Top 10 Best Book Publishing Companies in USA (Best for Your Writing)

Book publishing has been a thriving industry in the United States for centuries, with many publishing companies producing high-quality books across various genres.

From large publishing houses to independent presses, the options for authors seeking to publish their work are plentiful.

However, navigating the publishing landscape can be daunting, particularly for new or aspiring writers.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at some of the best book publishing companies in the USA, examining their strengths and offerings to help you decide which publisher may be the best fit for your book.

Top Book Publishing Companies in USA

Penguin random house:

This publisher was set up in the year 2013 and has a total revenue of around 3.3 billion dollars and also is one of the members of the Big 5 publishers.

The publisher is owned by two big MNCs, Pearson PLC, and Bertelsmann. The publisher forms a substantial part of their total earning.

Their notable imprints like Knopf Doubleday, crown publishing, and Viking Press have a good name and carry out the promotion for the publishing house. They have published much notable work, which has given them a name.

Best Selling Book of Penguin Random House

“The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins
“Becoming” by Michelle Obama
“The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown
“The Help” by Kathryn Stockett
“The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot
“A Brief History of Time” by Stephen Hawking
“Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn
“The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins
“Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer

Hatchette Livre:

This book publisher is originally from France but has been in business in the US market. This is another publisher of the five big houses.

They are one of the most prominent bookhouses in Europe. The Lagardere Group owns the publisher and has over 150 imprints. The publisher was formed in the year and has been in business since then.

They have many imprints which carry out the marketing strategy, and they have been part of some notable works like Talking to Strangers and Little Weirds, which have given them a lot of fame.

Best Selling Book of Hatchette Livre

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (published by Pottermore, an imprint of Hachette Children’s Group)
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (published by Doubleday, an imprint of Hachette Book Group)
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James (published by Vintage, an imprint of Hachette Book Group)
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (published by Penguin Books, an imprint of Hachette Book Group)
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (published by Riverhead Books, an imprint of Hachette Book Group)
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins (published by Scholastic, an imprint of Hachette Book Group)
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (published by HarperOne, an imprint of Hachette Book Group)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (published by Crown Publishing, an imprint of Hachette Book Group)
The Martian by Andy Weir (published by Crown Publishing, an imprint of Hachette Book Group)
Becoming by Michelle Obama (published by Crown Publishing, an imprint of Hachette Book Group)

Harper Collins:

This is another member of the Big 5 house and was created in 1989 and has been in business since then. This publisher published many favorite books in 2018, making it one of the best-known publishing houses.

Their notable works include the woman in the Window and I’ll Be Gone, which have given them a lot of fame and name.

Best Selling Book of Harper Collins

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Macmillan publishers:

This publishing house is a subsidiary of the Holtzbrink publishing group and came to its current form after a merger in 2015. However, the assets it owns have remained the same since 2015. It is also one of the members of the Big 5 publishing house.

They have a great history and have been publishing since 1843 making it one of the largest and oldest.

As they are very old, they easily gets a promotion, and marketing is done using this view. They had been associated with famous names like Rudyard Kipling, W.B. Yeats, and Lewis Carroll.

Best Selling Book of Macmillan Publishers

“A Promised Land” by Barack Obama
“The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides
“The Testaments” by Margaret Atwood
“The Glass Hotel” by Emily St. John Mandel
“The Dutch House” by Ann Patchett
“The Overstory” by Richard Powers
“Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup” by John Carreyrou
“The Water Dancer” by Ta-Nehisi Coates
“The Body: A Guide for Occupants” by Bill Bryson
“Educated” by Tara Westover

Simon & Schuster:

This is the last of the big 5 publishing houses, and they have earned around 830 million dollars in total revenue. The organization was formed in 1924 and is owned by the CBS Corporation.

They were the original publisher of the Lost Generation authors. They had been a part of many historical events and had published many notable books.

The organization releases around 2000 titles every year. Many of its 2018 published books had been the best of the year. This increases the number of people following the book publisher and gets a lot of promotion.

