Sourcebooks Now Among The ‘Big Five’
The publisher, part of Penguin Random House U.S., ranks fifth in the latest U.S. trade publishing ranking.
It is a remarkable growth story in modern U.S. trade publishing: In 1987, Dominique Raccah founded Sourcebooks in her living room in Naperville, Illinois, and the company quickly became one of the country’s most successful independent publishers. Penguin Random House U.S. invested in Sourcebooks in 2019 and became the majority owner in 2023. Since then, the company’s growth has accelerated once again – and for the first time in its history, Sourcebooks has entered the Top 5 of major U.S. trade publishers. According to an internal analysis of Circana Bookscan data, Sourcebooks has now surpassed Macmillan Publishers in print sales, moving into fifth place.
Still independently run
Sourcebooks is now 75 percent owned by Penguin Random House, yet continues to operate independently. The partnership established in 2019 enabled the publisher to maintain its independence while innovating and expanding globally. Sourcebooks continues to manage its own sales, marketing, distribution, warehousing, payroll, and benefits. In addition, Callisto Media – which is owned by Penguin Random House – is managed by Sourcebooks.
“The partnership between PRH and Sourcebooks has been incredibly fruitful and impactful for both sides,” said Nihar Malaviya, CEO of Penguin Random House. “Sourcebooks’ independent, entrepreneurial approach and growth mindset are at the heart of its author-centered culture, where innovative ideas create unprecedented opportunities and real impact. I am delighted to collaborate with Dominique and her team in support of our shared passion: books, authors, readers.”
‘A new model for publishing entrepreneurs’
Penguin Random House’s global M&A strategy continues to focus on empowering founder-led companies. Dominique Raccah, CEO of Sourcebooks, believes the agreement between Sourcebooks and PRH “created a kind of new model for publishing entrepreneurs.” Sourcebooks will continue to operate independently while drawing on Penguin Random House’s industry expertise, experience, and resources. Raccah said the partnership “enables us to build out the vision of the company that we have.”
In the same vein, the recently acquired Cherry Lake Publishing Group, now part of Random House Children’s Books, will also continue to operate independently, maintaining its entrepreneurial culture, brand identity, and leadership team.
