BIS Publishers
BIS Publishers is an Amsterdam-based independent publisher founded in 1985 that produces books and games on creativity, design, innovation, and leadership, selling globally via its e-commerce site, wholesale partners, and Hachette distribution to creative professionals, entrepreneurs, educators, and consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersAmsterdam, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What BIS Publishers does
BIS Publishers is an independent, privately held media company founded in 1985 and headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It specializes in publishing books and games on creativity, design, innovation, and leadership, serving creative and business professionals, entrepreneurs and startups, educational institutions, and consumer gift buyers. The catalog spans business titles (design thinking, branding, leadership, Agile, systemic design) and consumer titles (art, photography, food, mindfulness, gift books), alongside a games line that includes card-based tools (Brand Vision Cards, Don't/Do This Game, Start-Up Starters) and family-oriented memory and puzzle games.
The business operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront at bispublishers.com with global shipping capabilities, supplemented by wholesale distribution to bookstores, museums, and concept stores worldwide through a strategic partnership with Hachette, which manages worldwide stock and sales. BIS also holds an exclusive partnership with Laurence King Publishing to distribute illustrated books, puzzles, cards, and family games in the Netherlands and Belgium. Pricing is one-time/per-unit, generally ranging from approximately €17 to €37 per title, with bundle discounts and free domestic shipping above €20.
Despite a team of roughly 20 employees, BIS maintains a global footprint, multiple annual product launches, and a diversified multi-channel go-to-market across D2C e-commerce, wholesale, and education. The company has no disclosed funding, no parent company, no M&A activity, and no technology platform beyond its webshop, operating as a focused, founder-led specialty publisher with stable operations.
BIS Publishers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BIS Publishers
- Legal name
- BIS Publishers
- Website
- https://bispublishers.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- BIS Publishers is an Amsterdam-based independent publisher founded in 1985 that produces books and games on creativity, design, innovation, and leadership, selling globally via its e-commerce site, wholesale partners, and Hachette distribution to creative professionals, entrepreneurs, educators, and consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BIS Publishers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Book Retailers and News Dealers (45921)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Art, Photography & Illustrated Books Publishing (MPAJAAAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Board Game & Puzzle Specialty Retailers (CRALALAA), Puzzle Books & Brain Teasers Retail (CRALALAL)
Keywords
Where BIS Publishers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amsterdam
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
BIS Publishers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Book Sales: BIS Publishers generates revenue through the sale of books covering topics on creativity, design, innovation, leadership, and related business and consumer subjects. Books are sold as one-time purchases with no subscription model.
- Game Sales: The company sells games including business games, educational games, family games, puzzles, and memory games as one-time product purchases.
- Gift Products: BIS Publishers offers curated gift products in both business and consumer categories, sold as individual items.
- Laurence King Products: As the exclusive partner of Laurence King products in the Netherlands and Belgium, BIS Publishers distributes puzzles, board games, cards, and children's products from Laurence King Publishing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Business Books - Design, Innovation, Leadership |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Consumer Books - Art, Photography, Food, Creativity |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Business Games - Design Thinking, Branding, Sustainability |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Consumer Games - Puzzles, Memory, Family Games |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Bundles and Combos |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
BIS Publishers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BIS Publishers is an independent Amsterdam-based media company that creates and sells books, games, and gift products on creativity, design, innovation, and leadership for both professional and consumer audiences. The portfolio includes business and consumer book lines, business games and card-based toolkits, consumer puzzles, memory and family games, and an exclusive range of Laurence King illustrated products for the Netherlands and Belgium. Products are sold directly through bispublishers.com and distributed worldwide through Hachette and a network of bookstores, museums, and concept stores.
Product overview
BIS Publishers is a media company founded in 1985 and based in Amsterdam that creates inspiring and innovative products in the areas of creativity, design, innovation, and leadership. The company's product portfolio consists of published books covering business topics (design, design thinking, leadership, innovation, branding, architecture, sketching), consumer topics (sustainability, mindfulness, art, food, photography, creativity), and Dutch language materials. They also produce games including business games (design thinking, innovation, branding, sustainability), consumer games (puzzles, memory games, family games, mindfulness, educational games), and card-based tools. BIS Publishers is the exclusive partner for Laurence King products in the Netherlands and Belgium, distributing their books, puzzles, cards, and family games. Key product lines include the ToDontList series by Donald Roos (books and games on time management and economics for creatives), Agile wisdom materials by Anton Podokschik and Jerome Grimm, startup resources like Start-Up Starters and Don't Fck Up Your Baby, and brand-building tools such as Brand Vision Cards and Brand the Change. The company works with partner Hachette for worldwide stock and sales management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bad Services A book by Lou Downe and Claire Lyon exploring service design beyond traditional approaches, focusing on making services actually work for users.
