HPH Publishing
HPH Publishing is a South African boutique publishing house that sells wildlife, travel, and fine art photography books, PDFs, and prints directly to consumers worldwide via its Shopify storefront, with curated content from award-winning photographers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersJohannesburg, South Africa
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What HPH Publishing does
HPH Publishing is a privately held, boutique publishing house headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. Operating under the HPH Publishing South Africa brand, the company produces and sells high-quality books, encrypted PDF downloads, and fine art prints focused exclusively on African wildlife, travel, nature photography, and conservation. Since 2014 it has curated a catalog of 126 products spanning self-drive guidebooks (Kruger, Botswana, Etosha, Kgalagadi, Pilanesberg, Addo, Namaqua), award-winning coffee table photography books (titles by Jonathan and Angela Scott, Hannes Lochner, Armand Grobler, Greg du Toit, and Gerald Hinde), limited and open-edition fine art prints (notably a Heinrich van den Berg sub-brand and a Jay Roode aerial photography sub-brand), and a Best Stays luxury lodge series. The company also offers bespoke Custom Publishing services for individuals and organizations.
The business runs on a Shopify-powered direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront at hphpublishing.co.za, with order processing, payment handling, and a long-tail global shipping capability supported by warehouses and distributors in South Africa, the UK, and the US. Fine art prints are produced by world-renowned fine art printers using aqueous inkjet art paper with Quad Tone Ink technology for black and white, and each print is personally overseen and signed by the photographer. Digital products are delivered as encrypted PDFs with password-protected email links. The company is bootstrapped, founder/owner-operated, with a headcount of approximately 6 employees and no external institutional investment.
Revenue is generated entirely through one-time purchase transactions across three streams: physical book sales (range from R171 for children's titles to R2,875 for premium coffee table books), fine art prints (R2,818-R4,255), and PDF downloads (R224-R799), with bundle deals and periodic promotions including Black Friday discounts of up to 80%. The customer base is a long tail of individual consumers segmented into safari travelers, wildlife photography enthusiasts, art collectors, and gift buyers, with 20,000+ orders fulfilled, 16,000+ customers served, and a 4.8/5 satisfaction rating across 1,258 reviews. Marketing channels are organic social (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), email newsletter, blog content, and SEO-optimized product pages.
HPH Publishing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HPH Publishing
- Legal name
- HPH Publishing
- Website
- https://hphpublishing.co.za
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- HPH Publishing is a South African boutique publishing house that sells wildlife, travel, and fine art photography books, PDFs, and prints directly to consumers worldwide via its Shopify storefront, with curated content from award-winning photographers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HPH Publishing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313), All Other Publishers (513199)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Mass Market & Paperback Publishing (MPAJAAAD)
Keywords
Where HPH Publishing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Johannesburg
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
HPH Publishing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Physical Book Sales: Sale of hardcover and paperback books including wildlife guide books, coffee table books, and travel guides. Books are shipped directly to customers with international delivery available. Includes both standard editions and special bundles.
- Fine Art Print Sales: Sale of limited and unlimited edition fine art prints by photographers including Heinrich van den Berg and Jay Roode. Prints are produced on high-quality paper with various size options (A0, A1, A2, A3). Sold as one-time purchases with no recurring fees.
- PDF Digital Downloads: Downloadable PDF versions of guide books sold as one-time digital purchases. Delivered via automated email with encrypted password protection. Includes self-drive guides for various African destinations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Wildlife and Travel Books - Price range from budget to premium |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Fine Art Prints - Multiple size and edition options |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | PDF Digital Downloads |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bundle Deals - Best Stays Collection |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
HPH Publishing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HPH Publishing is a boutique South African publishing house that produces and sells physical wildlife and travel books, PDF digital downloads, and fine art prints focused on African nature, wildlife, and photography. Products are sold directly to consumers through the company's own Shopify e-commerce storefront, with international shipping supported from warehouses in South Africa, the UK, and the US. The company also offers bespoke custom publishing services for authors and photographers.
Product overview
HPH Publishing is a South African boutique publishing house operating since 2014 that produces high-quality books, PDF downloads, and fine art prints focused on African wildlife, travel, and nature photography. The core product portfolio centers on three interconnected offerings: (1) Wildlife and travel guide books including the popular Self-Drive guide series covering Kruger, Botswana, Etosha, Kgalagadi, Pilanesberg, Addo, and Namaqua; (2) Coffee table photography books featuring award-winning wildlife photographers like Jonathan and Angela Scott, Hannes Lochner, Armand Grobler, and Greg du Toit; and (3) Fine art prints by photographers Heinrich van den Berg (wildlife) and Jay Roode (aerial photography). The company also offers Custom Publishing services for bespoke book creation. The business leverages Shopify for e-commerce operations and distributes internationally to customers in multiple countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Heinrich van den Berg Fine Art Prints: Fine art prints by photographer Heinrich van den Berg, featuring wildlife photography available in various sizes (A3, A2, A1, A0) with signature editions.
Products and services
- Wildlife and Travel Books Physical hardcover and paperback books focused on African wildlife, safari travel, and nature photography, authored by select specialists such as Heinrich van den Berg, Jay Roode, and other naturalists. Sold to individual readers, travelers, and collectors through the company's online store.
- PDF Digital Downloads Encrypted PDF versions of selected guide books available for instant download. Targeted at travelers and self-drive enthusiasts who prefer digital, portable reference content.
