Amberley Publishing – Leading the way with local and specialist history

Established in 2008, Amberley Publishing is the home of the ever-popular colour local history series Through Time.  The Through Time brand is now well established but Amberley is an independent publisher of books on a rich variety of history and heritage.  In addition to local history, our impressive catalogue of c.3000 titles includes print and e-books across many subject areas of such as transport, industry, general history, sport, military and niche specialist interests.

At Amberley we aim to publish authoritative books which also broaden the appeal and accessibility of the subjects. Our authors range hugely in experience from first-time writers to well-known professionals but they all display impressive knowledge and enthusiasm in their fields of expertise. Our aim at Amberley is to channel our authors’ passion through their books, in a way that appeals to a large and varied readership. We hope our books can introduce new readers to a topic, stir up old memories, fill in knowledge gaps, spark debate or quite simply provide enjoyment of a subject.

Exciting news from Amberley Publishing

Amberley Publishing is pleased to announce the acquisition of Quiller Publishing which has now been completed in a £1.4m deal.  Amberley said the acquisition would “provide a strong addition to Amberley’s existing non-fiction catalogue and support our long-term growth strategy”. In 2020 Quiller’s turnover was £725,523 and made profits before tax of £212,697 and had net assets of £683,977 at the year end.

Quiller Publishing was set up in 2001 by Andrew and Gilly Johnston and they have become a leading publisher in the field of outdoor pursuits. Along with previous acquisitions they purchased the equestrian publisher Kenilworth Press in 2005 and publish numerous titles for, amongst many others, the British Horse Society.

Initially no major changes are planned, with the remaining Quiller members of staff continuing to work as a separate entity whilst integration of back-office functions will occur as soon as possible. Quiller (and its imprints) will be independent imprints within Amberley.

Nick Hayward (CEO of Amberley): “This is a very exciting moment in the life of Amberley and reflects the amazingly hard work that our wonderful team has put in over recent years. The global pandemic has been challenging, but this is the next step of our plans for growth after vastly improving our distribution by leaving Orca and moving to HarperCollins Glasgow in July 2020. The owners have shown great faith in the Amberley team and we are all looking forward to working with the great business that Andrew and Gilly (Johnston) have created together.”

Andrew Johnston says: ‘I am delighted that Quiller has been acquired by a dynamic independent publisher and after twenty years developing Quiller, and over forty years in the book trade since joining Foyles in 1973, it is time to step back from what has been a wonderfully happy career.’