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{{short description|British worldwide publishing house founded in 1986}}
{{Short description|British worldwide publishing house}}
{{about|the contemporary publishing company|the historic literary group|Bloomsbury Group}}
{{about|the contemporary publishing company|the historic literary group|Bloomsbury Group}}
{{Use dmy dates}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}
{{Infobox publisher
{{Infobox publisher
| image        = Bloomsbury-publishing-logo.PNG
| image        = {{wikidata|property|P154}}
| image_size  = 250px
| image_size  = 250px
| name        = Bloomsbury Publishing plc
| name        = Bloomsbury Publishing plc
| status      = Active
| status      = Active
| traded_as    = {{plainlist|
| traded_as    = {{lse|BMY}}
* {{lse|BMY}}
* [[FTSE SmallCap Index|FTSE SmallCap]] component}}
| founded      = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1986|09|26}}
| founded      = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1986|09|26}}
| founder      = [[Nigel Newton]]
| country      = United Kingdom
| country      = [[United Kingdom]]
| headquarters = [[London]], England
| headquarters = [[London]], England
| distribution = [[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan Publishers Services]] (UK, US)<br />[[United Book Distributors]] (Australia)
| distribution = [[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan Publishers Services]] (UK)<br />[[United Book Distributors]] (Australia)<br />[[Hachette Book Group]] (US)
| keypeople    = {{ubl|[[Richard Lambert|Sir Richard Lambert]]<br />([[Non-executive chairman|Non-executive Chairman]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/BMY/13262634.html|title=Bloomsbury Publishing Board Appointment|date=16 June 2017|website=London Stock Exchange|access-date=3 July 2018}}</ref>|[[Nigel Newton]]<br>([[Chief executive officer|Chief Executive]])}}
| keypeople    = {{ubl|[[Richard Lambert|Sir Richard Lambert]]<br />([[Non-executive chairman|Non-executive Chairman]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/BMY/13262634.html|title=Bloomsbury Publishing Board Appointment|date=16 June 2017|website=London Stock Exchange|access-date=3 July 2018}}</ref>|[[Nigel Newton]]<br>([[Chief executive officer|Chief Executive]])}}
| publications = [[Book]]s, digital content products and online resources such as databases
| publications = [[Book]]s, digital content products, and online resources such as databases
| imprints    = {{Plain list |
| imprints    = {{Plain list |
* Bloomsbury Academic
* Bloomsbury Academic
* Bloomsbury Methuen Drama ({{small|[[New York City]]}})
* Bloomsbury Methuen Drama ({{small|[[New York City]]}})
}}
}}
| revenue      = {{Increase}}£230.1 million (y/e 28/02/2022)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial-reporting/article/89614-bloomsbury-has-a-record-year.html|title=Bloomsbury Has a Record Year|website=Publishers Weekly|first=Jim |last=Milliot }}</ref>
{{Infobox company
| embed=yes
| revenue      = {{increase}}£361.0 million (2025)<ref name=results>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomsbury-ir.co.uk/docs/librariesprovider16/archives/annual_reports/ar2025.pdf|title=Annual Report 2025|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|access-date=4 March 2026}}</ref>
| operating_income={{decrease}}£33.3 million (2025)<ref name=results/>
| net_income  ={{decrease}}£25.4 million (2025)<ref name=results/>
| <!-- etc. -->
}}
| numemployees =
| numemployees =
| nasdaq      =
| nasdaq      =
| url          = {{URL|https://www.bloomsbury.com/}}
| url          = {{Official URL}}
}}
}}


'''Bloomsbury Publishing plc''' is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. It is a constituent of the [[FTSE SmallCap Index]]. Bloomsbury's head office is located in [[Bloomsbury]], an area of the [[London Borough of Camden]]. It has a US publishing office located in [[New York City]], an India publishing office in [[New Delhi]], an Australia sales office in [[Sydney CBD]] and other publishing offices in the UK, including in [[Oxford]]. The company's growth over the past two decades is primarily attributable to the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' series by [[J. K. Rowling]] and, from 2008, to the development of its academic and professional publishing division.
'''Bloomsbury Publishing plc''' is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. Bloomsbury's head office is located on Bedford Square<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bloomsbury Offices |url=https://www.prestigeoffices.co.uk/neighborhood/luxury-office-space-bloomsbury/ |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=Prestige Offices {{!}} Luxury Office Space in London |language=en-GB}}</ref> in [[Bloomsbury]], an area of the [[London Borough of Camden]]. It has a US publishing office located in [[New York City]], an India publishing office in [[New Delhi]], an Australian sales office in [[Sydney CBD]], and other publishing offices in the UK, including in [[Oxford]]. It is listed on the [[London Stock Exchange]].