- Fine Art Prints Limited-edition and open-edition fine art prints produced from nature and wildlife photography by featured artists, printed with Quad Tone Inks. Targeted at collectors, interior decorators, and gift buyers.
- Custom Publishing Services Bespoke publishing service offering for authors and photographers who want to produce high-quality books or print collections through HPH Publishing's production capabilities.
Quantifiable outcome
- Customer satisfaction rating of 4.8/5 based on 1,258 reviews
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use HPH Publishing
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
HPH Publishing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
HPH Publishing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ShopifycoreShopify provides the e-commerce platform powering HPH Publishing's online store. The platform enables product listings, shopping cart functionality, checkout processing, payment handling, and order management.
- Heinrich van den BergcoreHPH Publishing publishes books featuring the photography of Heinrich van den Berg. He personally oversees the editing and printing of fine art prints to ensure quality standards are maintained.
- Jay RoodecoreHPH Publishing publishes Aerial Art Fine Art Prints by Jay Roode. Jay Roode personally edits images and oversees printing to maintain quality standards for the prints.
- ArdmoreminorArdmore Artist is featured in Africa's Best Stays publication, showcasing their artwork alongside travel content in the luxury lodge guide.
- Steadfast AfricaminorSteadfast Africa provides curated travel expertise featured in the Africa's Best Stays publication, contributing to the luxury travel guide's content.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
HPH Publishing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- National Geographic Books: National Geographic Books publishes premium wildlife, nature, and travel photography books with global distribution. Overlaps with HPH on wildlife photography coffee table books, but operates at massive scale across many subject areas beyond African wildlife.
- Aperture Foundation: Aperture is a renowned photography foundation and publisher of fine art photography books. Comparable in premium photography book publishing and fine art print offerings, but focuses on broader photographic art rather than niche African wildlife.
- Quarto Group: Quarto Group is a global illustrated book publisher with strong nature, photography, and travel categories. Comparable in illustrated book publishing model and global distribution, but operates at much larger scale across diverse subjects.
- Taschen: Taschen is a global publisher of premium illustrated and photography books with a strong art and nature catalogue. Comparable in premium positioning and large-format photography books, but Taschen serves a broader global art/lifestyle market vs. HPH's African-focused niche.
Direct peers
- Bradt Travel Guides: Bradt is a UK-based independent travel guide publisher specializing in African destinations with comprehensive self-drive guides similar to HPH's Kruger and Botswana Self-Drive series. Directly comparable in product format, target customer (self-drive safari travelers), and geographic focus.
- Jacana Media: Jacana Media is an independent South African publisher known for high-quality photography books, travel writing, and nature content across southern Africa. Shares HPH's boutique positioning, coffee table book format, and focus on African storytelling with award-winning photographers.
- Struik Nature (Penguin Random House South Africa): Struik Nature is the leading South African wildlife and nature publisher with deep catalogues of field guides, coffee table books, and travel titles on African wildlife. HPH Publishing competes directly within the same niche, target market (safari travelers and wildlife enthusiasts), and distribution channels (physical bookstores and direct-to-consumer).
- Wildlife Photographer of the Year (Natural History Museum): The annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition portfolio books are among the most celebrated wildlife photography publications globally. Directly comparable in subject matter (award-winning wildlife photography) and overlaps with HPH's titles featuring Scott, Lochner, and Du Toit, who have won similar competitions.
Others
- HPH Publishing - Jonathan Ball Publishers (NB Publishers): Jonathan Ball Publishers is a major South African trade publisher with nature and travel titles. While not a direct niche competitor, it represents the broader South African publishing landscape in which HPH operates and competes for shelf space and distribution.
Emerging players
- Africa Geographic: Africa Geographic is a media brand covering African wildlife, conservation, and safari travel with associated publications and photography awards. Overlaps in audience (safari travelers, conservation supporters) and Afrika-focused content, though operates primarily as a digital/editorial platform rather than a book publisher.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
HPH Publishing social profiles
Digital presenceHPH Publishing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HPH Publishing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
HPH Publishing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HPH Publishing 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 HPH Publishing
What does HPH Publishing do?
HPH Publishing is a boutique South African publishing house that produces and sells physical wildlife and travel books, PDF digital downloads, and fine art prints focused on African nature, wildlife, and photography. Products are sold directly to consumers through the company's own Shopify e-commerce storefront, with international shipping supported from warehouses in South Africa, the UK, and the US. The company also offers bespoke custom publishing services for authors and photographers.
Is HPH Publishing a public or private company?
HPH Publishing is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was HPH Publishing founded?
HPH Publishing was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is HPH Publishing based?
HPH Publishing is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does HPH Publishing make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Physical Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are fine Art Print Sales and PDF Digital Downloads.
Who are HPH Publishing's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are National Geographic Books, Aperture Foundation, Quarto Group and Taschen. Direct peers are Bradt Travel Guides, Jacana Media, Struik Nature (Penguin Random House South Africa) and Wildlife Photographer of the Year (Natural History Museum). HPH Publishing - Jonathan Ball Publishers (NB Publishers) is listed as an others. Africa Geographic is listed as an emerging player.
Does HPH Publishing have an API?
No public API is recorded for HPH Publishing.
What industry is HPH Publishing in?
HPH Publishing's product category is Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAA, General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction), with a secondary code of MPAJAAAD, Mass Market & Paperback Publishing. Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.