Bloomsbury profit falls 30% as it bets big on Maas
The publisher is counting on two new Sarah J. Maas titles this fiscal year to drive the record results it's still forecasting.
Bloomsbury reported a 30% drop in adjusted pre-tax profit and a 5% decline in revenue for the first half of its 2026-27 financial year, according to Publishers Weekly. Revenue for the six months ending in August fell to £151.6 million ($203.2 million) from £159.5 million the prior year, while adjusted pre-tax profit declined to £16.8 million ($22.5 million) from £24 million. Publishers Marketplace reported that Bloomsbury described the first half as soft but expects the second half to break records.
Bloomsbury maintained its full-year outlook, citing market consensus forecasts of £354.3 million ($474.7 million) in revenue and £49.9 million ($66.9 million) in adjusted pre-tax profit for the year ending February 28, 2027, Publishers Weekly reported. The company is counting on two new Sarah J. Maas novels, A Court of Splintered Harmony on October 27 and A Court of Forgotten Melody on January 12, 2027, with pre-orders described as "exceptional."
Consumer division revenue fell 9.3% to £102.8 million ($137.8 million), while academic and professional division revenue rose 5.9% to £48.8 million ($65.4 million) but saw adjusted pre-tax profit fall 38.2% to £6.8 million ($9.1 million), according to Publishers Weekly. The publisher attributed part of the decline to lower income from its non-exclusive AI licensing agreement.
Here's the thing about a publisher telling you the second half will "break records" right after the first half came in soft: it's not a lie, it's a bet, and the chips on the table are Sarah J. Maas's name. Bloomsbury's adjusted pre-tax profit dropped to £16.8 million from £24 million, and they're leaning on A Court of Splintered Harmony landing October 27 and A Court of Forgotten Melody in January to pull the whole year up to that £49.9 million forecast. If you write in a genre anywhere near romantasy, watch what these two releases do to backlist sales industry-wide — that's the real signal, not the earnings call. And if you're a Bloomsbury author on an AI licensing deal, note that revenue from that non-exclusive agreement is already shrinking year over year, so don't bank on it as a growing income line.
From the Coral Wire edition of Sat, Oct 24 2026 · Coral Index 43/100 (Headwinds)
Coverage — 2 sources
Every outlet found reporting this story.
- Bloomsbury Profits Fall, but Maas Titles Bolster Full-Year Outlookpublishersweekly.com
- Bloomsbury Reports a Soft First Half; Expects Second Half to Break Recordslunch.publishersmarketplace.com