Straits Times Press

What Straits Times Press does

Straits Times Press is the book publishing division of SPH Media Limited, Singapore's largest media conglomerate and publisher of The Straits Times newspaper. The company is dedicated to "Telling The Singapore Story" by publishing physical books that document Singapore's history, politics, biographies, governance, foreign policy, and cultural heritage. Its catalog spans multiple distinct product lines: the Lee Kuan Yew Collection (titles authored by or about Singapore's founding prime minister), the 50-volume Singapore Chronicles series covering topics from economy and trade to architecture and literature, Singapore Politics & History titles, Ideas & Global Affairs essays, biographies, true crime volumes, children's books (including heritage cookbooks and award-winning picture books), lifestyle/family titles, and cookbooks.

The business operates as a direct-to-consumer publisher via its Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront at stbooks.sg, with multiple payment integrations (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay, UnionPay). Books are sold at unit prices ranging from approximately S$12.90 (children's titles) to S$73.00 (collector's editions such as The Albatross File), with most titles priced in the S$25-S$50 range. The company leverages SPH Media's broader media ecosystem—particularly The Straits Times newspaper—for top-of-funnel content marketing and brand credibility, while also accessing SPH's distribution network in Singapore. Geographic focus is exclusively Singapore, with no disclosed expansion beyond the domestic market. There is no disclosed revenue, headcount, or financial data.

Name

Straits Times Press

Legal name

Straits Times Press, SPH Media Limited

Website

https://stbooks.sg

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Straits Times Press is the book publishing division of SPH Media Limited, selling physical books on Singapore history, politics, biographies, and lifestyle directly to consumers through its Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront at stbooks.sg.

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
• Singapore content
• Biographies and memoirs
• Children's books
• Cookbooks and lifestyle

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Straits Times Press generates revenue through the sale of physical books across multiple genres including biographies, politics, history, lifestyle, and children's books. Books are sold at various price points ranging from approximately S$12.90 to S$73.00 for standard editions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Straits Times Press is the book publishing division of SPH Media Limited that publishes and sells physical books documenting Singapore's history, politics, culture, biographies, children's stories, and lifestyle topics. The company sells its publications directly to consumers through its stbooks.sg e-commerce storefront at unit prices typically ranging from S$12.90 to S$73.00 per book.