- If You Don't A book by Donald Roos addressing humanity's pressing challenges through economics, exploring how inaction can be the wisest choice using the ToDontList method.
- Designing Creative Tools Book by Richard Shackleton, Sanya Rai, and Guillaume Couche on designing creative tools.
- Busted: a memory game A memory game by Thomas Eurlings designed for family entertainment.
- Odd Socks Memory Laundry-themed memory game featuring playful sock designs.
- The Characters of Creativity Book about understanding creativity for individuals and organisations, revealing how to unleash creative potential in everyone.
- Lean Innovation Guide Handbook for lean innovation approaches to drive focused, efficient innovation success.
- Transforming While Performing Book helping organisations balance short-term performance with long-term transformation through inspiration, visualisation and co-creation.
- Creative Struggle Is Real Interactive guide helping individuals and teams overcome creative struggle and unlock their potential.
- Start-Up Starters Toolkit with 68 questions designed to challenge startup founding teams to achieve success by focusing on what matters, underpinned by coaching experience and scientific studies.
- The Politics of Design Book by Ruben Pater on responsible and inclusive visual communication practices.
- SWIPE Book and smartphone companion helping users navigate their phones.
- The Impact Plan Framework book for creative and innovation-led professionals to make impact-oriented decisions.
- Design Thinking and Social Construction Practical guide for innovation in research combining design thinking with social construction.
- Don't Fck Up Your Baby Branding guide by Joris van Dooren and Coen Luijten comparing building a brand to raising a newborn, with an 18-step roadmap for startup brand development.
- Brand Vision Cards Brand building tool with 243 cards to help businesses establish brand identity by defining key values, strengths, emotions, and actions.
- Brand the Change Branding guide by Anne Miltenburg for social entrepreneurs and change-makers, containing 23 tools, 14 case studies, and practical exercises.
- Contrarian Branding Book by Roland van der Vorst explaining how brands can stand out by creating polarity and using sophisticated techniques to set themselves apart from competitors.
- Don't Buy This Book Entrepreneurship guide for creative people by Anne de Bruijn and Donald Roos, divided into Sell, Make, and Grow sections with the ToDontList Method.
- Don't/Do This Game Thought experiment game with 156 cards for creative people, using DO and DON'T cards to challenge creativity through limitations.
- The Little Book of Agile Wisdom Practical guide for Scrum Masters and Agile practitioners with 66 themed quotes, interpretations, and team exercises to foster an Agile culture.
- Collage Portrait Memory Game Memory game by Anja Brunt featuring collage portrait designs.
- The Mondrian Challenge Challenge game by Linda van Gaalen, Mia van Gaalen, and Lilian van Dongen Torman inspired by Piet Mondrian's artistic style.
- Designing for Systemic Change Design book focused on systemic change approaches.
- Delft Design Guide (Revised Edition) Comprehensive design guide by Jaap Daalhuizen, Jelle Zijlstra, and Annemiek van Boeijen.
- Powerful Women Playing Cards Playing cards featuring powerful women by Lisa den Teuling.
- Autonomie als Strategie Dutch language book by Marieke Pepers on autonomy as a strategic approach.
- Imagine Me (revised) Revised edition by Lisa den Teuling.
- The Umami Strategy Book by Aga Szóstek proposing an approach to build and execute experience strategies that are inspirational, aspirational, and motivational for standing out in crowded markets.
- Design Journeys Through Complex Systems Practitioner handbook by Peter Jones and Kristel Van Ael combining systemic design and advanced thinking practices with 30 design techniques.
- Laurence King Products (Netherlands and Belgium exclusive line) Exclusive partner of Laurence King publishing products in Netherlands and Belgium, including books, puzzles, cards, and family games.
Quantifiable outcome
- 300% increase in B2C sales for Nature Science using The Umami Strategy approach
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use BIS Publishers
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
BIS Publishers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
BIS Publishers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered strategic and core.
