Ultimo Press

What Ultimo Press does

Ultimo Press is an Australian book publishing imprint established in 2020 as part of Hardie Grant Publishing, an independent publishing group headquartered in Melbourne with offices in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The imprint is dedicated to discovering and nurturing new literary talent, publishing fiction and non-fiction works across literary fiction, crime and mystery, historical fiction, poetry, romance, biography and memoir, food and drink, travel, health and wellbeing, and other categories. Authors are published in English across Australian, UK, and US markets, with translations in more than a dozen additional territories.

The imprint's core product is individual published titles, and the catalog has produced multiple award-winning works, including Diana Reid's Love & Virtue (ABIA Book of the Year, ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year, ABA Booksellers' Choice Fiction Book of the Year) and Katherine Brabon's Body Friend (Vogel's Literary Award, NSW Premier's Literary Award, David Harold Tribe Fiction Award, Stella Prize shortlist). Distribution operates through standard book retail channels including physical bookstores, online retailers, and digital platforms, leveraging Hardie Grant's multi-territory distribution infrastructure.

The business model is traditional trade publishing: revenue is generated through one-time sales of physical and digital book copies via wholesale and retail channels, priced at standard retail levels set by publishers and retailers. Marketing is conducted through author-driven articles and interviews on the Ultimo Press website and an email newsletter for new releases and offers. There is no proprietary technology platform, no disclosed funding, and no independent ownership structure; the imprint operates as a branded publishing line within the Hardie Grant Publishing group.

Name

Ultimo Press

Legal name

Ultimo Press

Website

https://ultimopress.com.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Ultimo Press is an Australian publishing imprint under Hardie Grant Publishing, founded in 2020, that discovers and nurtures new literary talent by publishing fiction and non-fiction titles across multiple genres for consumer readers in Australia, the UK, and the US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB), Biography, Memoir & Narrative Nonfiction Publishing (MPAJAAAI)

Keywords

• Literary book publishing
• Fiction publishing
• Non-fiction publishing
• Literary imprint
• Trade book publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Revenue generated through sales of published fiction and non-fiction books, including physical copies and digital formats distributed through book retailers and wholesalers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Ultimo Press is a publishing imprint that acquires, edits, produces, and distributes trade fiction and non-fiction books across genres such as crime and mystery, historical fiction, romance, poetry, biography, memoir, food and drink, travel, and children's literature. The imprint focuses on discovering and nurturing new literary talent, releasing titles for contemporary general readers through physical bookstores, online retailers, and digital platforms.

Product overview

Ultimo Press is a single-imprint publishing house under Hardie Grant Publishing, dedicated to discovering and nurturing new literary talent. The company delivers compelling fiction and non-fiction works that challenge, entertain, and resonate with a contemporary audience. Its product offering centers on book publishing across multiple genres including fiction (crime & mystery, historical, romance, poetry), non-fiction (biography, memoir, food & drink, travel, art), and children's literature (picture books, middle grade, young adult). The imprint publishes individual titles by various authors, with new releases and upcoming books featured on their website.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ultimo Press Book Publishing Australian publishing imprint that discovers and nurtures new literary talent, delivering compelling fiction and non-fiction works including novels, memoirs, and literary fiction across multiple genres for general readers.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hardie Grant PublishingcoreOthersUltimo Press is an imprint of Hardie Grant Publishing, an Australian independent publishing house. Hardie Grant operates offices in Australia, United States, and United Kingdom, providing Ultimo Press with distribution infrastructure and publishing expertise across multiple territories.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Allen & Unwin: Major Australian independent publisher of literary and trade fiction and non-fiction. Directly comparable to Ultimo Press in genre breadth, Australian literary focus, and operation of multiple imprints targeting different audience segments.
• Text Publishing: Australian independent publisher with a strong literary fiction list and notable award winners (Miles Franklin, Stella Prize). Comparable to Ultimo Press in editorial focus on literary quality, Australian authorship, and trade publishing scale.
• Scribe Publications: Australian-founded independent publisher of literary fiction and non-fiction with a reputation for author-driven publishing. Comparable to Ultimo Press in editorial approach, Australian literary focus, and trade publishing scale.
• Giramondo Publishing: Australian literary publisher specializing in literary fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. Comparable to Ultimo Press in award-winning literary catalog and focus on cultivating emerging Australian voices.
• Affirm Press: Melbourne-based independent Australian publisher with a literary fiction and non-fiction list. Comparable to Ultimo Press in size, independent-trade positioning, and Australian literary focus.
• Pantera Press: Australian independent publisher operating as another imprint under the Hardie Grant Publishing group. Most directly comparable peer given shared parent, similar trade-publishing focus, and overlapping literary author roster.
• Europa Editions: Independent international publisher specializing in literary fiction and translation. Comparable to Ultimo Press in literary-fiction editorial focus, mid-list publishing scale, and translation rights business model.

Broad incumbents

• Hachette Australia: Major multinational publisher's Australian division publishing across literary and commercial fiction and non-fiction. Comparable as a competitor for literary manuscripts but operates at far larger scale with broader genre portfolio.
• Penguin Random House Australia: Largest trade publisher in the Australian market with literary and commercial imprints. Comparable as a competitor for literary authors but vastly larger in scale, catalog depth, and distribution.

Regional players

• Sleepers Publishing: Small Australian independent publisher focused on Australian literary fiction and non-fiction. Comparable to Ultimo Press in scale, regional focus, and editorial approach to literary publishing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights5 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 Ultimo Press