EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS
Shackleton Books is a Barcelona-based Spanish independent publisher specializing in essay and popular science books across science, history, philosophy, and psychology, serving general Spanish readers through direct e-commerce and major retail distribution.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersBarcelona, Spain
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS does
Shackleton Books is a Spanish independent publishing house operating as Shackleton Books, S.L. (Sociedad Unipersonal) from Barcelona, with 23 employees. The company specializes in contemporary essay and popular science (divulgación) books, organized across five adult collections: Shackleton Books (the main imprint covering science, history, philosophy, and psychology), Shackleton Discovery, Psyche (psychology), Pensadores (philosophy), and Historia Brevis (brief histories). A separate children's imprint, Shackleton Kids, operates from a dedicated domain (shackletonkids.com). The catalog features works by internationally recognized authors including Gary Marcus, Peter Godfrey-Smith, Amedeo Balbi (winner of the Premio Asimov 2021 for "El último horizonte"), Emiliano Bruner, and Ruth Scurr.
The business model is direct-to-consumer book sales via a WordPress/WooCommerce e-commerce website (shipping within Spain excluding the Canary Islands), supplemented by distribution through all major Spanish retail channels — Amazon.es, Casa del Libro, FNAC, Agapea, El Corte Inglés, and Todostuslibros.com. Books are individually priced between €14.90 and €29.90, with VAT and shipping included. The technology stack is a standard publishing-internet commerce configuration: WordPress CMS, WooCommerce storefront, Elementor for content creation, Intercom Messenger for customer support, and Complianz for cookie consent. There is no proprietary technology, public API, or application layer disclosed.
The company is supported by Spanish public cultural institutions, including financing from the Dirección General del Libro y Fomento a la Lectura (Ministry of Culture) under the EU Next Generation Recovery Plan, and support from the Catalan ICEC (Institut Català de les Empreses Culturals). Marketing is conducted through owned channels — a website blog with author interviews, an email newsletter, and active social media presence on Instagram, X, Facebook, and YouTube. The company has no disclosed parent, no external investors, and no public revenue figures.
EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS
- Legal name
- Shackleton Books, S.L. (Sociedad Unipersonal)
- Website
- https://shackletonbooks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Shackleton Books is a Barcelona-based Spanish independent publisher specializing in essay and popular science books across science, history, philosophy, and psychology, serving general Spanish readers through direct e-commerce and major retail distribution.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Literary & Classics Publishing (MPAJAAAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- General Bookstores (New Books) (CRALAAAA)
Keywords
Where EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Barcelona
- HQ country
- Spain
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Book Sales: Direct sales of essay and popular science books through their e-commerce website and third-party retail distribution channels. Books are priced individually with VAT and shipping included in stated prices.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual book purchases from the Shackleton Books collection |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Shackleton Books is a Barcelona-based Spanish-language book publisher that specializes in contemporary essays and popular science (divulgación) titles covering science, history, philosophy, and psychology. The company organizes its catalog into themed collections (Shackleton Books, Shackleton Discovery, Psyche, Pensadores, Historia Brevis, and Shackleton Kids) and sells its titles both directly through its own e-commerce site and through major Spanish and international retailers as well as physical bookstore chains.
Product overview
Shackleton Books is a Spanish book publisher specializing in contemporary essays and dissemination (divulgación) books. The company operates as a multi-collection publishing house with five distinct collections: Shackleton Books (the main collection featuring science, history, philosophy, and psychology), Shackleton Discovery, Psyche (psychology-focused), Pensadores (philosophy-focused), and Historia Brevis (brief history books). They also operate Shackleton Kids for children's publications. Their portfolio includes titles by notable authors such as Gary Marcus on AI, Peter Godfrey-Smith on consciousness, Amedeo Balbi on astrophysics, and various works on history and philosophy. The company distributes books through their own website and major retail partners including Amazon, FNAC, Casa del Libro, and El Corte Inglés.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Shackleton Kids: Children's books division
Products and services
- Shackleton Books (Colección Principal)
Companies that use EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Editorial Anagrama: Long-standing independent Spanish publisher of literary essays, intellectual non-fiction, and contemporary thought — directly comparable in catalog composition, curated author roster, and premium positioning to Shackleton Books.
- Capitán Swing: Spanish independent publisher specializing in essay, divulgación, and social-sciences titles from international authors — closely comparable catalog mix and editorial stance.
- Editorial Ariel: Spanish publisher of essays, science, and humanities, closely comparable in category breadth across science, history, and philosophy titles.
- Editorial Sexto Piso: Independent Spanish-language essay publisher focused on contemporary thought, philosophy, and divulgación titles, with a comparable curated niche catalog and translation-led model.
- Editorial Paidós: Imprint of Planeta focused on psychology, social sciences, and contemporary essay — directly overlaps Shackleton's Psyche and Pensadores collections.
Broad incumbents
- Editorial Planeta: Spain's largest general-interest publisher — competes for non-fiction titles and major translated authors that Shackleton targets, with broader scale and marketing reach.
- Penguin Random House Spain: Spanish subsidiary of the global publisher, dominating retail distribution and bidding capacity for international non-fiction titles that drive Shackleton's premium positioning.
- Editorial Crítica: Planeta imprint specializing in non-fiction and popular science — overlaps Shackleton's essay/divulgación focus but with broader scale as part of Spain's largest publishing group.
- Taurus (Penguin Random House): Spanish imprint of Penguin Random House with a strong essay and divulgación list — a global publisher's curated non-fiction arm competing for the same readers and authors.
Regional players
- Edicions 62 / Grup62: Major Catalan-language publisher headquartered in Barcelona — directly comparable geography, audience overlap, and government-supported cultural-publishing model, and an obvious partner or competitor for Shackleton's Catalan market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS social profiles
Digital presenceEMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS 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 EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS
What does EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS do?
Shackleton Books is a Barcelona-based Spanish-language book publisher that specializes in contemporary essays and popular science (divulgación) titles covering science, history, philosophy, and psychology. The company organizes its catalog into themed collections (Shackleton Books, Shackleton Discovery, Psyche, Pensadores, Historia Brevis, and Shackleton Kids) and sells its titles both directly through its own e-commerce site and through major Spanish and international retailers as well as physical bookstore chains.
Is EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS a public or private company?
EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS founded?
EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS based?
EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS is headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, in the Europe region.
How does EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS make money?
One revenue line is on record: book Sales.
Who are EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Editorial Anagrama, Capitán Swing, Editorial Ariel, Editorial Sexto Piso and Editorial Paidós. Broad incumbents are Editorial Planeta, Penguin Random House Spain, Editorial Crítica and Taurus (Penguin Random House). Edicions 62 / Grup62 is listed as a regional player.
Does EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS have an API?
No public API is recorded for EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS.
What industry is EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS in?
EMSE / SHACKLETON BOOKS's product category is Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAC, Literary & Classics Publishing, with a secondary code of CRALAAAA, General Bookstores (New Books). Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.