Hey there, fellow colorists and aspiring artists! If you’re looking to publish your masterpiece or want to know which companies are setting the trends in 2025, you’ve landed in the right spot. The coloring book market is booming—it’s not just for kids anymore, and the best adult coloring book publishers are stepping up their game!
From intricate fantasy landscapes to fun, educational children’s titles, the top coloring book companies in the USA are constantly innovating. We’ve compiled a detailed list of the publishers that stand out for their distribution, quality, artist support, and sheer volume of amazing titles. Let’s dive into the list of the leaders in the coloring world for 2025.
The Big Players: Traditional & Trade Publishers
These giants of the publishing world offer the widest distribution and often collaborate with the most prominent names in the industry. Getting a contract with them means major visibility.
1. Penguin Random House (Multiple Imprints)
Penguin Random House is a powerhouse, publishing a massive catalog of coloring books for both adults and children through various imprints like WaterBrook and Ink & Willow, and their general trade divisions. They are a definitive leader among top book publishers in 2025.
- Key Features:
- High-Profile Artists: They feature international bestsellers like Johanna Basford (of Secret Garden fame) and Kerby Rosanes (Animorphia).
- Diverse Themes: Their catalog spans everything from literary classics (Color the Classics) and pop culture (A Game of Thrones Coloring Book) to inspirational and religious themes.
- Unmatched Distribution: As the largest trade publisher, your book would have phenomenal reach into major bookstores, gift shops, and online retailers globally.
- Branded Content: They often secure licensing deals for major franchises and popular authors.
- Pros & Cons (Traditional Publishing Model): High prestige and massive reach, but low royalty rates (often around 7%) and submissions typically require a literary agent.
- Best For: Established artists and illustrators seeking maximum market penetration and brand recognition in 2025.
2. HarperCollins Publishers (Multiple Imprints)
Another of the Big Five publishers, HarperCollins, maintains a strong presence in the coloring and activity book space, often focusing on educational, licensed, and trendy adult titles. They are a strong contender for the best coloring book publisher in 2025.
- Key Features:
- Strong Children’s Line: Publishes numerous children’s coloring and activity books, capitalizing on popular licensed characters.
- Inspirational & Wellness: A noticeable push in the adult market toward mindfulness, stress-relief, and inspirational/religious-themed coloring books.
- Global Reach: While a US-based company, their global subsidiaries ensure your book gets international exposure.
- Key Detail: Like Penguin Random House, they generally do not accept unsolicited submissions and require an agent.
3. Dover Publications
Dover is practically royalty in the world of affordable, high-quality, and highly diverse coloring books. They have been a staple in the market for decades and are known for their expansive Creative Haven adult coloring book line. They are a consistently reliable US coloring book publisher.
- Key Features:
- Creative Haven® Series: Their famous adult line offers single-sided, perforated pages—a huge benefit for colorists to prevent bleed-through and easily remove artwork.
- Vast Variety: Categories include history, science, stained glass, geometric designs, art masterpieces (Color Your Own), and educational themes for all ages.
- Budget-Friendly: Their titles are known for their low, accessible price points, making them appealing to mass-market consumers.
- Traditional & Unique Formats: They publish standard books alongside unique formats like Stained Glass Coloring Books that are meant to be colored and held up to a window.
- Best For: Artists interested in a high-volume, classic, and educational coloring book publisher with a reputation for quality printing.
The Independent & Niche Publishers
These companies might not have the historical size of the “Big Five,” but they’ve carved out impressive niches, especially in the adult and specialty markets, making them vital top coloring book companies to watch in 2025.
4. Blue Star Press
Blue Star Press has rapidly become a major force, particularly in the adult coloring and activity book genres. They’ve built a reputation for sleek, modern designs and high-quality production. If you’re looking for a contemporary publisher, check them out.
- Key Features:
- Focus on Trends: They are quick to publish books on current lifestyle and cultural trends, from astrology to modern graphic art styles.
