About us
Who we are
We are digital publishing experts, specialising in product development, workflow and process optimisation, and discoverability enhancement—driving improved discoverability, usage and sales for publications.
With our combined experience of seventy years in academic, scholarly and commercial publication, Colophon is uniquely placed in the publishing and distribution value chains.
Colophon partners with publishers, researchers and service providers to deliver services for publications that adhere to the highest international standards.
We draw on our extensive international networks and vast experience in the to connect publishers and service providers with prioritise publishing from the Global South working with publishers, from southern and east Africa and across south east Asia and global libraries and distributors.
Services and products
In consultation with you and grounded in analyses of your situation, we develop bespoke solutions matching your specific needs.
Our core services and products include four broad areas
- General publishing services: We help publishers revise workflows, develop new products, and extend the commercial life of their catalogues — from backlist digitisation to multi-format production — building capacity that lasts beyond the engagement.
- Supply chain & industry engagement: We help clients navigate systems, standards, and relationships that move books from publisher to reader and beyond, drawing on extensive involvement with industry bodies regionally and internationally.
- Metadata strategies and implementation: We design metadata strategies that make titles findable, sellable, and citable across every channel that matters — from ONIX implementation to taxonomy and governance — treating metadata as a core infrastructure rather than an afterthought.
- Scholarly research enhancement: We partner with university presses and research publishers to strengthen the quality of authors’ output, editorial rigour, production technology, and discoverability — including Open Access — for thriving in a global research ecosystem.