Macmillan Publishers is the smallest of the “Big Five” publishing houses in the United States. Originally founded by British brothers Daniel and Alexander Macmillan in 1843, Macmillan is currently part of Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a large family-owned media company based in Stuttgart, Germany. The publishing house is headquartered in New York, but it also maintains offices in Australia, India, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

Today, Macmillan encompasses more than 10 imprints. Among these are Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Henry Holt and Company; and St. Martin’s Press. Authors publishing under Macmillan include bestsellers and winners of the Nobel Prize, the Man Booker Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Newbery Medal, and the Caldecott Medal.

Macmillan’s sales in 2024 were up 18% compared to 2023, partially due to gains in audio and eBooks. Nonetheless, the publisher has doubled the number of print copies sold over the past decade. Additionally, Macmillan recently launched Fabelistik, a new imprint in the publisher’s “collectibles” business, to reinforce the concept of books as art. The imprint will produce books drawn from the public domain and Macmillan’s backlist as limited, artisan-crafted editions. Some of these books, for example, will be printed on handmade paper and then handbound.

Macmillan manages its distribution logistics internally through Macmillan Distribution Services (MDS), and the publishing house previously signed a multi-year agreement with the American commercial printer Worldcolor (now part of Quad/Graphics) to cover the printing of approximately 800 million major trade bestsellers, textbooks, and mass market (paperback) books.

Macmillan is committed to responsible paper sourcing, and the publisher strives to source paper from mills with lower carbon emissions. In addition, approximately 80% of Macmillan’s directly sourced paper is derived from sawmill residuals (mainly chipped leftovers from the lumber industry).

One-third of Macmillan’s paper is procured by printers in Asia and Mexico to manufacture many of the publisher’s color books. These printers are required to use Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper and undergo biannual fiber testing at a laboratory, which identifies the species of trees used to make the paper for randomly selected samples of books. If there is substantial non-compliance with Macmillan’s Paper Policy, the publisher reserves the right to an investigation and, if necessary, an end to business with the printer.

Taiwanese printers interested in potentially entering Macmillan’s supply chain can be confident that the publishing house’s print sector is strong, even if digital options are driving sales growth. At the same time, suppliers should be aware of Macmillan’s strict material standards.