The Reading Room
The Reading Room is a Bangkok-based, privately held Thai publisher founded in 2014 that produces and licenses Boys Love (BL) fiction novels and comics through four imprints (Nabu Publishing, Taisei Books, Taisei Comix, Taisei M), serving Thai B2C readers via online and physical channels and B2B international publishers and TV adaptation partners across 7 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersBangkok, Thailand
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Reading Room does
The Reading Room Co., Ltd. is a Bangkok-based consumer book publisher founded in January 2014, focused on Thai-language Boys Love (BL) contemporary fiction and comics. The company operates four wholly-owned imprints: Nabu Publishing (Thai BL original novels), Taisei Books (licensed foreign BL novels from China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea), Taisei Comix (licensed BL comics from Japan and South Korea), and Taisei M (additional BL titles). Its catalog spans over 200 print and digital titles with approximately 25 new Thai releases per year, and it has secured the Naiin Award for Best Novel of the Year Thai in 2019 for "นิทานพันดาว" (A Tale of Thousand Stars).
The company monetizes through four revenue streams: (i) physical book sales via its proprietary nabu-online.com store, partner physical bookstores (That's Y, สามเสน, MBOOK, B-Book), and pre-order campaigns at roughly 269-289 baht per title; (ii) digital sales via the MEB e-book application and the Dek-D.com Coins virtual-currency reading platform; (iii) translation and publishing rights licensing to publishers in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, and Hungary; and (iv) IP licensing to TV/streaming producers, with GMMTV adapting several Nabu titles (Sotus 1 & 2, A Tale of Thousand Stars, Cupid's Last Wish) for broadcast on Netflix and Line TV in Thailand. The technology stack is a conventional publishing and content-management system with no disclosed AI/ML components.
Customer segments are primarily Thai BL fiction readers (B2C, both print and digital), with secondary B2B relationships with international publishers acquiring translation rights and with TV/streaming production companies (notably GMMTV) acquiring adaptation rights. The Reading Room runs an in-house talent pipeline through the Nabu Awards, which surfaces new Thai BL authors from the web-novel community, supporting its author roster expansion. The company is privately held with no disclosed venture capital or institutional investors and is led by an Overseas Business Division head (Siripen Areenukul) handling international rights.
The Reading Room firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Reading Room
- Legal name
- The Reading Room Co., Ltd.
- Website
- https://reading.co.th
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Reading Room is a Bangkok-based, privately held Thai publisher founded in 2014 that produces and licenses Boys Love (BL) fiction novels and comics through four imprints (Nabu Publishing, Taisei Books, Taisei Comix, Taisei M), serving Thai B2C readers via online and physical channels and B2B international publishers and TV adaptation partners across 7 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Reading Room industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fiction Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Manga Publishing (Japanese & Global) (MPAJAGAA), eBook & Digital Reading Platforms (BPAMAJAK)
Keywords
Where The Reading Room is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bangkok
- HQ country
- Thailand
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Reading Room business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Book Sales (Physical): Sale of physical print books through own online store, physical bookstores, and pre-order campaigns. New Thai titles published at 25 books per year.
- E-book Sales: Digital book sales through MEB platform and Dek-D.com coins-based system.
- Translation Rights Licensing: Sale of translation and publishing rights to publishers in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, and Hungary for original Thai content.
- TV/Streaming Adaptation Licensing: Licensing of book copyrights for TV drama adaptation, with works aired on Netflix and Line TV.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard retail price for printed novels |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels4 records
The Reading Room product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Reading Room Co., Ltd. is a Thai publisher that produces and sells Boys Love (BL) fiction through four branded imprints: Nabu Publishing (original Thai BL novels), Taisei Books (licensed foreign BL novels from China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea), Taisei Comix (licensed BL comics), and Taisei M. The company sells print books and e-books directly to readers through its own nabu-online.com store, the Dek-D Coins platform, the MEB e-book application, and physical bookstore partners, and licenses translation rights and TV/streaming adaptation rights internationally.
Product overview
The Reading Room Co., Ltd. is a Thai book publisher founded in 2014, operating four publishing imprints — Nabu Publishing (Thai BL original novels), Taisei Books (licensed foreign BL novels from China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea), Taisei Comix (licensed BL comics), and Taisei M — with a catalog of over 200 print and digital titles and approximately 25 new releases per year. The company distributes its content through multiple channels: its proprietary nabu-online.com e-commerce platform, the Dek-D Coins digital reading platform, the MEB e-book application, third-party bookstores (That's Y, สามเสน, MBOOK, B-Book), and sample reading services via Readawrite and Tunwalai. Several titles, including Sotus 1 & 2, A Tale of Thousand Stars, and Cupid's Last Wish, have been adapted into television series aired on Thai national broadcasters and streaming platforms such as Netflix and Line TV.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Nabu Publishing: Dedicated to publishing outstanding BL original novels by Thai authors in any genre. Four titles under Nabu Publishing became successful TV series.