The Bloomsbury Academic & Professional division won the Bookseller Industry Award for Academic, Educational & Professional Publisher of the Year in both 2013 and 2014.
==History==
The company was founded in 1986 by [[Nigel Newton]], who had previously been employed by other publishing companies. It was floated on the London Stock Exchange with a valuation of £9 million in 1994.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.fnlondon.com/articles/bloomsbury-caught-in-the-harry-potter-spell-20011112|title=Bloomsbury caught in the Harry Potter spell|date=12 November 2001|newspaper=Financial News|access-date=4 March 2026}}</ref>
 
For much of its existence, Bloomsbury was a minor player in the British publishing scene. In 1997, Bloomsbury took a chance on publishing the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' series after it had been rejected by multiple publishers. That decision catapulted the company's fortunes, as ''Harry Potter'' would go on to become the best-selling book series in history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tomfolio.com/publishers/HarryPotter.html|title=The Phenomenon of Harry Potter|last=Elisco|first=Lester|publisher=TomFolio.com|access-date=22 January 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412095537/http://www.tomfolio.com/publishers/HarryPotter.html|archive-date=12 April 2017}}</ref>
 
A rights issue of shares in 1998 further raised £6.1 million, which was used to expand the company, in particular to found a U.S. branch. In 1998, Bloomsbury USA was established. Bloomsbury USA Books for Young Readers was established in 2002, and in 2005, Bloomsbury acquired Walker & Co, a small company dedicated to publishing nonfiction.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bloomsburyusa.com/about|title=About Us|website=Bloomsbury Publishing|access-date=19 October 2016|archive-date=31 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131080834/http://www.bloomsburyusa.com/about|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Walker brand was discontinued in 2015 and sold to Walker Publishing Company.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Bloomsbury Consolidates Children's Imprints; Easton Leaving| work = PublishersWeekly.com| access-date = 2019-11-02| url = https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/61466-bloomsbury-consolidates-children-s-imprints-easton-leaving.html|first=Jim |last=Milliot |date=17 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title = Candlewick to Publish Walker Books in U.S.| work = PublishersWeekly.com|first=Judith |last=Rosen |date= 10 August 2017| access-date = 2019-11-02| url = https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/74450-candlewick-to-publish-walker-books-in-u-s.html}}</ref>
 
== Bloomsbury US ==


==Divisions==
Bloomsbury US was established in 1998 in New York, New York, as a general interest publisher of both adult and children's books. It is known for its high-quality fiction and non-fiction as well as its extensive academic publishing branch.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/connect/about-us/overview/#|title=About Bloomsbury Publishing|publisher=Bloomsbury}}</ref>
Bloomsbury Publishing group has two separate publishing divisions—the Consumer division and the Non-Consumer division—supported by group functions, namely Sales and Marketing, Book Production, Finance and Technology. Imprints and book lists of publishing businesses acquired by Bloomsbury are assigned to the most  relevant publishing division.


