Publishing is an industry that generates billions of dollars every year. With so many publishers out there, how do you identify who the biggest publishers are? We have put together a list of the top five publishers to help you.
1. Penguin Random House
This company is a behemoth! Formed in 2013 through the merger of Penguin Books and Random House, it does over $3.3 billion in revenue every year. The company has over 200 imprints and divisions including such notables as Crown Publishing and Viking Press. The publishing giant issues over 15,000 books every year and sells around 800 million digital copies. Getting signed by this company is extremely difficult unless you are a celebrity.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/
2. Hatchette Livre
Hatchette Livre is number two in our list. This publisher generates over $2.7 billion in revenue every year. It is the largest publisher in France and is owned by the Lagardere Group. It has over 150 imprints and publishes over 20,000 books per year which is more volume than Penguin Random House!
3. Springer Nature
Springer Nature is the largest publisher of scientific and educational media. It was formed through the merger of Macmillan Education and Springer Science & Business Media. Springer Nature generates over $1.9 billion in revenue. If you write academic research materials, this is a good publisher for you.
4. Scholastic
Scholastic is the fourth in our list. This major publishing company was founded in 1920. It now generates over $1.7 billion in children’s and educational texts. It is the largest publisher and distributor of children’s books in the world, including such works as Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. Scholastic also owns the imprint Orchard Books. Scholastic is by far the gold standard for children’s book publishing!
5. Wiley
Wiley is a major publisher of academic and instructional media. This esteemed company was founded in 1807. It was the publisher for such literary giants such as Edgar Allen Poe and Washington Irving. The company does over $1.8 billion in revenue every year. Some of their most famous instructional aids include the Wiley CPA study guides and the Dummies series.
If you are like many authors who want to approach these large publishers, you will need submit a query letter to either the publisher or to an agent that can help sell you to the publisher. Check out our article on how to write a query letter. Click here!
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Do you agree with our list? Let us know in the comments section below!