- Taisei Books
- Taisei Comix
Companies that use The Reading Room
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Reading Room technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Reading Room partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- GMMTVcoreGMMTV adapted several The Reading Room (Nabu Publishing) novels into successful TV series including Sotus 1 & 2, A Tale of Thousand Stars, and Cupid's Last Wish.
- NetflixcoreThai TV drama adaptations from The Reading Room's novels are streamed on Netflix in Thailand.
- Line TVcoreThai TV drama adaptations from The Reading Room's novels are streamed on Line TV.
- Dek-D.comcoreNovels are sold on Dek-D.com via a coins-based system, reaching the platform's large Thai online reader community.
- MEBminorE-book customers from reading.co.th were migrated to MEB application for continued access to digital content.
- Physical Bookstores NetworkminorBooks distributed through physical bookstores including That's Y, สามเสน, MBOOK, and B-Book.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Reading Room competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tappytoon: Korean digital comics platform with a strong focus on BL and romance webtoons. Comparable to The Reading Room in its concentration on the BL/romance genre and its digital distribution model for serialized fiction and comics.
- Bilibili Comics: Digital comics platform operating internationally with a sizable BL/romance catalog. Comparable as a digital distribution platform for licensed Asian BL comics, similar to the role played by Taisei Comix and the MEB platform for The Reading Room's content.
- Seven Seas Entertainment: US-based publisher specializing in licensed manga and light novels with a strong BL/romance catalog. Directly comparable to The Reading Room's Taisei Books and Taisei Comix imprints in licensing foreign BL content for local-language publication.
- LINE Manga: Major Asian digital manga platform (operated by LY Corporation). Comparable as a regional digital distribution channel for licensed manga and BL comics in Thai and other Asian languages, similar to how The Reading Room distributes through MEB and Dek-D.com.
- Lezhin Comics: Korean webtoon platform hosting significant BL/romance content. Comparable as a digital-first distribution channel for serialized BL comics and fiction, mirroring the role MEB and Dek-D play for The Reading Room in Thailand.
- Jamsai Publishing: Jamsai is a leading Thai online publisher of romance and BL fiction novels, operating a digital-first publishing model very similar to The Reading Room's Nabu Publishing imprint. It is the most directly comparable Thai peer for original Thai genre fiction publishing and e-book distribution.
Broad incumbents
- Shueisha: One of Japan's largest manga and genre fiction publishers (publisher of Jump titles and major light novel imprints). Comparable as a broad incumbent in Asian genre/manga publishing, with similar IP-to-screen adaptation dynamics.
- Kadokawa Corporation: Major Japanese publishing conglomerate with extensive manga, light novel, and genre fiction operations. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same genre-fiction publishing space where The Reading Room operates, though at vastly larger scale and with a different primary market.
Others
- GMMTV: Thai entertainment production company and key customer/partner of The Reading Room, having adapted multiple Nabu Publishing novels (Sotus 1 & 2, A Tale of Thousand Stars, Cupid's Last Wish) into TV series for Netflix and Line TV. Relevant as the primary downstream licensee of the company's adaptation IP rather than a direct competitor.
- Mebmarket (MEB): Thai e-book platform and distribution partner that hosts The Reading Room's digital catalog after the migration from reading.co.th. Relevant as a key e-book distribution channel rather than a competitor in original publishing.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Reading Room social profiles
Digital presenceThe Reading Room financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Reading Room leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Reading Room subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
The Reading Room funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Reading Room 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 The Reading Room
What does The Reading Room do?
The Reading Room Co., Ltd. is a Thai publisher that produces and sells Boys Love (BL) fiction through four branded imprints: Nabu Publishing (original Thai BL novels), Taisei Books (licensed foreign BL novels from China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea), Taisei Comix (licensed BL comics), and Taisei M. The company sells print books and e-books directly to readers through its own nabu-online.com store, the Dek-D Coins platform, the MEB e-book application, and physical bookstore partners, and licenses translation rights and TV/streaming adaptation rights internationally.
Is The Reading Room a public or private company?
The Reading Room is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Reading Room founded?
The Reading Room was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Reading Room based?
The Reading Room is headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand, in the Asia region.
How does The Reading Room make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Book Sales (Physical) is the primary driver. The others are E-book Sales, translation Rights Licensing and TV/Streaming Adaptation Licensing.
Who are The Reading Room's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tappytoon, Bilibili Comics, Seven Seas Entertainment, LINE Manga, Lezhin Comics and Jamsai Publishing. Broad incumbents are Shueisha and Kadokawa Corporation. Others are GMMTV and Mebmarket (MEB).
Does The Reading Room have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Reading Room.
What industry is The Reading Room in?
The Reading Room's product category is Fiction Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAB, Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.), with a secondary code of MPAJAGAA, Manga Publishing (Japanese & Global). Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.