- Excellent Production Quality: Known for thicker paper and beautiful binding, which is a major selling point for avid colorists who use markers or gel pens.
- Open to Submissions (Sometimes): While they may require an agent, they have had periods where they accept unagented submissions, so it’s worth checking their guidelines for 2025.
- Best For: Artists with contemporary, high-design adult coloring book concepts.
5. Coco Wyo Publishing (Amazon Marketplace Leader)
While not a traditional publisher in the sense of a trade press, Coco Wyo is an undeniable leader in the self-published coloring book space, particularly dominating Amazon’s best-seller charts. They represent a massive market trend in 2025.
- Key Features:
- Amazon Dominance: Market analysis shows them consistently publishing nearly half of the top 50 coloring books on Amazon, demonstrating exceptional market expertise.
- High-Frequency Releases: They excel at identifying and rapidly publishing books that cater to in-demand niches (like “Bold and Easy” designs).
- Focus on Reviews: Their model thrives on the Amazon ecosystem, leveraging high review counts for greater visibility.
- Pros & Cons (Direct-to-Consumer Model): Excellent at market niche saturation and high volume, but this model relies heavily on self-publishing platforms like Amazon KDP.
- Best For: Understanding the pulse of the direct-to-consumer online market and for artists who want to study successful high-volume publishing.
6. Jade Summer (Amazon Marketplace Leader)
Similar to Coco Wyo, Jade Summer is a massive brand in the Amazon self-publishing world, known for a prolific output and a focused aesthetic, which keeps them among the top coloring book companies online.
- Key Features:
- Legacy Brand on Amazon: Established themselves early on in the adult coloring boom and remains a “legacy brand” with a dedicated following.
- Thematic Consistency: Publishes a wide array of themes, often focusing on intricate fantasy, women, and animals with a distinctive style.
- High Performer: Consistently has multiple titles performing in the top ranks of coloring book sales on major online platforms.
- Best For: Digital artists looking to publish their work quickly through print-on-demand services and dominate a specific online market niche.
7. Thunder Bay Press
A division of Baker & Taylor Publisher Services, Thunder Bay Press publishes high-quality, often licensed, and beautifully packaged activity and coloring books. They have a knack for collector’s editions and novelty formats.
- Key Features:
- Licensed Pop Culture Titles: Strong track record with popular franchises and intellectual properties, producing official coloring books for major media.
- High-End Production: Their books often feature special additions like glow-in-the-dark elements, thick covers, and specialty paper.
- Gift Market Focus: Many of their titles are designed to be appealing gift items, giving them strong placement in general retail.
- Best For: Artists who want to work on officially licensed titles or create high-quality, gift-worthy coloring books for a broad audience.
The Educational & Mass-Market Leaders
These publishers dominate the children’s market and general retail shelves, bringing coloring to the masses.
8. Crayola (In-House Publishing)
While not a traditional book publisher, Crayola is arguably the biggest name in children’s coloring materials, and their extensive line of branded coloring books and activity pads makes them a top entity in the US market.
- Key Features:
- Mass-Market Domination: Their books are found in virtually every major retailer, grocery store, and toy shop.
- Focus on Innovation: Known for special formats like Color Wonder (mess-free markers that only color on special paper) and giant coloring pages.
- Early Education: Their titles are perfectly tailored for toddlers and young children, focusing on fine motor skills, color recognition, and self-expression.
- Licensing Power: They frequently partner with popular characters like Disney, Marvel, and other children’s media franchises.
- Best For: Understanding the children’s market and innovative, mass-market coloring formats.
9. Bendon Publishing
Bendon is a major player, particularly in the mass-market and value-focused children’s activity book space. Their products are ubiquitous and affordable, making them essential for a large segment of the US market.
- Key Features:
- Jumbo and Value Packs: Known for producing high-page-count, large-format coloring and activity books that offer great value to parents.
