Vertebrate Publishing attracts major new investment

Award-winning independent publisher Vertebrate Publishing has secured a quarter of a million pounds in investment which will help the company grow from its base in Sheffield, The Outdoor City.

Vertebrate, the UK’s leading publisher of outdoor adventure books, has had a number of excellent trading years and this investment will see the experienced entrepreneur Stephen Ross join the board. It will result in the creation of an additional five new posts across editorial, marketing and production in 2019.

Vertebrate has published around 300 titles and is adding to them at the rate of thirty books per annum. This investment will allow the company to double output, becoming one of Yorkshire’s leading publishers.

Stephen Ross has led a number of international high-growth companies, and is a former Chairman of Inov-8, the outdoor clothing and equipment brand. He lives in the Lake District where he is the organiser of the annual Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon and author of a mountain biking guidebook.

Vertebrate’s founder, Jon Barton, commented that he was delighted to see this level of support: ‘Producing books that inspire people to go out and have adventures is what we are all about. Being able to extend what we do, and producing more cycling, climbing, walking and running books, can only be a good thing. Sheffield has been key to attracting this level of investment, with over 25,000 Strava users, 10,000 active climbers, 14,000 registered Parkrunners, the city is the epicentre of outdoor pursuits in the UK.’

Stephen Ross said: ‘It is great to be working with Jon and his team at a time when there is unprecedented interest in outdoor sports and books are enjoying a resurgence. We have so many ideas for new titles and we need to grow our team of like-minded people to help make them happen. The investment will enable Vertebrate to do just that.’