront.
• Backlist Publisher's catalogue of 95 existing photography books spanning its publishing history since 2001, including award-winning photojournalism, documentary photography, and contemporary art titles.
• Rare & Out of Print Collectible and discontinued photography books from the publisher's back catalogue, sold at premium prices ranging from $102 to $407.
• Limited Editions Special edition prints, posters, and signed publications with unique artwork or limited runs, priced from $68 to $272.
• TJ Boulting Gallery Contemporary art gallery in Fitzrovia, central London, established in 2011 alongside Trolley Books, featuring exhibitions by photographers and artists published by the press.
• I AM. WE ARE. LIBERTY. by Ester Coen Exhibition-in-a-box publication celebrating Liberty's 150th anniversary, containing a cloth-covered box with individual publications, postcards, posters, catalogues, temporary tattoos, and stickers. Collector Edition of 3000.
• U.S. ROUTE 1 (AFTER BERENICE ABBOTT) by Anna Fox and Karen Knorr Collaborative photography book documenting a road trip following Berenice Abbott's 1954 U.S. Route 1 journey, featuring over 150 colour photographs capturing contemporary American society. Hardcover with dust jacket, 208 pages.
• THE GARDEN by Siân Davey Photography book documenting the transformation of a neglected garden into a space of community, featuring 80 colour photographs. Third publication with Trolley Books following 'Looking for Alice' and 'Martha'.
• ARTISTS by Brynley Odu Davies First book by UK photographer featuring curated selection of artist studio portraits from 2020-2023, providing a nationwide glimpse into the emerging UK art scene. Foreword by Ell Pennick, 208 pages.
• SORRY I GAVE BIRTH I DISAPPEARED BUT NOW I'M BACK by Andi Galdi Vinko Award-winning photography book exploring the experiences of motherhood, winner of Kraszna-Krausz Foundation Photography Book Award 2023. Features 201 colour photographs across 224 pages.
• THE WARD by Gideon Mendel (second edition) Photography book documenting the Broderip and Charles Bell AIDS wards in London's Middlesex Hospital from 1993, featuring evocative black and white photographs of patients and staff. Second edition published 5 January 2023.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

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 minor and core.

• Martin Parr FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Trolley participated in the BOP book fair organized in partnership with Martin Parr Foundation, with Director Hannah Watson speaking on 'Trolley at 20' panel alongside Trolley authors.
• Photo LondonminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Trolley Books participated in Photo London 2021 with a panel discussion 'You Don't Have To Be Mad To Be A Publisher But It Helps' featuring Hannah Watson alongside publishers from Mörel Books and Hoxton Mini Press, moderated by Tate Modern.
• PhotoworksminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Photoworks collaborated with Trolley Books on the launch of Scott Caruth's Molatham, hosting Instagram Live conversations between the author and Photoworks Director Shoair Mavlian as part of their Wednesday sessions for photographers with cancelled books or exhibitions due to Covid-19.
• TJ BoultingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011TJ Boulting is the contemporary art gallery co-located with Trolley Books at 59 Riding House Street, Fitzrovia, London. Established in 2011 as part of Trolley's 10th anniversary, the gallery hosts exhibitions, book launches, and artist talks, creating an integrated publishing and exhibition space.
• Thames & HudsoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThames & Hudson serves as the worldwide distribution partner for Trolley Books, excluding North America. This partnership enables broad retail distribution through established book trade channels, making Trolley Books available in bookstores globally through one of the leading art book publishers and distributors.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nazraeli Press: US-based photography and art book publisher known for limited editions and artist monographs. Direct competitor in the limited-edition, collector-focused photography book segment with similar production-quality positioning.
• Radius Books: Santa Fe-based non-profit publisher of photography and contemporary art books. Radius targets the same museum and collector audience as Trolley, often publishing overlapping US documentary photographers.
• Mörel Books: London photography book publisher that appeared alongside Trolley on a Photo London panel discussion. Mörel targets the same UK photography collector market with a comparable premium, limited-edition approach.
• Damiani Editore: Italian publisher of photography, art, and design books founded in 1989. Comparable in catalogue breadth and focus on documentary and contemporary photography, and competes with Trolley for European institutional and collector sales.
• MACK Books: London-based independent publisher specialising in photography and contemporary art books with a critically acclaimed, award-winning catalogue. MACK operates on a similar small-team, premium-positioning model and competes for the same photographer roster and collector audience as Trolley.
• Hoxton Mini Press: East London indie publisher of photography and city-focused books, co-panelist with Trolley at Photo London 2021. Operates a similar boutique model targeting UK-based photography enthusiasts and collectors.

Others

• Thames & Hudson: Worldwide distributor for Trolley Books (excluding North America) and a major art book publisher in its own right. Thames & Hudson functions as a channel partner and adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Phaidon Press: Global publisher with a broad art, architecture, and photography list. Phaidon is a broader-incumbent competitor for premium artist monographs and limited-edition art books at higher price points and volume.
• Steidl: German publisher of high-production art and photography books with a far larger output and global distribution. Steidl represents the premium production-quality standard Trolley competes against for top-tier photographer projects.
• Aperture Foundation: New York-based photography publisher with a much larger catalogue, magazine, and non-profit infrastructure. Aperture is the broader-incumbent benchmark for photography book publishing and competes with Trolley for institutional museum sales and photographer signings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/trolleybooks
• Instagraminstagram.com/trolleybooks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trolley-books

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Trolley Books