Rainbow Book Company

What Rainbow Book Company does

Rainbow Book Company is a US-based, privately-held full-service distributor of PreK through Young Adult print and digital books, founded in 1996 and headquartered in Crete, Illinois with 11–50 employees. The company sells fiction and non-fiction titles to school libraries (K–12 districts, individual schools, and classrooms) and public library systems, supplying state award lists, bilingual and Spanish language inventory, and proprietary Rainbow Book Company Library Editions with enhanced bindings. Its core offering bundles book procurement with shelf-ready processing — in-house cataloging, MARC records, laminated covers, library binding with Davey Red label binder boards, and custom specifications retained on file per district — supported by a nationwide field sales force that brings publisher selections directly to library locations.

The company's technology layer includes the Collection Plus online collection analysis tool, the CATcheck OPAC inquiry system for public libraries, and CPI.Digital — a wholly-owned digital reading platform accessible via web portal and iOS/Android applications with offline reading capability. CPI.Digital aggregates content from hundreds of educational and trade publishers and supports multiple authentication methods including Common User Access, IP-based authentication, Referring URL integration, and Single Sign-On via Clever, ClassLink, and Google. MARC records are provided with all eBooks for seamless integration with library automation systems.

Rainbow Book Company monetizes through four streams: one-time book sales to libraries, recurring subscription revenue via CPI.Digital, professional services fees for processing/binding/cataloging, and curated Opening Day Collection development for new school libraries. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market combines enterprise field sales for large district and public library relationships with product-led self-service onboarding through CPI.Digital for digital content access.

Name

Rainbow Book Company

Legal name

Rainbow Book Company

Website

https://rainbowbookcompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rainbow Book Company is a US-based full-service distributor of PreK-YA print and digital books for school and public libraries, offering curated collections, in-house cataloging, library binding, and the CPI.Digital reading platform via a nationwide field sales force and online channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Library Book Distribution

NAICS

Book, Periodical, and Newspaper Merchant Wholesalers (424920)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Wholesale-Paper & Paper Products (5110)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRAOALAL

Library & Institutional Supplies Distribution

Consumer Products & Retail/Wholesale, Distribution & Category Management/Books, Office Supplies & Stationery Distribution

SECONDARYEDAGAAAA

Core Subject Textbooks (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies)

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/K–12 Curriculum & Textbooks

SECONDARYCRAOALAD

Religious & Specialty Publishing Distribution

Consumer Products & Retail/Wholesale, Distribution & Category Management/Books, Office Supplies & Stationery Distribution

Keywords

• School library books
• Book distribution services
• Library cataloging services
• Educational eBook platform
• Library collection development

Headquarters

HQ city

Crete

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Sale of PreK to YA fiction and non-fiction materials to school and public libraries, including state award lists, bilingual, Spanish language, and general library titles. One-time transactional purchases with competitive discount pricing.
2. Processing and Binding Services: Fully customizable shelf-ready processing including laminated covers, library binding with round corners and Davey Red label binder boards, cataloging, labeling, and MARC records. These add-on services generate additional revenue per order.
3. eBook/Digital Content (CPI.Digital): Digital reading platform providing access to educational and trade publisher content for Pre-K to Teen readers, available via web portal and mobile app for both online and offline reading.
4. Opening Day Collection Curation: Professional collection development services for new school libraries, including curated collections, Dewey-ordered packing, and shelf-ready delivery for new library openings.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rainbow Book Company distributes PreK-YA print and digital books and provides cataloging, processing, and collection development services to school and public libraries. The company operates as a full-service book distributor, combining hands-on field sales with shelf-ready processing, library binding, customizable cataloging (MARC records and labels), and curated collection development for new and existing libraries.