Product overview

Straits Times Press is a book publishing division of SPH Media Limited dedicated to Telling The Singapore Story through high-quality books spotlighting the lives, legacies, and defining moments of Singaporeans and Singapore. The publishing portfolio comprises multiple distinct product lines including: (1) The Lee Kuan Yew Collection featuring titles authored by or about Singapore's founding prime minister including 'Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going' and 'One Man's View of the World'; (2) The Singapore Chronicles, a 50-volume series documenting Singapore's development across topics including Art, Economy, Trade & Investment, Public Housing, Architecture, Chinese, Healthcare, Literature, Media, and PAP; (3) Politics & History books covering Singapore's governance, foreign policy, and key historical events including 'Men in White', 'Fifty Secrets of Singapore's Success', 'GOVERNING: A Singapore Perspective', and 'DIPLOMACY: The Singapore Experience'; (4) Ideas & Global Affairs titles exploring international relations and economics including works by Bilahari Kausikan ('Singapore Is Not An Island' series) and Tommy Koh; (5) True Crime books documenting Singapore crime cases; (6) Biographies of Singapore figures; (7) Children's books spanning heritage cookbooks (Beverly series), award-winning picture books (Grandma's Tiger, Harry Hippo's Holiday), and educational books (Use Your Head series by Felix Cheong); (8) Cookbooks including Asian Larder and Betty Saw's Ultimate Herbal Cookbook; (9) Lifestyle & Family titles covering topics from caregiving ('Ageing With Grace') to financial planning ('Retire with More Money'). All products are sold through the stbooks.sg e-commerce platform powered by Shopify with multiple payment integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Lee Kuan Yew Collection A collection of books authored by or about Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, including 'One Man's View of the World', 'Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going' (English and Chinese editions), and 'Lee Kuan Yew: A Tribute'. Targeted at readers interested in Singapore political history and leadership.
• Singapore Chronicles Series A 50-volume reference series documenting Singapore's development across topics including Art, Economy, Trade & Investment, Public Housing, Architecture, Chinese community, Healthcare, Literature, Media, and the People's Action Party (PAP). Targeted at readers, researchers, and educational institutions seeking authoritative accounts of Singapore's history.
• Singapore Politics & History Collection Books covering Singapore's governance, foreign policy, and historical events, including 'Men in White', 'Fifty Secrets of Singapore's Success', 'GOVERNING: A Singapore Perspective' by S. Jayakumar, 'DIPLOMACY: The Singapore Experience', 'Turbulent Times: Forgotten Stories of Singapore's Early Years', and 'Pedra Branca'. Targeted at readers interested in Singapore political and diplomatic history.
• Ideas & Global Affairs Collection Books exploring international relations, economics, and Singapore's global engagement, including Bilahari Kausikan's 'Singapore Is Not An Island' series, Barry Desker's 'Reflections: Singapore's Place in the World', Tommy Koh's 'Singapore and China: Neighbours to Friends, Friends to Partners', and books on India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Targeted at readers interested in geopolitics and Southeast Asian affairs.
• True Crime Collection Books documenting Singapore crime cases, including 'Guilty As Charged: 25 Crimes That Have Shaken Singapore Since 1965' and 'A British Serial Killer in Singapore'. Targeted at readers interested in Singapore criminal history.
• Biographies Collection Biographical books about notable Singapore figures including E W Barker (The People's Minister), Puan Noor Aishah, and other Singapore leaders and personalities. Targeted at readers interested in Singapore personalities and leadership.
• Lifestyle & Family Collection Books covering lifestyle, family, financial planning, caregiving, and personal development topics, including 'Ageing With Grace: The Complete Caregiver's Guide', 'Retire with More Money', 'Always Have Enough Money', '99 Rules for New Dads', and 'Can I Hold You A While Longer?'. Targeted at general readers and families.
• Cookbooks Collection Cookbooks featuring Asian and Singapore culinary heritage, including 'Asian Larder' by Sylvia Tan, 'Betty Saw's Ultimate Herbal Cookbook', and 'Ask the Foodie'. Targeted at home cooks and food enthusiasts.
• Children's Books Collection A diverse range of children's picture books and activity books, including heritage cookbooks (Beverly and the Peranakan Feast, Mei Lin and the Reunion Dinner, Hafiz and the Raya Recipes, Vinod and the Deepavali Dishes, Emma and the Eurasian Potluck), award-winning titles (Grandma's Tiger, Harry Hippo's Holiday, The One and Only Inuka), educational activity books (Use Your Head series by Felix Cheong), and awareness books (The Girl With A Bowl Head on bipolar disorder, My Colouring Book Is Ruined! on autism). Targeted at young readers, parents, and educators.
• Smart Money Collection Books on financial planning and personal finance, including 'Retire with More Money' and 'Always Have Enough Money' by Tan Ooi Boon. Targeted at individuals seeking financial literacy and retirement planning guidance.
• The Albatross File: Inside Separation (Collector's Edition) A premium collector's edition book about Singapore's separation from Malaysia, priced at S$73.00. Targeted at collectors and history enthusiasts.
• The One and Only Inuka A children's book about Singapore Zoo's beloved polar bear Inuka, winner of the POPULAR People's Choice Award 2019 for Best Children's Book in English. Targeted at young readers and animal lovers.
• In This Together: Singapore's Covid-19 Story An insider account of Singapore's first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic written by Straits Times journalists. Targeted at readers interested in Singapore's pandemic response.
• A to Z Guidebook: Singapore Navy Museum An alphabetical guidebook documenting exhibits at the Singapore Navy Museum, published in collaboration with Defence Collective Singapore. Targeted at museum visitors and those interested in Singapore's naval heritage.
• Can I Hold You A While Longer? Winner of the Popular Reader's Choice Award 2024, a story about navigating dementia in a family. Targeted at readers interested in caregiving and family health narratives.
• My Singapore Childhood (English Version) Winner of the Popular Readers' Choice Awards 2025, exploring childhood experiences in Singapore through poetry and illustrations. Targeted at children, parents, and educators.
• Tangerine A novella by Colin Cheong, winner of the Singapore Literature Prize in 1996. Targeted at readers of Singapore literature.
• Unity in Diversity: Language and Society in Singapore An analysis of Singapore's language planning and bilingual education policies since independence. Targeted at academics, educators, and policy researchers.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Defence Collective SingaporeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Straits Times Press published 'A to Z Guidebook: Singapore Navy Museum' in collaboration with Defence Collective Singapore for the Singapore Navy Museum. The Defence Collective Singapore oversees defence and military museums and is committed to preserving heritage and enlivening the defence narrative.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• World Scientific Publishing: Singapore-headquartered publisher with strong Asia-Pacific academic and general-interest titles. Comparable as a Singapore-based English-language publisher spanning scholarly and trade audiences, overlapping with Straits Times Press's reference and policy-oriented catalog.
• Didier Millet: Singapore/Asia publisher specialising in high-quality illustrated books on Asian art, culture and history. Directly comparable to Straits Times Press in producing premium, photography-rich non-fiction titles about Singapore and Southeast Asian heritage.
• Epigram Books: Independent Singapore publisher known for literary fiction, children's books and Singapore-focused non-fiction (often Singapore Literature Prize/Book Awards winner). Direct peer to Straits Times Press in the Singapore trade publishing space with overlapping children's and heritage content categories.
• NUS Press (National University of Singapore Press): Singapore academic and trade publisher focused on Asia-Pacific history, politics and society. Closely comparable to Straits Times Press's Singapore Politics & History and Ideas & Global Affairs collections, serving overlapping institutional and general-reader audiences in Singapore.
• Marshall Cavendish: Major Singapore-based trade and education publisher with a broad catalog across children's, reference and general non-fiction titles. Directly comparable to Straits Times Press in operating geography, multi-category publishing strategy and English-language Singapore market position.

Broad incumbents

• Marshall Cavendish Business Information: Part of the larger Marshall Cavendish group; operates a wide portfolio including reference, education and general interest publishing. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the same Singapore publishing market where Straits Times Press competes for shelf space and reader attention.
• Times Publishing Malaysia: Malaysia-based English and Bahasa publisher of general interest, educational and children's books. Comparable to Straits Times Press as a regional English-language trade publisher with multi-segment catalogs and similar price-point positioning across Southeast Asia.
• Scholastic Asia: Global children's books publisher with significant Singapore and Asia operations. Comparable to Straits Times Press's children's book line (heritage cookbooks, award-winning picture books like 'My Singapore Childhood') in format, audience and award-tracked positioning.

Regional players

• Popular Bookstores: Singapore's largest bookstore chain and the awarding body behind the Popular Readers' Choice Awards that Straits Times Press has repeatedly won. Comparable as a key retail/distribution counterparty and ecosystem participant in Singapore, and a regional player outside direct publishing competition.

Emerging players

• Ethos Books: Singapore independent publisher focused on social issues, memoirs and Singapore society. Overlaps with Straits Times Press's biography, memoir and Ideas & Global Affairs segments at a smaller scale and with a more activist editorial lens.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 Straits Times Press