Australian Academic Press
Australian Academic Press is an independent Australian publisher founded in 1987 that produces practical, evidence-based books, eBooks, and specialised programs in psychology, counselling, education, and health, serving practitioners, educators, healthcare professionals, and informed readers across Australia and international markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersAustralia, Australia
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Australian Academic Press does
Australian Academic Press Group Pty. Ltd. is an independent Australian publisher founded in 1987 by psychologist Stephen May, specialising in practical, evidence-based resources in psychology, counselling, education, and health. The company's core product is a catalogue of printed books, downloadable PDF editions, combined print-and-digital packages, and selected Open Access eBooks, with eBook distribution extended internationally through Google Play and Amazon Kindle. Beyond the general publishing list, the company has developed several specialised, higher-priced offerings: the PsychProfiler series of clinical assessment instruments (Child and Adolescent PsychProfiler and Adult PsychProfiler at AU$660 each or AU$880 combined), the Fingergym fine motor skills school readiness program (deployed across 1000+ Australian early learning centres), the Take Action CBT-based anxiety program for children (used in 500+ schools and clinics), and the CancerPsychCare initiative producing psychological care resources for cancer patients. In 2012, the company divested its majority journals division (28 peer-reviewed titles built over 24 years) to Cambridge University Press in order to concentrate on a smaller, more specialised book publishing list.
The business operates on a direct-to-consumer model through its own e-commerce storefront (ausapress.com) complemented by third-party marketplaces (Google Play, Amazon Kindle) for international buyers and a dedicated AAP Distribution Web Page for bookstore orders. Revenue is generated primarily through unit-priced book sales (one-time license) ranging from free Open Access titles to AU$660 specialised assessment tools, with most titles priced under AU$100. A secondary revenue stream comes from Professional Publishing Partnerships, an alternative to traditional royalty-based publishing that supports projects upfront and develops them in collaboration with authors or organisations. The primary customer segments are psychology and mental health professionals, with secondary segments including informed general readers, educators and teachers, and healthcare and allied health professionals. The founder remains the publisher and public face of the company, with no disclosed external shareholders, institutional investors, or parent company.
Australian Academic Press firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Australian Academic Press
- Legal name
- Australian Academic Press Group Pty. Ltd.
- Website
- https://ausapress.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Australian Academic Press is an independent Australian publisher founded in 1987 that produces practical, evidence-based books, eBooks, and specialised programs in psychology, counselling, education, and health, serving practitioners, educators, healthcare professionals, and informed readers across Australia and international markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Australian Academic Press industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Academic Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Social Sciences (Psychology, Sociology, Political Science) (EDAGABAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Social Sciences Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAD), Open Access Scholarly Journals & Monographs (EDAGAFAJ), Education Research & Pedagogy Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAH), Research Monographs & University Press Publishing (MPAJABAJ)
Keywords
Where Australian Academic Press is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Australia
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Australian Academic Press business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Book Sales: Sales of printed books, downloadable PDF editions, combined print and digital access, and Open Access eBooks. Revenue generated through direct online purchases and third-party marketplace channels (Google Play, Amazon).
- Professional Publishing Partnerships: Alternative to traditional royalty-based publishing where projects are supported upfront and developed in partnership with authors or organisations. Provides non-traditional revenue stream for specialized professional resources.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Low-cost self-help and accessible titles |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Professional and practitioner resources |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Specialized assessment and enterprise tools |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Open Access titles |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Australian Academic Press product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Australian Academic Press is an independent book publisher that produces and sells practical, evidence-based resources in psychology, counselling, education, and health. The company sells printed books, downloadable PDF editions, combined print and digital access, and selected Open Access eBooks through its own e-commerce site and third-party platforms (Google Play, Amazon Kindle). It also offers Professional Publishing Partnerships as an alternative to traditional royalty-based publishing for authors and organisations.