Best Selling Book of Simon & Schuster

“The Institute” by Stephen King
“Becoming” by Michelle Obama
“The Testaments” by Margaret Atwood
“Fear” by Bob Woodward
“Educated” by Tara Westover
“The Wife Between Us” by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
“Fire and Fury” by Michael Wolff
“Hillbilly Elegy” by J.D. Vance
“The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye” by David Lagercrantz
“The Undoing Project” by Michael Lewis

McGraw-Hill Education:

This is one of the biggest publishers and has been in business for many years. Most American school books are from this organization. They are one of the big five educational publishers.

They had been one of the players to provide all textbooks and materials for the K-12 setting. Nowadays, they are more interested in learning solutions and technological solutions.

They have been part of the American education and school systems for much longer and, as a result, have been known by the people for a long time.

Their revenue stands at 1.7 billion dollars. Their notable works include Glenco/McGraw Hill and McGraw Hill Education.

Best Selling Book of Mc Graw-Hill Education

“Connect Access Card for Principles of Anatomy and Physiology”
“Operations and Supply Chain Management”
“Corporate Finance”
“Human Anatomy & Physiology”
“Microbiology: An Introduction”
“Intermediate Accounting”

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt:

This organization was formed in 2007 after merging Houghton Mifflin and Harcourt. They are the second in line of the Big 5 educational publishing houses.

They have been one of the key players in the American school system by providing textbooks and materials. Their revenue had been 1.4 billion dollars.

Their notable work has been their biggest marketing and promotion strategy. They had been associated with the American school system, making them known to the people.

Best Selling Book of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt:

“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
“The Best American series” (multiple genres and editors)
“The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein
“Curious George” series by H.A. and Margret Rey
“The Polar Express” by Chris Van Allsburg
“The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
“The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger
“The American Heritage Dictionary” by Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries
“The Sun and Her Flowers” by Rupi Kaur
“The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls

Pearson Education:

This organization owns famous publishing houses like Penguin Random House and Pearson Education. They are associated with American textbooks and school materials. They are one of the big 5 educational publishing houses.

They have generated revenue of around 1 billion and have been associated with textbooks.

As a part of their marketing, they have partnered with DuoLingo to help reach more people. It is also carrying out its promotion through its websites online. They had been associated with American school textbooks very well.

Best Selling Book of Pearson Education

“Campbell Biology”
“Fundamentals of Physics”
“Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach”
“Organic Chemistry”
“Calculus and Its Applications”
“Auditing and Assurance Services”
“Elementary Statistics”

Scholastic:

They are one of the big 5 educational Publishing houses and have been in business since 1920 and have been able to stay intact in their place.

Groups of companies, like other publishing houses, do not own them. They are the largest and biggest publisher of children’s books worldwide. Many of the most prominent children’s books were published by this organization.

They have earned revenue of around 2 billion dollars. As they have been part of many famous children’s books, they got promoted very easily and got known by the people.

Best Selling Book of Scholastic

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin
Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine
Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey
The Magic School Bus series by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen
Clifford the Big Red Dog series by Norman Bridwell
I Spy series by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick
Animorphs series by K.A. Applegate
The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne

Cengage Learning:

It is one of the most recent publishers who are on the rise after their recent report. Their products include textbooks and materials for schools all over the US. They are mostly linked to the library division publishing.

They are into research which gives them a name for it and makes them stand out. They provide online resources, which makes them unique.

Best Selling Book of Cengage Learning

Chemistry: The Central Science
“Financial Accounting” by Carl S. Warren, James M. Reeve, and Jonathan Duchac
“Biology” by Sylvia S. Mader
“Organic Chemistry” by John E. McMurry

Conclusion:

As mentioned above, most publishers are subsidiaries of big media houses which gives them a lot of names for themselves.

They are also good in their own field and are known for their books. Book publishers have their share of notable works, which provides them with fame and respect from the people. Every publisher has created their own image by creating their masterpiece.

The educational publishers are well associated with the schools making it very easy to know.