Profile Books is a British independent publishing firm founded in 1996 to publish stimulating non-fiction. It publishes across a wide range of subjects including history, biography, memoir, politics, current affairs, travel and popular science. It also publishes all The Economist Books.
In 2003 it published its first million copy seller, Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss. This book was the number one bestselling non-fiction title for 30 weeks and the Book of the Year at the British Book Awards 2004. Profile Books was awarded the Small Publisher of the Year award at the same event.
In 2006 Profile Books was again the recipient of the Small Publisher of the Year award, its third win since it was formed. It had previously won the Sunday Times award three years into its existence.
In January 2007 Profile Books acquired Serpent’s Tail, bringing together two of the most distinctive, highly regarded and fiercely independent small publishers in London.
Other bestsellers include Does Anything Eat Wasps? and Why Don't Penguins' Feet Freeze? in association with New Scientist magazine.
Profile Books is distributed in the UK by Random House, who are part of the largest publisher in the world, and currently sold by Faber & Faber.
Famous quotes containing the words profile and/or books:
“Expecting rain, the profile of a day
Wears its soul like a hat....”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)
“No common-place is ever effectually got rid of, except by essentially emptying one’s self of it into a book; for once trapped in a book, then the book can be put into the fire, and all will be well. But they are not always put into the fire; and this accounts for the vast majority of miserable books over those of positive merit.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)