==History==
Its notable titles have include Anthony Bourdain's global bestseller ''[[Kitchen Confidential]]'', Jesmyn Ward's National Book Award winner ''[[Salvage the Bones]]'', the works of 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature winner [[Abdulrazak Gurnah]], Susanna Clark's Women's Prize for Fiction winner [[Piranesi (novel)|Piranesi]], Renée Watson's Newbery Honor Book [[Piecing Me Together]], Martin W. Sandler's National Book Award winner [[1919: The Year That Changed America|1919]], and titles by renowned authors Paul Beatty, Roz Chast, Edmund White, Elif Shafak, Carol Anderson, Mark Kurlansky, Miriam Toews, Samantha Shannon, and Deborah Levy.<ref name="auto1"/>
The company was founded in 1986 by [[Nigel Newton]], who  had previously been employed by other publishing companies. It was floated as a public registered company in 1994, raising £5.5 million, which was used to fund expansion of the company into paperback and children's books. A rights issue of shares in 1998 raised a further £6.1 million, which was used to expand the company, in particular to found a U.S. branch. In 1998, Bloomsbury USA was established. Bloomsbury USA Books for Young Readers was established in 2002, and in 2005, Bloomsbury acquired Walker & Co, a small company dedicated to publishing nonfiction.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bloomsburyusa.com/about|title=About Us|website=Bloomsbury Publishing|access-date=19 October 2016}}</ref> The Walker brand was discontinued in 2015 and sold to Walker Publishing Company.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Bloomsbury Consolidates Children's Imprints; Easton Leaving| work = PublishersWeekly.com| access-date = 2019-11-02| url = https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/61466-bloomsbury-consolidates-children-s-imprints-easton-leaving.html|first=Jim |last=Milliot }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title = Candlewick to Publish Walker Books in U.S.| work = PublishersWeekly.com|first=Judith |last=Rosen | access-date = 2019-11-02| url = https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/74450-candlewick-to-publish-walker-books-in-u-s.html}}</ref>
 
In 2021, Bloomsbury US acquired ABC-CLIO LLC, the established academic publisher of both print and digital materials, for $22.9 million.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/industry-deals/article/88138-bloomsbury-buys-abc-clio-for-22-9-million.html|title=Bloomsbury Buys ABC-CLIO for $22.9Million|first=Jim|last=Milliot|website=Publishers Weekly}}</ref> In 2024, Bloomsbury US finalized the asset purchase of Rowman & Littlefield, an independent academic publisher, for $83 million.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/connect/latest-news/bloomsbury-acquires-rowman-littlefield-academic-business-and-assets/|title=Bloomsbury acquires Rowman & Littlefield Academic business and assets|website=Bloomsbury}}</ref> The sale included rights to the publisher's academic imprints and associated titles, doubling the size of Bloomsbury US's Academic & Professional divisions.<ref name="auto"/>
 
==Bloomsbury India==
 
In December 2008, Bloomsbury opened a branch in [[Doha, Qatar]] in a joint-partnership with [[Qatar Foundation]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Harding|first=Sue-Ann|title='But we don't read, Professor!' Translation, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, and building a 'vibrant literary culture'|journal=Perspectives: Studies in Translatology|volume=22|issue=4|page=Abstract|year=2014|doi=10.1080/0907676X.2014.948891|s2cid=60553880}}</ref> The partnership created a publishing house, [[Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing]]; it worked mainly with English and Arabic literature.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/oct/16/middleeast-germany|title=Publishers seek new talent in Arab world |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London|first=Alison |last=Flood|author2=Ian Black|name-list-style=|date=15 October 2008|access-date=18 February 2016}}</ref>


In December 2008, Bloomsbury opened a branch in [[Doha, Qatar]], under joint-partnership with [[Qatar Foundation]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Harding|first=Sue-Ann|title='But we don't read, Professor!' Translation, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, and building a 'vibrant literary culture'|journal=Perspectives: Studies in Translatology|volume=22|issue=4|page=Abstract|year=2014|doi=10.1080/0907676X.2014.948891|s2cid=60553880}}</ref> The publishing house created, called [[Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing]], worked mainly with English and Arabic literature.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/oct/16/middleeast-germany|title=Publishers seek new talent in Arab world |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London|first=Alison |last=Flood|author2=Ian Black|name-list-style=|access-date=18 February 2016}}</ref>
[[Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Journals]] (BQFJ), an [[open access]] and [[peer review]]ed academic publisher, was created in December 2010 as a joint venture with Qatar Foundation. Journal research articles were published through BQFJ's website ''QScience.com''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2010-12-25 |orig-date=corresponding to 19 Muharram 1432 AH |title=<<Muasasat Qatara>> tutliq alminbar al'iilikturunia QScience.com linashr aldawriaat |script-title=ar:«مؤسسة قطر» تطلق المنبر الإلكتروني QScience.com لنشر الدوريات |trans-title="Qatar Foundation" launches the electronic platform QScience.com to publish periodicals |url=http://www.alwasatnews.com/news/516920.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311001058/http://www.alwasatnews.com/news/516920.html |archive-date=2016-03-11 |access-date=2016-02-18 |work="Sahifat Alwasat Albahrayniat - Mamlakat Albahrayn" صحيفة الوسط البحرينية - مملكة البحرين [Bahrain Al Wasat Newspaper - Kingdom of Bahrain] |language=ar |issue=3032}}</ref> The company's partnership with Qatar Foundation ended in December 2015 and all of Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing works were incorporated in Qatari-owned HBKU Press. At the time of BQFP's dissolution it had published over 200 books. BQFJ's works were also incorporated in HBKU Press.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/qatar-s-qf-and-bloomsbury-end-partnership-319122|title=Qatar's QF and Bloomsbury end partnership|website=[[The Bookseller]]|first=Charlotte|last= Eyre|date=22 December 2015|access-date=18 February 2016}}</ref>


