Bloomsbury has today (23rd October) released its financial report for the first six months of 2025, and has reported profits before tax of £24m – down from £26.6m on the previous year – and a revenue of £159.5m, down from £179.8m in 2024/25. The publisher has seen particular success in the Academic & Professional division, with growth of 20% up to £46.1m “despite the challenging market conditions in the UK and US”, which it credits to signing its first non-exclusive AI licensing agreement, which was announced in July.
In the consumer division, the company reported revenue of £113.4m, down 20% on the previous year from £141.3m, and profit before tax and highlighted items was £13.4m, compared to £20.6m the previous year. However, chief executive Nigel Newton said the results were “in line with expectations”.
The publisher added that following the acquisition of Rowman & Littlefield in May 2024, the integration is “substantially complete, with digitisation and royalties ongoing”, and this year’s outgoings included a $10m further early repayment on the acquisition loan.
Bloomsbury reported successes this year with Gillian Anderson’s Want, Katherine Rundell’s The Poisoned King and a new film deal inked with Walt Disney Studios, Sarah J Maas’ paperback of House of Flame and Shadow, and JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series, 28 years after publication.
The publisher is also expecting a strong second half of the year with Samantha Shannon’s Among the Burning Flowers, Stephanie VW Lucianovic’s Zombie and Brain Are Friends, Patrick Ryan’s Buckeye and Elizabeth Gilbert’s All the Way to the River, among others.
Elsewhere, Keith Underwood will be joining Bloomsbury as chief financial and operating officer on 2nd February 2026, and Bloomsbury moved its UK distribution and warehousing arrangements to Hachette.
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