Catholic Book Publishing

What Catholic Book Publishing does

The Association of Catholic Publishers (ACP), referenced in the firmographic record under the name Catholic Book Publishing, is a U.S. nonprofit trade association headquartered in Ellicott City, Maryland, that serves publishers and producers of Catholic content across books, audio, video, and music in both print and digital formats. ACP operates as a membership organization governed by a Board of Directors and led by Executive Director Therese Brown; its core offering is a portfolio of member services rather than a unified product. These services include the Excellence in Publishing Awards (an annual recognition program running across 18 categories, most recently drawing ~120 finalists from 18 publishers in the 2026 cycle), the ACP Hall of Fame, the Outstanding Service Award, and the Leading with Integrity Award. Community and professional development are delivered through eight active peer groups (Finance, Editorial, Design/Production, IT, Marketing, Women in Publishing, Young Professionals, and Heads of Houses), recurring webinars (including a Royalty Automation series in partnership with MetaComet Systems), and exhibitions at the LA Religious Education Congress and Mid-Atlantic Congress. The CatholicsRead initiative is a content-marketing and reader-engagement program that promotes ACP publisher titles through weekly emails to Catholic leaders and laypeople and operates a monthly Zoom-facilitated book club; it functions as ACP's primary direct-to-consumer distribution channel. Ancillary resources include a searchable member directory, the ACP online store selling awards, style guides, and program insertions, and a career center. There is no proprietary technology platform beyond a standard association management system (Novi AMS) and a sponsored online community (ACP Interactive, sponsored by Color House Graphics as of June 2026). Revenue is generated through membership dues (publisher, associate, content creator, and individual tiers), event registration and sponsorships, and online store transactions; no financial figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

Catholic Book Publishing

Legal name

Association of Catholic Publishers

Website

https://catholicpublishers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Association of Catholic Publishers (ACP) is a U.S. nonprofit trade association serving Catholic content publishers and producers. It delivers membership services including the Excellence in Publishing Awards, peer groups, webinars, industry events, and the CatholicsRead reader-engagement program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association / Publishing Industry Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Religious Nonfiction & Theology Publishing (Apologetics, Doctrine, Ethics) (MPAJAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Worship & Liturgy Publishing (Liturgical Texts, Missals, Service Books, Hymnals) (MPAJAHAE), Sermon, Homiletics & Ministry Resource Publishing (Preaching Aids, Pastoral Resources) (MPAJAHAD), Religious Reference & Study Tools Publishing (Commentaries, Concordances, Lexicons) (MPAJAHAL)

Keywords

• Trade association services
• Publishing industry advocacy
• Member networking programs
• Industry awards programs
• Professional development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Totowa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ACP generates revenue through membership fees from publisher members, associate members, content creator members, and individual members across various categories.
2. Event Registration and Sponsorships: Revenue from conference fees, booth space rentals at events like the Mid-Atlantic Congress and LA Congress, and event sponsorships.
3. Online Store: ACP operates an online store selling awards, style guides, CatholicsRead insertions, and membership meeting materials.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Association of Catholic Publishers (operating at catholicpublishers.org) is a membership trade association serving publishers and producers of Catholic content across books, audio, video, and music. It delivers member services including industry awards, peer-group networking, professional development webinars, the CatholicsRead book club, a member directory, an online store, and advocacy initiatives with the USCCB Subcommittee on the Catechism.

Product overview

The Association of Catholic Publishers (ACP) operates as a membership organization serving Catholic publishers and content producers. Rather than a single unified product, ACP offers a portfolio of membership services including professional development programs (Excellence in Publishing Awards, Hall of Fame, peer groups, webinars), community engagement initiatives (CatholicsRead book club, events, member directory), and member resources (marketing tools, store, career center). The organization facilitates Catholic publishing industry advancement through advocacy, networking, and promotional programs across multiple media including books, audio, video, and music.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CatholicsRead: ACP's initiative to promote the best in Catholic reading by gathering titles produced by ACP publisher members and sharing through weekly emails with Catholic leaders and people in the pew.
• Excellence in Publishing Awards

