Barclay Press

What Barclay Press does

Barclay Press is a 501c3 nonprofit publishing house headquartered in Newberg, Oregon, serving the Religious Society of Friends (Quaker) community since 1959. It produces devotionals, Bible study curricula, theological journals, books, pamphlets, and poetry collections under its own name and through three imprints — Fernwood Press (spiritual poetry), Inner Light Books (Quaker-focused titles), and Rockwood Press (social-critique chapbooks). Its flagship periodical, Fruit of the Vine, is a quarterly devotional with daily entries written by Friends for Friends, while Illuminate is a quarterly Friends Bible study series designed for Sunday schools and small groups; the biannual Quaker Religious Thought journal was added to the portfolio through a January 2021 partnership. The company also distributes a daily/weekly email devotional called This Day and operates an online bookstore at barclaypress.corecommerce.com.

The publishing operation runs on a part-time staff of roughly 13, led by publisher and CEO Eric Muhr (since 2016), and is governed by a board of directors. Underlying production is human-driven editorial work — no AI, automation platforms, or proprietary technology stack beyond standard e-commerce and email-marketing tooling (Mailchimp, Network for Good, CoreCommerce) — supplemented by a quarterly print subscription delivery channel. The company reorganized from a printing-press operator into a curating publisher after divesting its press and reducing headcount.

Barclay Press operates as a community-led, direct-to-consumer nonprofit. Revenue mechanics combine (1) recurring subscription sales of periodicals and Bible study materials, (2) one-time book and pamphlet sales through the online bookstore, and (3) donations solicited via Network for Good and direct mail, with stated fundraising targets of $24,000 to $60,000 and a recurring-donor goal of 40 supporters at $25/month. End customers are individual Quaker readers, Friends churches and meetings, Sunday school classes, and small groups — a single, denomination-specific demographic concentrated in the United States with informal global reach through digital distribution.

Name

Barclay Press

Legal name

Barclay Press

Website

https://barclaypress.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Barclay Press is a nonprofit Quaker publishing house in Newberg, Oregon, producing devotionals, Bible studies, theological journals, and poetry for the Religious Society of Friends community through subscriptions, online sales, and donor support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Devotional & Prayer Publishing (Devotionals, Prayer Books, Meditation Guides) (MPAJAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Religious Reference & Study Tools Publishing (Commentaries, Concordances, Lexicons) (MPAJAHAL), Sermon, Homiletics & Ministry Resource Publishing (Preaching Aids, Pastoral Resources) (MPAJAHAD), Denominational & Community Periodicals (Church Magazines, Diocesan/Temple Newsletters) (MPAJAHAI)

Keywords

• Religious publishing
• Quaker publications
• Devotional literature
• Bible study curriculum
• Spiritual periodicals

Headquarters

HQ city

Newberg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Book and periodical sales: Sale of books, pamphlets, curriculum, and periodicals including Fruit of the Vine devotional and Illuminate Bible study series through their online bookstore and subscriptions
2. Donations and fundraising: As a 501c3 non-profit organization, Barclay Press depends on donations from supporters. Fundraising campaigns target specific amounts ($24,000-$60,000 annually) with recurring monthly donation goals of 40 supporters at $25/month

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Barclay Press is a non-profit Quaker publishing house that publishes and distributes books, pamphlets, curriculum, and periodicals for the Religious Society of Friends (Quaker/Friends) community. Its core offerings include the Fruit of the Vine quarterly devotional, the Illuminate quarterly Bible study series, and the Quaker Religious Thought theological journal, complemented by poetry and Quaker-focused books through imprints Fernwood Press, Inner Light Books, and Rockwood Press.

