The Big Five publishers are the largest and most influential publishing companies in the United States.
They dominate the publishing industry in terms of market share, resources, and distribution capabilities.
What are the Big Five publishers?
Penguin Random House – Formed by the merger of Penguin Group and Random House, Penguin Random House is the largest of the Big 5 publishers. It publishes a wide range of books across various genres and has numerous imprints.
Hachette Book Group – It publishes fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books through various imprints, including Grand Central Publishing and Little, Brown, and Company.
HarperCollins – A subsidiary of News Corp, HarperCollins publishes a diverse selection of books, including literary fiction, non-fiction, and children’s literature. It has several imprints such as William Morrow, Harper, and Avon.
Macmillan Publishers – A global publishing company with divisions in the United States, the UK, and other countries. In the US, Macmillan operates under St. Martin’s Press, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and other imprints, publishing a wide range of books.
Simon & Schuster – It publishes books in various genres, including fiction, non-fiction, and children’s literature. It has imprints like Scribner, Atria, and Gallery Books.
With so many imprints, it’s easy to get lost which book was released by which publishing house.
Luckily, there is a comprehensive chart that lists all imprints of the Big Five publishers in the US. It was prepared by Ali Almossawi, a software engineer, data visualization designer, and the bestselling author of An Illustrated Book of Loaded Language and The Point of Pointless Work.
I have made a screenshot of the visuals. Make sure to link back to Ali Almossawi blog post with original and frequently updated flowcharts.
Source: The Big Five US Trade Book Publishers
I may earn a commission if you buy something through this post.
Writer Updated 