[[Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Journals]] (BQFJ), an [[open access]], [[peer review]]ed academic publisher, was created in December 2010 as a joint venture with Qatar Foundation. Journal research articles were published through BQFJ's website ''Qscience.com''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alwasatnews.com/news/516920.html|title="مؤسسة قطر" تطلق المنبر الإلكتروني QScience.com لنشر الدوريات|publisher=Al Wasat News|language=ar|access-date=18 February 2016}}</ref> The company's partnership with Qatar Foundation ended in December 2015 and all of Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing works were incorporated in Qatari-owned HBKU Press. At the time of BQFP's dissolution it had published over 200 books. BQFJ's works were also incorporated in HBKU Press.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/qatar-s-qf-and-bloomsbury-end-partnership-319122|title=Qatar's QF and Bloomsbury end partnership|website=[[The Bookseller]]|first=Charlotte|last= Eyre|access-date=18 February 2016}}</ref>
In 2012, Bloomsbury established a publishing office in [[India]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bloomsbury-ir.co.uk/html/media/press_releases/2012/140212.asp|title=Regulatory announcement|access-date=24 July 2018|archive-date=24 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180724154142/http://www.bloomsbury-ir.co.uk/html/media/press_releases/2012/140212.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref>


In 2012, Bloomsbury established a publishing office in [[India]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bloomsbury-ir.co.uk/html/media/press_releases/2012/140212.asp|title=Regulatory announcement}}</ref>
In 2018, an article disclosed that much of the profit in the children's division was due to the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' series by [[J. K. Rowling]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/oct/23/jk-rowlings-harry-potter-continues-to-drive-profits-at-bloomsbury|title=JK Rowling's Harry Potter fuels Bloomsbury profit rise|date=23 October 2018|access-date=5 February 2024}}</ref>


In May 2023, an article in ''[[The Verge]]'' reported that the cover of the UK edition of ''House of Earth and Blood'', published by Bloomsbury, uses an AI-generated image.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/15/23724102/sarah-j-maas-ai-generated-book-cover-bloomsbury-house-of-earth-and-blood |title=Not even NYT bestsellers are safe from AI cover art|website=The verge|first=Jess |last=Weatherbed}}</ref>
In May 2023, an article in ''[[The Verge]]'' reported that the cover of the UK edition of ''House of Earth and Blood'', published by Bloomsbury, uses an AI-generated image.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/15/23724102/sarah-j-maas-ai-generated-book-cover-bloomsbury-house-of-earth-and-blood |title=Not even NYT bestsellers are safe from AI cover art|website=The Verge|first=Jess |last=Weatherbed|date=15 May 2023}}</ref>


==Acquisitions and imprints==
==Acquisitions and imprints==
Among the companies, book lists and imprints that Bloomsbury has acquired are:<ref>{{Cite web | title = Corporate history - Corporate and Investor Relations - Bloomsbury.com | access-date = 19 January 2015 | url = http://www.bloomsbury-ir.co.uk/html/about/a_history.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130722231642/http://bloomsbury-ir.co.uk/html/about/a_history.html | archive-date = 22 July 2013 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
Among the companies, book lists and imprints that Bloomsbury has acquired are:<ref>{{Cite web | title = Corporate history – Corporate and Investor Relations – Bloomsbury.com | access-date = 19 January 2015 | url = http://www.bloomsbury-ir.co.uk/html/about/a_history.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130722231642/http://bloomsbury-ir.co.uk/html/about/a_history.html | archive-date = 22 July 2013 | url-status = dead }}</ref>