Product overview

Barclay Press is a Quaker nonprofit publishing house that serves Friends through publications including books, pamphlets, curriculum, and periodicals. The product portfolio centers on three main offerings: Fruit of the Vine (a quarterly devotional with daily inspirational content), Illuminate (a quarterly Bible study curriculum for Sunday school and small groups), and Quaker Religious Thought (a biannual theological journal). These are complemented by multiple imprints including Fernwood Press (poetry collections), Inner Light Books (Quaker-focused titles), and Rockwood Press (chapbooks for social critique). Additional offerings include This Day (daily online contemplative content) and a full online bookstore. The company operates as a non-profit and has been serving the Quaker community since 1959.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fernwood Press: Poetry collections that speak to the human capacity for spiritual experience
• Inner Light Books
• Rockwood Press

Products and services

• Fruit of the Vine A quarterly devotional publication featuring daily inspirational reflections written by Friends for Friends, offering daily spiritual content for individual readers and faith communities.
• Illuminate A quarterly Friends Bible study series published for Sunday school and small groups, providing 13-week Scripture-based studies covering the Old and New Testaments.
• Quaker Religious Thought A biannual theological journal exploring the meaning and implications of Quaker faith and religious experience; production, distribution, and record-keeping are handled by Barclay Press under a partnership effective January 2021.
• This Day A daily online contemplative feature including an image, Scripture reading, quotation from Fruit of the Vine, a query, and a poem-prayer; Saturdays feature Quaker testimonies, while Sundays offer Scripture reading, historic Quaker quotations, and personal essays from Illuminate lessons.
• Barclay Press Bookstore An online bookstore selling books, pamphlets, and periodicals published by Barclay Press and its imprints (Fernwood Press, Inner Light Books, Rockwood Press), including individual titles and subscription products.

Quantifiable outcome

• Distributed to nearly 1000 individuals in 200+ Friends churches, meetings, and small groups in one year

Named customers3 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

One partnership is on record.

• Quaker Religious ThoughtcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 January 2021Barclay Press entered a new partnership with Quaker Religious Thought in January 2021 to oversee production, distribution, and record-keeping for the theological journal. Phil Smith stepped down after twenty-plus years as Treasurer, and Barclay Press stepped in as part of their ongoing work to serve Friends through publication of periodicals.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Forward Movement: Forward Movement publishes Forward Day by Day, a widely used daily devotional, along with Episcopal Christian education materials. Comparable to Barclay Press as a denominational devotional and curriculum publisher, serving a different but analogous niche audience.
• Morehouse Publishing: Morehouse Publishing (an imprint of Church Publishing Incorporated) serves the Episcopal Church with books, worship resources, and clergy materials. Comparable to Barclay Press as a denominational resource publisher.
• Abingdon Press: Abingdon Press is a major United Methodist publisher producing books, Bible studies, and curriculum. Comparable to Barclay Press through its Bible study and curriculum lines (analogous to Illuminate), though it operates at significantly larger scale.
• Judson Press: Judson Press is the publishing ministry of the American Baptist Churches USA, producing books and curriculum for Baptist congregations. Comparable to Barclay Press as a small denomination-affiliated publisher with a similar books-plus-curriculum model.
• Chalice Press: Chalice Press is the publishing house of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It produces books, curriculum, and faith formation resources, comparable to Barclay Press as a small denominational publisher, though it serves a different tradition.
• Upper Room Books: Upper Room Books is a well-established Methodist devotional publisher producing daily devotionals and spiritual formation resources. It is comparable to Barclay Press as a denominational devotional publisher, though it serves a much larger Methodist audience.

Direct peers

• Friends United Press: Friends United Press is the publishing arm of Friends United Meeting, one of the two main branches of US Quakerism. It directly competes with Barclay Press in producing Quaker-specific books, curriculum, and periodicals for the same Friends audience.
• Friends Journal: Friends Journal is an independent Quaker magazine covering news, spirituality, and Quaker life. It overlaps with Barclay Press's periodical publishing (Fruit of the Vine, Quaker Religious Thought) for the same Quaker readership.
• QuakerPress (FGC): Quaker Press is the publishing arm of Friends General Conference, the other main branch of US Quakerism. Like Barclay Press, it produces Friends-affiliated books and resources for the same Quaker audience.

Emerging players

• Wipf and Stock Publishers: Wipf and Stock publishes academic and religious titles including theology and biblical studies. Comparable to Barclay Press as a publisher focused on religious and theological content, with overlap in Quaker Religious Thought–adjacent scholarly titles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/barclay-press-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries3 records

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 Barclay Press