NUS Press

What NUS Press does

NUS Press is the academic publishing arm of the National University of Singapore (NUS), operating as NUS Press Pte Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of a public state university. Founded in 1954 (previously known as NUS E-Press) and headquartered in Singapore, the press produces peer-reviewed scholarly books and journals focused on Asia, with particular depth across Southeast Asia. The catalog spans 17+ subject categories including anthropology, archaeology, architecture, business, economics, geography, history, international law, language learning, literature, politics, religion, sociology, and visual arts, organized both by geography (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Mainland Southeast Asia, Southeast Asia, China, Japan/Korea/East Asia, Regional/Rest of Asia) and by named book series (Ridge Books, Across the Global South, Gendering Asia, Kyoto CSEAS Series, SOAS-co-published Art & Archaeology of Southeast Asia, Studies in Asian Security, and others). Active journals include "Southeast of Now: Directions in Contemporary and Modern Art in Asia" (published twice yearly in March and October, indexed in Scopus and the Directory of Open Access Journals) and "China: An International Journal."

The technology stack is commodity: a Shopify-hosted e-commerce storefront (nuspress.nus.edu.sg) handles the product catalog, shopping cart, account management, and payment processing, accepting Visa, MasterCard, American Express, PayPal, JCB, and UnionPay. Distribution combines direct-to-consumer online sales, regional partner Silkworm Books for Mainland Southeast Asia, direct institutional sales for journal subscriptions and bulk library orders, and open access journal hosting via Project MUSE. Headcount is reported at 1-10 employees, an exceptionally lean operation supported by the parent university's infrastructure.

Revenue mechanics mix one-time book purchases and recurring journal subscriptions, with books priced between $18 and $180 SGD (most titles in the $28-$48 SGD range) and journals offered on differentiated annual subscription tiers (US$40-60 individual, US$150-225 institutional, by region). Select journal open access is grant-funded, specifically the Southeast of Now publication supported by the Chen Chong Swee Asian Arts Programme at Yale-NUS College and the Foundation for Arts Initiatives, Paris. In December 2023, NUS Press completed acquisition of NIAS Press publishing operations (Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, Copenhagen), expanding the Scandinavian Asian studies catalog and global distribution. As a wholly state-owned university subsidiary, NUS Press operates without external investors, venture backing, or public revenue disclosure, functioning as a mission-driven scholarly press rather than a profit-maximizing commercial publisher.

Name

NUS Press

Legal name

NUS Press Pte Ltd

Website

https://nuspress.nus.edu.sg

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NUS Press is the academic publishing arm of the National University of Singapore, producing peer-reviewed scholarly books and journals on Asian studies for university libraries, researchers, students, and general readers worldwide, distributed via direct e-commerce, regional partners, and open access platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Other Publishers (51319)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Monographs & University Press Publishing (MPAJABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAI), Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE), Business, Economics & Management Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAF), Reference Works & Academic Databases (Encyclopedias, Indexes, Abstracts) (MPAJABAI)

Keywords

• Academic publishing
• Asian studies books
• Scholarly journals
• University press
• Humanities publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore, Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: NUS Press generates revenue through direct sales of academic books on Asian studies. Books are sold at various price points ranging from $18 to $180 SGD depending on format and content.
2. Journal Subscriptions: Southeast of Now journal generates subscription revenue with institutional rates (US$150 Southeast Asia, US$225 elsewhere) and individual rates (US$40 Southeast Asia, US$60 elsewhere) for two issues annually.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NUS Press publishes peer-reviewed academic books, scholarly journals, and reference works focused on Asian studies across disciplines including anthropology, archaeology, history, economics, politics, literature, religion, sociology, and visual arts. The press operates a direct e-commerce storefront for individual consumers and an institutional subscription program for journals, serving academic researchers, university libraries, students, and general readers worldwide.

Product overview

NUS Press is the academic publishing arm of the National University of Singapore, specializing in scholarly books and journals about Asia. The core offering consists of academic monographs, edited volumes, and reference works across disciplines including anthropology, archaeology, architecture, business, economics, geography, history, international law, language learning, literature, politics, religion, and sociology. The portfolio includes peer-reviewed journals (Southeast of Now, China: An International Journal) and acquired titles from NIAS Press (Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, acquired December 2023). Books are organized into subject collections (by place: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Japan/Korea/East Asia, Southeast Asia, Regional; and by subject: Anthropology, Archaeology, Business, etc.) and book series. The e-commerce platform is hosted by Shopify and sells books globally with distribution through Silkworm Books for Mainland Southeast Asia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Southeast of Now: A journal publishing directions in contemporary and modern art in Asia, published twice yearly and available open access.
• NIAS Press

