RBmedia Acquires UK Fiction Publisher Boldwood Books to Expand Global Reach

RBmedia, the world’s largest audiobook publisher, has acquired award-winning UK independent fiction publisher Boldwood Books, the companies announced today.

Under the agreement, which closed on July 31, 2026, Boldwood will operate as an independent publishing division within RBmedia. The deal adds Boldwood’s existing catalogue of 2,000 titles, along with its annual pipeline of over 500 multi-format releases, to RBmedia's global operations. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2019, Boldwood Books has built a strong commercial fiction footprint, selling over 50 million books worldwide across eBook, audiobook, and print formats. The publisher specializes in popular genres, including mystery, thriller, romance, women's fiction, and historical fiction. Boldwood recently earned top industry accolades, winning Independent Publisher of the Year at the 2025 British Book Awards as well as both Independent Publisher of the Year and Trade Publisher of the Year at the 2025 Independent Publishing Awards.

The acquisition allows RBmedia to broaden its international and foreign-language offerings while leveraging Boldwood’s multi-format publishing strategy.

"Boldwood Books brings valuable expertise in multi-format publishing and additional depth in key genres like mystery, thriller, and romance," said Michael Paull, CEO of RBmedia. "This acquisition strengthens our international and foreign language publishing and ability to serve authors while delivering more high-quality titles to our retail and library platform partners and consumers worldwide."

For Boldwood, the partnership provides access to RBmedia’s massive global distribution network—which spans major platforms such as Audible, Spotify, Apple, OverDrive, and Hoopla—without sacrificing its operational autonomy.

"We are excited about the potential of bringing together RBmedia’s significant resources and audiobook expertise with Boldwood’s publishing capabilities across all formats," said Amanda Ridout, CEO and Founder of Boldwood Books.

"This agreement amplifies our ability to maximise author exposure in the U.S., given RBmedia’s position in the global market and vast distribution network, whilst remaining a discrete and independent business."

RBmedia, which holds a catalogue of over 100,000 audiobook titles, is backed by investment firms H.I.G. Capital and Francisco Partners.