What Tor/Forge Books does

Tor/Forge Books is a book publishing imprint founded in 1980, operating under Tor Publishing Group within Macmillan Publishers, which is itself owned by Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. Headquartered in Brooklyn, New York with 139 employees, the imprint publishes adult fiction and nonfiction across eleven genre categories including thriller, mystery, fantasy, science fiction, romance, horror, literary fiction, bios & memoirs, politics, nonfiction, and self-help. Its backlist on the Macmillan storefront comprises 751+ titles, and its catalog includes numerous works that have won major genre awards (Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, Macavity, Audie, Spur, W.Y. Boyd Literary Award, ALA Alex Awards). The imprint operates through a portfolio of sub-imprints such as 23rd Street Books, AUWA, Aerie, All Points Books, Andy Cohen Books, and Balzer + Bray, allowing it to segment its publishing activity across genres and audiences within a unified corporate structure.

The imprint's core product offering centers on physical books (hardcover, trade paperback, mass market paperbound) and digital formats (e-Book, e-Book Bundle, Nook Fixed Layout, ePub Fixed Layout), with audiobook publishing handled through Macmillan Audio. Its underlying technology is a conventional book publishing and distribution platform with no proprietary features disclosed in the source material. Distribution leverages Macmillan's global infrastructure across direct online sales (us.macmillan.com), major retail bookstores, digital/e-book platforms, international sales channels, academic and library services, and special markets/permissions. Marketing is conducted through the Macmillan website, email newsletters, genre-specific community sites (Criminal Element, Reactor, Fierce Reads, The History Reader, Work In Progress), the MacImpact thematic-marketing initiative, and the Reading Group Gold book-club program.

Tor/Forge Books generates revenue through four primary streams: physical book sales (one-time), e-book sales (one-time), audiobook publishing via Macmillan Audio (one-time), and rights and licensing (royalties). Its three principal customer segments are general book readers (primary), academic and library markets, and booksellers/retailers, with a horizontal segmentation approach. Title-level pricing is not publicly disclosed. The imprint has no independent operating geography, partnerships, regulatory actions, leadership disclosures, funding rounds, or M&A activity in the source material; it functions as a division within Macmillan's broader publishing organization rather than a standalone corporate entity.

Name

Tor/Forge Books

Legal name

Macmillan Publishers

Website

https://tor-forge.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Tor/Forge Books is a Brooklyn-based imprint of Tor Publishing Group under Macmillan Publishers, publishing 751+ adult fiction and nonfiction titles across eleven genres in print, e-book, and audiobook formats for general readers, libraries, and retail booksellers worldwide.

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

Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mass Market & Paperback Publishing (MPAJAAAD), Hardcover & Premium Editions Publishing (MPAJAAAE)

Keywords

• Book publishing services
• Fiction publishing
• Genre fiction imprints
• Digital book publishing
• Audiobook publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Others, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Physical Book Sales: Revenue generated from sale of physical books including hardcover, trade paperback, and mass market paperbound formats through retail, wholesale, and direct channels.
2. E-book Sales: Digital book sales through various e-book formats including e-Book, e-Book Bundle, Nook Fixed Layout, and ePub Fixed Layout.
3. Audio Book Publishing: Macmillan Audio division handles audiobook publishing and distribution.
4. Rights and Licensing: International sales and special markets licensing of publishing rights.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tor/Forge Books is a book publishing imprint of Tor Publishing Group under Macmillan Publishers that acquires, edits, produces, and distributes adult fiction and nonfiction titles across genres including thriller, mystery, fantasy, science fiction, romance, horror, literary fiction, bios & memoirs, nonfiction, politics, and self-help. Titles are released in hardcover, trade paperback, mass market paperbound, e-book, and audiobook formats and reach readers via Macmillan's direct-to-consumer website, retail/wholesale channels, digital platforms, and international rights licensing.

Product overview

Tor/Forge Books is an imprint of Tor Publishing Group under Macmillan Publishers. It operates as a traditional book publishing company offering physical and digital book formats including hardcover, mass market paperback, trade paperback, e-books in multiple formats (e-Book, e-Book Bundle, Nook Fixed Layout, ePub Fixed Layout). The imprint publishes across diverse genres including Bios & Memoirs, Fantasy, Horror, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Nonfiction, Politics, Romance, Science Fiction, Self-Help, and Thriller. Forge Books titles appear in collections such as Awards, Book Excerpts, Major Awards, Mysteries & Thrillers, and Top Sellers, and include sub-imprints like 23rd Street Books, A Thomas Dunne Book for St. Martin's Griffin, AUWA, Aerie, All Points Books, Andy Cohen Books, Balzer + Bray, and others.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Forge Books imprint Forge Books is the adult fiction and nonfiction imprint of Tor Publishing Group under Macmillan Publishers. It acquires, edits, produces, and distributes books in genres including thrillers, mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, bios & memoirs, literary fiction, nonfiction, politics, and self-help, releasing each title in hardcover, mass market paperback, trade paperback, e-book, and audiobook editions for general readers, library markets, and retail booksellers.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Penguin Random House: The largest trade book publisher in the world and a direct competitor to Macmillan in adult fiction/nonfiction across all genres. Operates genre imprints like Del Rey, Ace, Berkley, and Ballantine that compete head-to-head with Forge Books for the same authors, agents, and shelf space.
• HarperCollins: One of the 'Big Five' publishers competing with Macmillan/Tor across trade fiction and nonfiction. Operates Harper Voyager (sci-fi/fantasy) and Avon (romance/thriller) imprints that overlap directly with Forge Books' genre focus.
• Simon & Schuster: Major trade publisher competing with Forge Books across thriller, mystery, sci-fi/fantasy, and general fiction. Owns Pocket Books and Saga Press, both of which target the same genre fiction readership.
• Hachette Book Group: Big Five trade publisher with comparable genre fiction coverage through imprints like Orbit (sci-fi/fantasy) and Grand Central Publishing. Direct competitor for genre authors and bookstore placements.

Direct peers

• Orbit Books: Hachette's dedicated science fiction and fantasy imprint. Most directly comparable single imprint to Forge/Tor in terms of genre specialization, format offerings, and target readership of genre fiction enthusiasts.
• Del Rey Books: Penguin Random House's flagship sci-fi/fantasy imprint. Competes with Tor/Forge for the same agented authors in science fiction, fantasy, and adjacent genre fiction, with overlapping author rosters.
• Baen Books: Independent genre publisher specializing in science fiction and fantasy. Comparable to Forge/Tor in genre focus and target reader base, with similar mass-market paperback and hardcover distribution strategy.
• DAW Books: Long-standing independent publisher of science fiction and fantasy titles, now distributed by Astra House. Directly comparable to Forge/Tor in catalog composition, format offerings, and genre fiction positioning.
• Kensington Books: Independent publisher with strong genre fiction presence in thriller, mystery, romance, and horror. Comparable to Forge Books in offering a multi-genre portfolio across mass market and trade paperback formats.

Emerging players

• Angry Robot Books: Independent genre fiction imprint focused on science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Smaller and more niche than Forge Books but addresses the same genre fiction reader through similar mass-market paperback and digital distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Tor/Forge Books