Epigram

What Epigram does

Epigram is a Singapore-based independent trade publishing house that has published more than 350 titles spanning novels, children's books, graphic novels, and cookbooks, with a particular focus on Singaporean and Southeast Asian content and authors. Its core product is its published catalog, supplemented by three flagship literary prizes — the Epigram Books Fiction Prize (EBFP), the Southeast Asia Heritage Prize (SEHP), and the Storytel Epigram Horror Prize — which function as both content-acquisition mechanisms and brand-building instruments. Distribution is multi-channel, comprising an online bookstore, a physical showroom, and the Huggs-Epigram Coffee Bookshop, a joint-venture retail venue combining café operations with book sales.

The business model generates revenue primarily through book sales (print and digital), rights licensing, and prize-related operations, with the Huggs-Epigram JV providing a secondary retail revenue stream and a venue for reader engagement. The company serves a broad consumer reader base across Singapore and the wider Southeast Asian region, alongside the authors whose work it commissions through its prizes and editorial pipeline. With approximately 37 employees and a catalog that includes the Eisner Award-winning graphic novel "The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye," Epigram occupies a niche position as one of the few independent publishers of scale dedicated to regional content in a market dominated by international publishing houses.

Name

Epigram

Legal name

Epigram

Website

https://epigram.com.sg

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Epigram is a Singapore-based independent trade publisher of 350+ titles spanning novels, children's books, graphic novels, and cookbooks, serving readers and authors across Singapore and Southeast Asia through its online bookstore, physical showroom, and literary prize programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Mass Market & Paperback Publishing (MPAJAAAD)

Keywords

• Book publishing
• Literary prizes
• Design services
• Online bookstore
• Rights licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book Publishing and Sales: Epigram generates revenue through publishing and selling books across multiple formats including novels, children's books, graphic novels, cookbooks, memoirs, and short story collections. Books are sold through their online Epigram Bookshop and physical showroom.
2. Literary Prize Competitions: The company operates prize competitions including the Epigram Books Fiction Prize and Storytel Epigram Horror Prize, which attract manuscripts and generate interest in their publishing services.
3. Rights Sales: Epigram offers rights sales services for published works, allowing other publishers to acquire distribution rights for their titles in various markets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Epigram is an award-winning Singaporean publishing company that operates as a trade book publisher (Epigram Books), producing and selling 350+ titles across novels, children's books, graphic novels, cookbooks, and memoirs. It runs two annual literary competitions (Epigram Books Fiction Prize and Storytel Epigram Horror Prize) that award cash prizes and publishing contracts, and sells books directly to consumers through its Epigram Bookshop online store and physical showroom in Singapore. The company also provides design and publishing solutions for corporate clients and sells international rights to other publishers.

Product overview

Epigram is a Singaporean publisher offering a unified publishing platform encompassing multiple product lines: Epigram Books serves as the core trade publishing arm, producing fiction and non-fiction titles including novels, children's books, graphic novels, cookbooks, memoirs, and short story collections. The company operates the Epigram Bookshop as its retail channel for Singapore and Southeast Asian literature. Two annual competition products—the Epigram Books Fiction Prize and the Storytel Epigram Horror Prize—serve as talent identification and acquisition mechanisms, offering prize money and publishing contracts to winners. Design services complement the publishing offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Epigram Books Fiction Prize: Literary prize offering S$25,000 and a publishing contract to one winning manuscript
• Storytel Epigram Horror Prize
• Epigram Bookshop

Products and services

• Epigram Books Fiction Prize (EBFP) A literary fiction prize offering S$25,000 and a publishing contract to one winning manuscript annually. Open to writers from Singapore and Southeast Asia who submit through the Submittable portal. The prize serves as both a manuscript acquisition pipeline and a marketing channel for Epigram's publishing capabilities.
• Storytel Epigram Horror Prize (SEHP) A short story competition focusing on the horror genre, launched in partnership with Storytel, the audio books streaming giant. Targets horror genre writers and readers in Southeast Asia.
• Epigram Bookshop

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 Eisner Awards for The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye
• +2 more outcomes

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

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• StorytelcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022In 2022, Epigram announced a new short story competition focusing on the horror genre, the Storytel Epigram Horror Prize, in partnership with audio books streaming giant Storytel. This partnership combines Epigram's publishing expertise with Storytel's audio platform reach to promote horror fiction from Southeast Asia.
• huggs coffeeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019In 2019, Epigram collaborated with huggs coffee to open the Huggs-Epigram Coffee Bookshop, a concept store selling local-style food and drinks and Singapore books (written by Singaporeans, published in Singapore or written about Singapore). The store combines publishing with retail hospitality.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Storytel: Global audiobook and e-book streaming platform and Epigram's named partner on the Storytel Epigram Horror Prize. Adjacent rather than competitive—Storytel monetizes audio rights that Epigram publishes and helps Epigram reach international audio audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Scholastic Asia: Major global children's book publisher with Asia presence. Comparable to Epigram for the children's book segment, where Epigram has won Hedwig Anuar Children's Book Awards and competes for the same young-reader market in Singapore.
• Penguin Random House: Global trade publishing giant with a Penguin Random House Southeast Asia imprint. Comparable as a publisher of English-language fiction and non-fiction, but operates at vastly larger scale with mass-market reach that Epigram cannot match.
• HarperCollins: Major global trade publisher with a HarperCollins Southeast Asia presence. Comparable as a publisher of fiction and non-fiction across genres including graphic novels; competes with Epigram for international rights deals on SEA titles.

Direct peers

• Monsoon Books: Singapore-based independent publisher focused on Southeast Asian literature and authors. Closely comparable in size, mission, and regional focus to Epigram, and a natural direct competitor for SEA literary manuscripts and readers.
• Marshall Cavendish: One of Singapore's largest and longest-established trade and educational publishers. Directly comparable as a Singapore-based publisher producing English-language books for the regional market, with a broader catalog and educational focus than Epigram.

Emerging players

• Math Paper Press: Singapore-based independent literary publisher known for poetry and short fiction. Comparable as a small Singapore literary press with shared author pool and Singapore-focused catalog.
• Difference Engine: Singapore-based independent publisher of literary fiction and non-fiction. Closely comparable to Epigram in size, mission, and Singapore literary scene focus, and a frequent competitor for award-winning manuscripts.

Regional players

• World Scientific Publishing: Singapore-headquartered publisher (primarily academic and scientific) with similar Singapore base. Comparable as a Singapore publisher with international reach, though serving different content categories than Epigram's trade focus.
• Hardie Grant Publishing: Independent publisher based in Australia/UK with a curated trade catalog including illustrated books, cookbooks, and literary titles. Comparable as a mid-sized independent publisher focused on design-led, illustrated trade books in the Asia-Pacific cultural sphere.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/epigram

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Epigram