McGraw-Hill Education traces its roots back to the industrial age when it focused on science and technology publications. Today, it is the largest book publisher in the United States and focuses on primary, secondary and higher educational products, a focus spurred by the baby boom.
More recently, the company has expanded into young child development as well as educational assessment and reporting, vocational training, professional development, lifetime learning and continuing education.
HarperCollins enjoys a broad publishing base, including literary and commercial fiction, as well as children's books, cookbooks and business books. It is also known for mystery, romance, reference and religious novels. The company was founded in New York City in 1817 and has been home to such noteworthy authors as John F. Kennedy, Mark Twain, Margaret Wise Brown and Shel Silverstein. It had 2009 revenues of $1.14 billion.
With over $2 billion in revenue and more than 9,500 employees globally, Scholastic is a leading publisher and distributor of children's brands in the United States and worldwide. The company was founded in 1920 and focuses primarily on teacher materials, as well as books and magazines for school children. More recently, it has expanded into other areas, including multi-media entertainment. Scholastic is known for its school-based book clubs and fairs.
Random House, Inc. is the U.S. arm of Random House, the world's largest trade-book publisher. Random House claims that its published works have won an unmatched number of Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes.
The company was purchased in 1998 by Bertelsmann AG, arguably one of the top five publishing houses in the world. The acquisition brought together the brands of Random House, Inc. with those of Bantam Doubleday Dell. Its children's books division is the world's largest.
Simon & Schuster was founded in 1924 and is part of the CBS Corporation. It is home to a number of brands, or imprints, including Simon & Schuster, Pocketbooks and Free Press. It publishes 2,000 titles annually. In 2009, it boasted 25 of the No. 1 New York Times Bestsellers. The company employs about 1,350 people worldwide and distributes titles to more than 100 nations around the globe.
The Perseus Books Group is home to a number of publishers, including Vanguard Press and Avalon Travel. The company has positioned itself as a world leader in providing sales, marketing and distribution to independent publishers.
Its academic division publishes textbooks and related materials for higher education courses. Through its Publishers Group West channel, it has grown to be the largest book sales and distribution company in the United States.