- Service Design CollegestrategicBIS Publishers announced a new collaboration with Service Design College for 'Co-design for Societal Impact' training. This partnership enables BIS to expand into professional education and training services, combining their publishing content with Service Design College's expertise in service design methodologies.
- HachettecoreBIS Publishers works closely with Hachette to manage worldwide stock and sales operations. This partnership allows BIS to focus on creating innovative and inspiring products while Hachette handles global distribution, inventory management, and sales logistics.
- Laurence King PublishingcoreBIS Publishers is the exclusive partner of Laurence King products in the Netherlands and Belgium. This exclusive distribution agreement covers puzzles, board games, cards, and children's products from Laurence King Publishing, a leading illustrated book publisher.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
BIS Publishers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Workman Publishing: US independent publisher of gift books, puzzles, calendars, and lifestyle/design titles. Comparable to BIS's mix of consumer gift books and puzzles, with similar specialty/gift positioning in the broader trade market.
- Phaidon Press: Global publisher of illustrated books on art, architecture, design, photography, food, and contemporary culture. Closely comparable to BIS's design/creativity/photography publishing focus, with a larger international footprint and broader illustrated catalog.
- Thames & Hudson: London-based illustrated book publisher with deep coverage of art, design, architecture, and creative disciplines — a classic art/design publisher with the same BIS-style mix of authoritative illustrated titles and global distribution.
- Chronicle Books: San Francisco-based independent publisher known for gift books, illustrated titles, design, and creative living — closely mirrors BIS's mix of design/creativity business books plus consumer gift items and games/puzzles.
- Laurence King Publishing: BIS's exclusive NL/BE distribution partner and a UK-based publisher specializing in illustrated books, games, puzzles, and cards. Highly comparable in product mix (illustrated books + puzzles/games) and target audience, though operating at a different geographic scale.
- Gestalten: Berlin-based publisher specializing in design, architecture, visual culture, and creative living illustrated books. Closely comparable to BIS's design/creativity/innovation focus and similar independent specialty-publisher size.
- Taschen: German publisher of high-quality illustrated books on art, design, photography, architecture, and pop culture. Comparable to BIS's premium illustrated/design book positioning, but operating at much larger global scale with a stronger gift-book retail presence.
- Abrams Books: US illustrated book publisher with strong art, design, photography, and gift-book titles, plus a children's imprint. Comparable to BIS's illustrated/category specialty book portfolio with international distribution.
Broad incumbents
- Penguin Random House: Largest global trade book publisher, with extensive business/design/creativity titles and unmatched global distribution infrastructure (and BIS's partner Hachette is part of this group). Represents the scale ceiling BIS competes beneath.
- Quarto Group: Global illustrated book publisher with a wide portfolio of design, craft, lifestyle, and children's titles. Comparable to BIS in illustrated/specialty publishing with broader scale and listed-public-company resources.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
BIS Publishers social profiles
Digital presenceBIS Publishers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BIS Publishers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
BIS Publishers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BIS Publishers 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 BIS Publishers
What does BIS Publishers do?
BIS Publishers is an independent Amsterdam-based media company that creates and sells books, games, and gift products on creativity, design, innovation, and leadership for both professional and consumer audiences. The portfolio includes business and consumer book lines, business games and card-based toolkits, consumer puzzles, memory and family games, and an exclusive range of Laurence King illustrated products for the Netherlands and Belgium. Products are sold directly through bispublishers.com and distributed worldwide through Hachette and a network of bookstores, museums, and concept stores.
Is BIS Publishers a public or private company?
BIS Publishers is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was BIS Publishers founded?
BIS Publishers was founded in 1985. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is BIS Publishers based?
BIS Publishers is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does BIS Publishers make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are game Sales, gift Products and laurence King Products.
Who are BIS Publishers's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Workman Publishing, Phaidon Press, Thames & Hudson, Chronicle Books, Laurence King Publishing, Gestalten, Taschen and Abrams Books. Broad incumbents are Penguin Random House and Quarto Group.
Does BIS Publishers have an API?
No public API is recorded for BIS Publishers.
What industry is BIS Publishers in?
BIS Publishers's product category is Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAF, Art, Photography & Illustrated Books Publishing, with a secondary code of CRALALAA, Board Game & Puzzle Specialty Retailers. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.