Product overview
Australian Academic Press is an independent book publisher founded in 1987 that publishes practical, evidence-based resources in psychology, counselling, education, and health. The company's core offering consists of printed books, downloadable PDF editions, combined print and digital access, eBooks distributed through Google Play and Amazon Kindle, and selected Open Access eBooks. The publishing portfolio includes practitioner resources, self-help books, teacher resources, and specialised titles across criminology, justice studies, and voice science. Additional products include the PsychProfiler series of psychological assessment tools (CAPP and APP), the Fingergym fine motor skills program, and the Take Action CBT-based childhood anxiety program. The company also offers Professional Publishing Partnerships for authors and organisations, and operates the CancerPsychCare initiative for cancer care resources.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Psychology and Health Books (Printed and Digital)
Quantifiable outcome
- Take Action program used in over 500 schools and health clinics
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Australian Academic Press
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Australian Academic Press technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Australian Academic Press partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Cambridge University PressmajorIn 2012, Australian Academic Press split its operations. The majority journals division (28 peer-reviewed journal titles over 24 years) was sold to Cambridge University Press, allowing AAP to concentrate on a smaller, more specialised book publishing list.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Australian Academic Press competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Allen & Unwin: Australia's largest independent trade and academic book publisher. Comparable as an Australian-headquartered independent publisher with international distribution, though broader in subject scope than AAP's psychology/health specialty.
Direct peers
- Guilford Press: Independent US publisher specialising in psychology, psychiatry, education, and related fields. Closely comparable to AAP in subject focus (psychology and applied mental health), practitioner-oriented catalog, and independent mid-sized publishing model.
- Hogrefe Publishing: Specialist publisher focused on psychology, psychiatry, and mental health, including clinical assessment tools. Comparable to AAP's psychology/health specialty catalog and practitioner-resource positioning.
- Jessica Kingsley Publishers: Independent publisher focused on autism, social work, occupational therapy, arts therapies, and applied health topics. Comparable niche-independent model serving professional and practitioner audiences in adjacent therapy/health verticals.
- New Harbinger Publications: Independent publisher specialising in psychology, self-help, and evidence-based mental health resources for both professionals and consumers. Highly comparable to AAP's mix of practitioner guides and accessible self-help titles.
Broad incumbents
- Sage Publications: Large global academic publisher with a substantial psychology, counselling, and education list. Overlaps with AAP's core subject areas but operates at far greater scale across journals, textbooks, and reference works.
- Routledge (Taylor & Francis): Major academic imprint with extensive psychology, education, and health catalogs. Competes for the same practitioner and student textbook adoptions as AAP, but as part of a vastly broader portfolio.
- Wiley: Global publisher with significant psychology and applied health output. Competes indirectly with AAP on practitioner textbooks, professional references, and assessment resources, though at a much larger scale.
Others
- Australian Psychological Society: Peak professional body for psychologists in Australia. AAP's content is targeted at this community, and the APS publishes adjacent practitioner resources — making it both a customer channel and adjacent publisher for comparable titles.
- Cambridge University Press: Acquired AAP's 28-journal portfolio in 2012. While no longer a direct book competitor, CUP remains a strategically connected counterparty and represents the type of large academic institution AAP's specialty titles must compete with for library and institutional sales.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Australian Academic Press social profiles
Digital presenceAustralian Academic Press financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Australian Academic Press leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Australian Academic Press funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Australian Academic Press 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 Australian Academic Press
What does Australian Academic Press do?
Australian Academic Press is an independent book publisher that produces and sells practical, evidence-based resources in psychology, counselling, education, and health. The company sells printed books, downloadable PDF editions, combined print and digital access, and selected Open Access eBooks through its own e-commerce site and third-party platforms (Google Play, Amazon Kindle). It also offers Professional Publishing Partnerships as an alternative to traditional royalty-based publishing for authors and organisations.
Is Australian Academic Press a public or private company?
Australian Academic Press is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Australian Academic Press founded?
Australian Academic Press was founded in 1987.
Where is Australian Academic Press based?
Australian Academic Press is headquartered in Australia, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Australian Academic Press make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are professional Publishing Partnerships.
Who are Australian Academic Press's main competitors?
Allen & Unwin is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Guilford Press, Hogrefe Publishing, Jessica Kingsley Publishers and New Harbinger Publications. Broad incumbents are Sage Publications, Routledge (Taylor & Francis) and Wiley. Others are Australian Psychological Society and Cambridge University Press.
Does Australian Academic Press have an API?
No public API is recorded for Australian Academic Press.
What industry is Australian Academic Press in?
Australian Academic Press's product category is Academic Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGABAD, Social Sciences (Psychology, Sociology, Political Science), with a secondary code of EDAGAFAD, Social Sciences Scholarly Publishing. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.