{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
Line 65: Line 79:
* [[Duckworth Overlook|Bristol Classical Press]] (2010)
* [[Duckworth Overlook|Bristol Classical Press]] (2010)
* [[Continuum International Publishing Group]] (2011)
* [[Continuum International Publishing Group]] (2011)
* Absolute Press (2011)<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Bloomsbury cooks up deal with Absolute Press |magazine=The Bookseller |first=Graeme |last=Neill|access-date=2018-07-07 |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/bloomsbury-cooks-deal-absolute-press}}</ref>
* Absolute Press (2011)<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Bloomsbury cooks up deal with Absolute Press |magazine=The Bookseller |first=Graeme |last=Neill|date=1 September 2011|access-date=2018-07-07 |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/bloomsbury-cooks-deal-absolute-press}}</ref>
* [[Fairchild Fashion Media|Fairchild Books]] (2012)
* [[Fairchild Fashion Media|Fairchild Books]] (2012)
* Applied Visual Arts Publishing (2012)
* Applied Visual Arts Publishing (2012)
* Hart Publishing (2013)
* Hart Publishing (2013)
* [[Osprey Publishing]] (2014)
* [[Osprey Publishing]] (2014)
* [[I. B. Tauris]] (2018)
* [[I.B. Tauris]] (2018)
* [[Oberon Books]] (2019)
* [[Oberon Books]] (2019)
* [[Zed Books]] (2020)
* [[Zed Books]] (2020)
* Red Globe Press (2021)
* Red Globe Press (2021)
* Head of Zeus (2021)<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Chandler|first1=Mark|last2=Wood|first2=Heloise|title=Bloomsbury buys Head of Zeus in £8.5m deal|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/bloomsbury-buys-head-zeus-85m-deal-1261767|access-date=2021-11-10|website=The Bookseller}}</ref>
* Head of Zeus (2021)<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Chandler|first1=Mark|last2=Wood|first2=Heloise|title=Bloomsbury buys Head of Zeus in £8.5m deal|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/bloomsbury-buys-head-zeus-85m-deal-1261767|date=2 June 2021|access-date=2021-11-10|website=The Bookseller}}</ref>
* [[ABC-CLIO]] (2021).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/industry-deals/article/88138-bloomsbury-buys-abc-clio-for-22-9-million.html|title = Bloomsbury Buys ABC-CLIO for $22.9Million|website=Publishers Weekly|first=Jim |last=Milliot }}</ref>
* [[ABC-CLIO]] (2021)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/industry-deals/article/88138-bloomsbury-buys-abc-clio-for-22-9-million.html|title = Bloomsbury Buys ABC-CLIO for $22.9Million|website=Publishers Weekly|first=Jim |last=Milliot |date=16 December 2021}}</ref>
* Libraries Unlimited (2022)<ref>{{cite web |title=Bloomsbury Libraries Unlimited |url=https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/discover/bloomsbury-academic/bloomsbury-libraries-unlimited/ |work=Bloomsbury |access-date=2025-09-30}}</ref>
* [[Rowman & Littlefield]] (2024)<ref name=2024-transfer>{{Cite web |last=Milliot |first=Jim |title=Bloomsbury Buys Rowman & Littlefield Academic Division for $83 Million |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/industry-deals/article/95143-bloomsbury-buys-rowman-littlefield-academic-division-for-83-million.html |access-date=2024-05-29 |website=PublishersWeekly.com |language=en}}</ref>
* Lexington Books (2024)<ref name=2024-transfer/>
* Applause Books (2024)<ref name=2024-transfer/>
* Backbeat Books (2024)<ref name=2024-transfer/>
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}
 
{{Portal|London|Companies|Books|Children's literature}}
==See also==
 
* [[List of largest UK book publishers]]
* [[Object Lessons]]


==References==
==References==
Line 87: Line 102:


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://www.bloomsbury.com/ Bloomsbury Homepage]
* {{official website}}
* [http://www.bloomsbury-ir.co.uk/ Bloomsbury Investor relations website]
* [https://www.bloomsbury-ir.co.uk/ Corporate and Investor Relations]
* [http://www.exacteditions.com/bloomsbury Bloomsbury Online Library] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025045114/http://www.exacteditions.com/bloomsbury/ }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151025045114/http://www.exacteditions.com/bloomsbury/ Bloomsbury Online Library] on [[Exact Editions]] (via [[Wayback Machine]]) {{in lang|fr}}


{{Media in the United Kingdom|comporg}}
{{Media in the United Kingdom|comporg}}
 
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Bloomsbury Publishing books|*]]
[[Category:Bloomsbury Publishing books|*]]
[[Category:1986 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1986 establishments in the United Kingdom]]

Latest revision as of 03:19, 5 March 2026


This article is about the contemporary publishing company. For the historic literary group, see Bloomsbury Group.
Bloomsbury Publishing plc
StatusActive
Traded asTemplate:Lse
Founded26 September 1986; 39 years ago (1986-09-26)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Headquarters locationLondon, England
DistributionMacmillan Publishers Services (UK)
United Book Distributors (Australia)
Hachette Book Group (US)
Key people
Publication typesBooks, digital content products, and online resources such as databases
Imprints
Company
RevenueIncrease£361.0 million (2025)[2]
Decrease£33.3 million (2025)[2]
Decrease£25.4 million (2025)[2]
Official website{{URL|example.com|optional display text}}

Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. Bloomsbury's head office is located on Bedford Square[3] in Bloomsbury, an area of the London Borough of Camden. It has a US publishing office located in New York City, an India publishing office in New Delhi, an Australian sales office in Sydney CBD, and other publishing offices in the UK, including in Oxford. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

History[edit | edit source]

The company was founded in 1986 by Nigel Newton, who had previously been employed by other publishing companies. It was floated on the London Stock Exchange with a valuation of £9 million in 1994.[4]

For much of its existence, Bloomsbury was a minor player in the British publishing scene. In 1997, Bloomsbury took a chance on publishing the Harry Potter series after it had been rejected by multiple publishers. That decision catapulted the company's fortunes, as Harry Potter would go on to become the best-selling book series in history.[5]

A rights issue of shares in 1998 further raised £6.1 million, which was used to expand the company, in particular to found a U.S. branch. In 1998, Bloomsbury USA was established. Bloomsbury USA Books for Young Readers was established in 2002, and in 2005, Bloomsbury acquired Walker & Co, a small company dedicated to publishing nonfiction.[6] The Walker brand was discontinued in 2015 and sold to Walker Publishing Company.[7][8]

Bloomsbury US[edit | edit source]

Bloomsbury US was established in 1998 in New York, New York, as a general interest publisher of both adult and children's books. It is known for its high-quality fiction and non-fiction as well as its extensive academic publishing branch.[9]

Its notable titles have include Anthony Bourdain's global bestseller Kitchen Confidential, Jesmyn Ward's National Book Award winner Salvage the Bones, the works of 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature winner Abdulrazak Gurnah, Susanna Clark's Women's Prize for Fiction winner Piranesi, Renée Watson's Newbery Honor Book Piecing Me Together, Martin W. Sandler's National Book Award winner 1919, and titles by renowned authors Paul Beatty, Roz Chast, Edmund White, Elif Shafak, Carol Anderson, Mark Kurlansky, Miriam Toews, Samantha Shannon, and Deborah Levy.[9]

In 2021, Bloomsbury US acquired ABC-CLIO LLC, the established academic publisher of both print and digital materials, for $22.9 million.[10] In 2024, Bloomsbury US finalized the asset purchase of Rowman & Littlefield, an independent academic publisher, for $83 million.[11] The sale included rights to the publisher's academic imprints and associated titles, doubling the size of Bloomsbury US's Academic & Professional divisions.[11]

Bloomsbury India[edit | edit source]

In December 2008, Bloomsbury opened a branch in Doha, Qatar in a joint-partnership with Qatar Foundation.[12] The partnership created a publishing house, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing; it worked mainly with English and Arabic literature.[13]

Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Journals (BQFJ), an open access and peer reviewed academic publisher, was created in December 2010 as a joint venture with Qatar Foundation. Journal research articles were published through BQFJ's website QScience.com.[14] The company's partnership with Qatar Foundation ended in December 2015 and all of Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing works were incorporated in Qatari-owned HBKU Press. At the time of BQFP's dissolution it had published over 200 books. BQFJ's works were also incorporated in HBKU Press.[15]

In 2012, Bloomsbury established a publishing office in India.[16]

In 2018, an article disclosed that much of the profit in the children's division was due to the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling.[17]

In May 2023, an article in The Verge reported that the cover of the UK edition of House of Earth and Blood, published by Bloomsbury, uses an AI-generated image.[18]

Acquisitions and imprints[edit | edit source]

Among the companies, book lists and imprints that Bloomsbury has acquired are:[19]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "Bloomsbury Publishing Board Appointment". London Stock Exchange. 16 June 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Annual Report 2025" (PDF). Bloomsbury Publishing. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  3. ↑ "Bloomsbury Offices". Prestige Offices | Luxury Office Space in London. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  4. ↑ "Bloomsbury caught in the Harry Potter spell". Financial News. 12 November 2001. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  5. ↑ Elisco, Lester. "The Phenomenon of Harry Potter". TomFolio.com. Archived from the original on 12 April 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2009.
  6. ↑ "About Us". Bloomsbury Publishing. Archived from the original on 31 January 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  7. ↑ Milliot, Jim (17 March 2014). "Bloomsbury Consolidates Children's Imprints; Easton Leaving". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  8. ↑ Rosen, Judith (10 August 2017). "Candlewick to Publish Walker Books in U.S." PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "About Bloomsbury Publishing". Bloomsbury.
  10. ↑ Milliot, Jim. "Bloomsbury Buys ABC-CLIO for $22.9Million". Publishers Weekly.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Bloomsbury acquires Rowman & Littlefield Academic business and assets". Bloomsbury.
  12. ↑ Harding, Sue-Ann (2014). "'But we don't read, Professor!' Translation, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, and building a 'vibrant literary culture'". Perspectives: Studies in Translatology. 22 (4): Abstract. doi:10.1080/0907676X.2014.948891. S2CID 60553880.
  13. ↑ Flood, Alison; Ian Black (15 October 2008). "Publishers seek new talent in Arab world". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  14. ↑ "<<Muasasat Qatara>> tutliq alminbar al'iilikturunia QScience.com linashr aldawriaat" «مؤسسة قطر» تطلق المنبر الإلكتروني QScience.com لنشر الدوريات ["Qatar Foundation" launches the electronic platform QScience.com to publish periodicals]. "Sahifat Alwasat Albahrayniat - Mamlakat Albahrayn" صحيفة الوسط البحرينية - مملكة البحرين [Bahrain Al Wasat Newspaper - Kingdom of Bahrain] (in العربية). No. 3032. 25 December 2010 [corresponding to 19 Muharram 1432 AH]. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  15. ↑ Eyre, Charlotte (22 December 2015). "Qatar's QF and Bloomsbury end partnership". The Bookseller. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  16. ↑ "Regulatory announcement". Archived from the original on 24 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  17. ↑ "JK Rowling's Harry Potter fuels Bloomsbury profit rise". 23 October 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  18. ↑ Weatherbed, Jess (15 May 2023). "Not even NYT bestsellers are safe from AI cover art". The Verge.
  19. ↑ "Corporate history – Corporate and Investor Relations – Bloomsbury.com". Archived from the original on 22 July 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  20. ↑ Neill, Graeme (1 September 2011). "Bloomsbury cooks up deal with Absolute Press". The Bookseller. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  21. ↑ Chandler, Mark; Wood, Heloise (2 June 2021). "Bloomsbury buys Head of Zeus in £8.5m deal". The Bookseller. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  22. ↑ Milliot, Jim (16 December 2021). "Bloomsbury Buys ABC-CLIO for $22.9Million". Publishers Weekly.
  23. ↑ "Bloomsbury Libraries Unlimited". Bloomsbury. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 Milliot, Jim. "Bloomsbury Buys Rowman & Littlefield Academic Division for $83 Million". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 29 May 2024.

External links[edit | edit source]

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