- Strong Licensing: They are heavy on licensing agreements, featuring popular children’s characters like PAW Patrol, Dr. Seuss, and My Little Pony.
- High Retail Presence: Their products are stocked in huge numbers across general retailers, discount stores, and supermarkets nationwide.
- Best For: Volume, affordability, and extensive access to children’s licensed characters.
10. Rockridge Press (Imprint of Callisto Media)
Rockridge Press focuses heavily on non-fiction, self-help, and practical activity books, including a massive selection of adult coloring books geared towards specific benefits like mindfulness, anxiety relief, and anatomy/education.
- Key Features:
- Targeted Niches: They excel at publishing books with a specific, benefits-oriented angle (e.g., Anxiety Relief Coloring Book).
- Data-Driven Publishing: As an imprint of Callisto Media, they leverage data to identify highly sought-after book topics and create content to meet that demand efficiently.
- Focus on Utility: Their books often combine coloring with a practical or therapeutic purpose.
- Best For: Authors interested in a publisher that uses data analytics to target profitable, niche coloring book themes, especially in the wellness category in 2025.
11. DK (Dorling Kindersley)
DK is internationally renowned for its highly visual, educational, and reference-style books. Their coloring books often follow suit, focusing on detailed, accurate, and informative subjects.
- Key Features:
- Educational Coloring: Titles like The Human Body Coloring Book are popular for educational purposes, appealing to students and professionals.
- Visually Driven: Their legacy as a reference publisher ensures high quality in illustration and presentation.
- Global Brand: Part of Penguin Random House, they benefit from wide global distribution and a trusted brand reputation.
- Best For: Academics, experts, and artists who want to create highly detailed, educational, or science-based coloring books.
Ghostwriting Solution: Take Your Vision to Market
Navigating the landscape of top coloring book publishers in the USA for 2025—whether through traditional deals with low royalties or the demanding, high-volume self-publishing route—can be daunting. That’s where a professional ghostwriting or third-party publishing solution steps in.
If you have a brilliant concept, a specific niche, or a personal brand you want to leverage but lack the time, expertise, or artistic skill to create a publishable coloring book, a ghostwriting service is your ideal partner.
The Full-Service Coloring Book Solution
Don’t let the technical demands of illustration, formatting, or market research stop you. Deliver your work to us, and we will handle it—from concept development to print-ready files. We function as your behind-the-scenes publisher, ensuring your book is ready for any market.
- We Handle the Art: Our team of professional illustrators can bring your unique concept to life with original, high-quality, and market-ready artwork that meets publishing standards.
- Optimal Formatting: We ensure your files are perfectly formatted for both Print-on-Demand (like Amazon KDP) and bulk printing runs, including the crucial details like single-sided, perforated pages.
- Market Analysis & Niche Identification: We help you refine your idea using the latest market data for 2025, ensuring your book targets a profitable and trending niche (e.g., “Bold and Easy,” “Cozy” themes, or specific fandoms).
- Retention of Rights: Unlike traditional publishing, you typically retain all your rights and command a much higher royalty rate from sales through platforms like Amazon KDP or your own website.
- Fast-Track to Market: Bypass the long submission times of traditional houses and rapidly test your book concept in the competitive digital marketplace.
Conclusion: Charting Your Course in 2025
The coloring book industry remains vibrant and profitable in 2025, catering to a massive audience from toddlers learning their ABCs to adults seeking therapeutic stress relief.
Whether your goal is the prestige of a major house like Penguin Random House, the reliable mass-market reach of a company like Dover or Crayola, or the digital sales dominance of an Amazon market leader like Coco Wyo, there’s a path for your work.
If you’re an artist or an entrepreneur with a fantastic idea, research these top coloring book publishers carefully. If you need a complete, professional solution to bring your vision to life and maximize your royalties without the hustle, consider a dedicated ghostwriting and publishing service. The world is waiting to color your imagination!