Products and services

• Excellence in Publishing Awards Annual industry awards program recognizing outstanding Catholic publishing content across categories including Biography, Children's Books, Fiction, Inspirational, Music, Prayer, Resources for Liturgy, Scripture, Spanish, Spirituality, and Theology, with a Resource of the Year designation.
• CatholicsRead Book Club

Quantifiable outcome

• 2022 Excellence in Publishing Awards: 48 award winners from 14 different publishers, 19 first place winners from 11 different publishers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Color House GraphicsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 June 2026Color House Graphics began sponsorship of ACP Interactive, Online Community platform in June 2026.
• Our Sunday Visitor (OSV)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOSV is an ACP Foundation Member, serving as a key supporter of the Association's mission to promote Catholic publishing. OSV won 7 awards in the 2022 Excellence in Publishing Awards.
• Loyola PresscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLoyola Press is an ACP Foundation Member and Jesuit-affiliated Catholic publisher. Published Pope Leo XIV biography among 2026 award finalists.
• Ave Maria PresscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAve Maria Press is an ACP Foundation Member. Headquartered at Notre Dame, Indiana, with multiple award wins in Excellence in Publishing Awards.
• GIA Publications, Inc.coreGTM or Marketing PartnerGIA Publications is an ACP Foundation Member and family-owned music publisher founded in 1941. Acquired Walton Music (2013) and World Library Publications (2020). Multiple music award submissions.
• Paulist PresscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPaulist Press is an ACP Foundation Member, one of the largest Catholic book publishers with broad publishing scope including theology, scripture, spirituality, and ministry resources.
• OCPcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOCP is an ACP Foundation Member and leading Catholic music publisher. Won 5 awards in 2022 Excellence in Publishing Awards and swept the 'Song of the Year' category.
• Ascension PresscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAscension Press is an ACP Foundation Member and leading Catholic publisher. Won 8 awards in 2022 Excellence in Publishing Awards - the highest number of any publisher.
• USCCB Subcommittee on the CatechismcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACP maintains advocacy and collaboration with the USCCB Subcommittee on the Catechism, supporting the development and distribution of Catholic catechetical content.
• CatholicsRead (Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatholicsRead is an ACP initiative to promote the best in Catholic reading by sharing ACP publisher titles through weekly emails with Catholics. The program expands audience reach for all publisher members.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Catholic Library Association: Catholic Library Association serves Catholic librarians and library professionals with publications, an annual convention, and member resources. It overlaps with ACP in the broader Catholic information ecosystem but targets libraries rather than commercial publishers.
• National Religious Broadcasters (NRB): NRB is the trade association for Christian broadcasters and communicators in the US, overlapping with ACP's religious media mission but focused on broadcast/digital media rather than print publishing. Adjacent rather than directly competitive.

Direct peers

• Catholic Press Association: The Catholic Press Association serves Catholic newspapers, magazines, and media outlets in North America. While more journalism-focused than ACP, it shares the Catholic publishing vertical and similarly runs awards programs, membership services, and industry advocacy, making it a closely adjacent peer.
• Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA): IBPA is the trade association for independent book publishers in the US, offering member benefits, educational programming, peer communities, and industry advocacy. Its operating model — dues-funded association serving small/independent publishers — closely parallels ACP.
• Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA): ECPA is the trade association for Christian (Protestant/Evangelical) publishers, mirroring ACP's role for the Catholic segment. Both run member programs, awards (e.g., Christian Book Award/ECPA Book of the Year), peer communities, and industry advocacy, making ECPA the closest structural peer in mission and operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Association of American Publishers (AAP): AAP is the largest US trade association for the publishing industry, representing major commercial and educational publishers. It sits one level up from ACP — broader in scope, larger in resources, and less specialized in religious/independent publishing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/catholicbookpublishers
• Xx.com/catholicbookpub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Catholic Book Publishing