Products and services

• Academic Books Scholarly monographs, edited volumes, and reference works focusing on Asian studies, covering disciplines including anthropology, archaeology, history, economics, politics, literature, religion, sociology, and visual arts. Sold globally via the NUS Press e-commerce storefront and regional distributors.
• Southeast of Now: Directions in Contemporary and Modern Art in Asia Peer-reviewed academic journal published twice yearly covering contemporary and modern art in Southeast Asia. Available in print subscription for institutions and individuals, and open access online via Project MUSE with grants from the Chen Chong Swee Asian Arts Programme and Foundation for Arts Initiatives.
• China: An International Journal Academic journal focused on China studies, published by NUS Press.
• NIAS Press Titles Titles acquired from the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, covering Asian studies scholarship focused on Southeast Asia, East Asia, and cross-cultural research from a Nordic perspective. Distributed globally with Silkworm Books handling Mainland Southeast Asia.
• Book Series (Multiple) Organized book series including Across the Global South, Art & Archaeology of Southeast Asia (co-published with SOAS University of London), Asian Studies Association of Australia Series, Gendering Asia, History of Medicine in Southeast Asia, IRASEC Studies, Kyoto CSEAS Series, Ridge Books, Singapore Studies in Society & History, Challenges of Agrarian Transition, and Studies in Asian Security.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• NIAS Press (Nordic Institute of Asian Studies)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 December 2023On December 31, 2023, NUS Press completed acquisition of the publishing operations of NIAS Press, the publisher of the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies in Copenhagen, Denmark. This acquisition expanded NUS Press's catalog and international reach in Asian studies publishing.
• Silkworm BookscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSilkworm Books serves as the regional distributor for Mainland Southeast Asia orders for NIAS Press titles. Customers and bookshops in Mainland Southeast Asia continue to place orders through Silkworm Books.
• Chen Chong Swee Asian Arts Programme at Yale-NUS CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGenerous grants from the Chen Chong Swee Asian Arts Programme at Yale-NUS College, Singapore supported the open access publication of Southeast of Now journal, enabling free online access to the journal's content.
• Foundation for Arts Initiatives, ParismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation for Arts Initiatives in Paris provided grants enabling the open access publication of Southeast of Now journal's online editions.
• Project MUSEmajorTechnology or IntegrationSoutheast of Now journal's online editions are freely available via Open Access through Project MUSE, an online hosting platform for academic journals.
• SOAS University of LondonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNUS Press co-publishes the 'Art & Archaeology of Southeast Asia (with SOAS University of London)' book series, combining scholarly expertise from both institutions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Springer Nature: A large academic publisher with growing Asia-focused lists and journals; broad incumbent competing for Asian studies authors and open access contracts, particularly through its open access programs.
• Oxford University Press: Global university press with established Asian studies imprints and journals; broad incumbent with deeper marketing and digital platforms competing for the same scholarly authors and library budgets.
• Cambridge University Press: One of the world's largest university presses with significant Asian studies book series and area studies journals; a broad incumbent competing with NUS Press for Asian studies authors and library acquisitions globally.
• Routledge (Taylor & Francis): A major academic publisher with extensive area studies and Asian studies lists across books and journals (via Taylor & Francis); broad incumbent competing with NUS Press across the same scholarly categories.

Direct peers

• Duke University Press: A U.S. university press publishing strong humanities and area studies lists, including Southeast Asian anthropology and politics; comparable as a competing university press with monograph and journal portfolios in Asian studies-adjacent fields.
• Brill Academic Publishers: A well-established academic publisher with extensive Asian studies lists and area studies journals (e.g., Asian Yearbook of Human Rights and International Law); competes directly with NUS Press for Asian studies monographs and journal subscriptions.
• ANU Press (Australian National University Press): The publishing arm of ANU specializing in Asia-Pacific scholarly books and open access journals (e.g., Asian Journal of Social Science, ANU Press open access monographs); a regional peer publishing peer-reviewed Asian studies content with a similar open access and university press model.
• University of Hawai'i Press: A U.S. university press with deep Asia-Pacific lists across anthropology, history, linguistics, and area studies journals (e.g., Asian Perspectives, Journal of World History); directly comparable as an English-language academic publisher of Asian area studies with monograph and journal portfolios.
• Cornell University Press (Southeast Asia Program): A leading U.S. university press with a long-standing Southeast Asia Program publishing monographs, journals (e.g., Journal of Asian Studies, Indonesia), and reference works on Southeast Asia—directly comparable as a competing English-language academic publisher of Asian studies.

Emerging players

• Equinox Publishing: An independent academic publisher with niche lists in religious studies, Asia, and area studies; comparable as an emerging/independent peer competing in specialized academic segments where NUS Press operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nus-press

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 NUS Press