Product overview

Rainbow Book Company is a single, unified full-service book distribution platform for PreK to YA materials serving both school and public libraries. The core offering centers on the Rainbow Book Company platform providing one-stop shopping with in-person sales representatives, customizable cataloging/processing services, and binding services. The product portfolio includes CPI.Digital as a digital eBook sub-brand accessible via web and mobile apps; Collection Plus for online collection analysis; CATcheck for OPAC inquiries; World Languages Collection offering 52+ languages including Spanish/bilingual titles; Opening Day Collections for new library setup; and Binding Services for durable library-bound materials. Services are integrated with school library automation systems through MARC records and SSO options via Clever, ClassLink, and Google.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CPI.Digital: Digital eBook platform allowing readers to access digital literature through web portal or iOS/Android mobile app, with partnerships with hundreds of major educational and trade publishers offering Pre-K to Teen content.

Products and services

• Rainbow Book Company Book Distribution Full-service book distribution offerings for PreK to YA fiction and non-fiction materials serving school and public libraries, including state award lists, bilingual and Spanish language titles, and general library inventory. Delivered through nationwide field sales representatives and supported by shelf-ready processing.
• CPI.Digital Digital eBook platform providing access to educational and trade publisher content for Pre-K to Teen readers via web portal and mobile app, with online and offline reading capability, curated collections, and multi-authentication access including SSO via Clever, ClassLink, and Google.
• Opening Day Collections Professional collection development service for new school libraries, providing a personalized sales representative, Excel spreadsheet of titles, Dewey breakdown classification chart, and shelf-ready processing packed in Dewey order.
• Binding Services Library binding services including laminated covers, round library corners, Davey Red label high density binder boards, and high quality synthetic adhesive for durability and longevity.
• Cataloging and Processing Fully customizable cataloging and processing services with high quality labels, MARC records aligned to district or school specifications, online specification management, and specifications kept on file.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 100% fulfillment rate on every order

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Hundreds of Major Educational and Trade PublisherscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCPI.Digital has established partnerships with hundreds of major educational and trade publishers to provide the greatest choice for building high-quality digital collections. These partnerships ensure breadth and depth of content from Pre-K to Teen across the digital platform.
• Top Publishers (Unnamed)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRainbow Book Company has relationships with top publishers to provide newest titles and extensive backlist selections through their sales representatives. The company brings selections from these publishers directly to libraries through their field sales team.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Follett School Solutions: Dominant K–12 library content and materials provider operating the Destiny Library Manager platform plus book distribution and processing services. Comparable in serving the same school library customer base with a much broader and more integrated product portfolio.
• Baker & Taylor: Large wholesale distributor of books and media to public libraries and retailers globally. Comparable on the wholesale distribution and library fulfillment side, though at materially larger scale and broader scope.

Direct peers

• Mackin Educational Resources: Direct competitor in K–12 library book distribution, offering print books, eBooks, digital content platforms, and collection development services to school libraries nationwide. Highly comparable in product mix, customer base, and go-to-market approach.
• Perma-Bound Books: K–12 school library book distributor specializing in pre-bound library editions and shelf-ready processing. Directly comparable to Rainbow's print distribution and library binding service line, serving the same school library procurement workflow.
• Junior Library Guild: Subscription-based book distribution service delivering curated PreK–YA titles monthly to school and public libraries. Comparable in targeting the same institutional customer base with a recurring-revenue model on children's and YA literature.
• Bound to Stay Bound Books: Specialized library binding and PreK–YA book distributor serving school and public libraries. Highly comparable on the print/bookbinding side of Rainbow's business, including shelf-ready processing and durability-focused library editions.
• OverDrive (Libby / Sora): Largest digital library content platform for schools and public libraries via Sora (K–12) and Libby (public libraries). Direct competitor to CPI.Digital in digital eBook/audiobook distribution with substantially larger publisher catalogs and brand reach.

Emerging players

• Capstone (Cobblestone): K–12 educational publisher producing curriculum-aligned and high-interest books for school libraries, including digital platforms like Capstone Connect. Comparable in targeting the same school library acquisition needs with proprietary content and digital tools.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RainbowBookCo
• Facebookfacebook.com/RainbowBookCompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/rainbowbookco

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 Rainbow Book Company