The legal entity Lake Press Pty Ltd is an active Australian private company. Records from the Australian Business Register indicate that the current entity name has been in use since 29 January 2014, although the underlying company dates to an incorporation in 1993 and has operated under several previous legal names.3 Consequently, the company’s description of having “over 60 years” of publishing experience refers to its broader industry heritage rather than the age of the current legal entity.2

Lake Press has roots in Australia’s established illustrated and children’s publishing sector. The company presents its history primarily in terms of more than six decades of industry experience rather than providing a detailed public chronology of every predecessor company.

Corporate records provide additional context regarding the organisation’s timeline. The company behind today’s Lake Press Pty Ltd was incorporated in 1993 and has previously operated under names including The Five Mile Press Art Investments Pty Ltd, Alicat Trading Pty Ltd and Deep Lake Trading Pty Ltd. The legal name Lake Press Pty Ltd has been current since 2014.3

This corporate history clarifies discrepancies found in some online sources. For instance, LinkedIn lists 2010 as a founding date,4 while the company’s own website describes a much longer publishing heritage. These dates appear to refer to different aspects of the organisation’s history rather than being contradictory.4 Today, the business operates from 5 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, Victoria, and remains focused on publishing and distributing illustrated books and related products.5

Lake Press identifies as a mass-market illustrated publisher with a particular emphasis on children’s publishing. Its catalogue covers a broad range of formats, including:

• Board books and chunky board books
• Picture books and first readers
• Novelty books, pop-up books and sound books
• Colouring and activity books
• Educational workbooks and flashcards
• Puzzle and trivia books
• Jigsaws and journals
• Craft kits and educational toys
• Gift sets and memory books
• Non-fiction and reference books
• Cooking books
• Selected adult titles, including true-crime and general-interest books

These categories are reflected in the company’s current catalogue, which organises products into ranges such as Baby, Board Books, Educational Books, First Readers, Flash Cards, Jigsaws, Novelty, Picture Books, Pop-Up Books, Puzzle Books and Trivia.6 The company’s stated objective is to create books that entertain and educate.7

Children’s publishing is central to the brand identity of Lake Press. Rather than concentrating exclusively on conventional storybooks, the publisher employs a format-driven approach. A Lake Press children’s product may be a traditional picture book, but it frequently incorporates sound buttons, pop-ups, puzzles, colouring activities, wipe-clean pages, flashcards, craft components or other interactive elements.

This positions the company between a conventional children’s publisher and a producer of children’s book-and-activity products. Its catalogue covers multiple developmental stages, ranging from babies and toddlers to preschoolers, early readers, primary-school children and older children. The company states that its books are intended to engage young readers while providing educational or developmental value.8

The most recognisable property associated with Lake Press is Do Not Open This Book, created by Australian comedian and media personality Andy Lee and illustrated by Heath McKenzie. The concept is deliberately interactive: the book’s character repeatedly instructs the child not to continue reading, utilising reverse psychology to motivate the reader to turn the next page.

Lake Press describes the series as an award-winning international success that has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide.11 Following the original title, the publisher released numerous sequels and variations, including Do Not Open This Book or Else,5 Do Not Open This Book EVER,7 Do Not Open This Book (Definitely)6 and Do Not Open This Book (Yule).8

The series exemplifies the publisher’s broader strategy, which combines simple concepts, strong visual identity, physical interaction and humour designed to encourage active participation in reading.

Licensed publishing constitutes a significant portion of the Lake Press business. The company currently holds licences associated with major children’s entertainment and character brands, including:

• Blippi
• CoComelon
• Disney Spidey and His Amazing Friends
• Dr. Seuss
• Fuggler
• Hello Kitty
• L.O.L. Surprise!
• My Little Pony
• Octonauts
• Paw Patrol
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Transformers
• Unicorn Academy

These licences enable Lake Press to develop books and activity products around established characters and franchises.11 In the retail environment, this allows products to be placed alongside toys and entertainment merchandise, leveraging immediate character recognition among parents and children.

Education is a major component of the Lake Press catalogue. The company produces workbooks, activity books, flashcards, reference books and fact-based titles that combine learning with accessible visual presentation.

Examples include large-format reference books such as 1501 Things You Need to Know, which uses questions and answers, photography, illustrations and graphics to present general knowledge to children.9 Another title, 1001 Questions & Answers, covers subjects including science, animals, the human body, history, space, music and culture through short, visually presented information segments.10 This reflects a recurring publishing principle where educational material is packaged as colourful, accessible and entertaining content rather than resembling conventional school textbooks.

A distinctive feature of Lake Press products is the emphasis placed on physical presentation. The publisher frequently utilises large-format hardcovers, colourful illustrations, foil and spot-UV effects, laminated covers, interactive components, sound buttons, pop-up mechanisms, activity pages, cards, gift packaging and craft components.

For example, while Do Not Open This Book is a compact illustrated hardcover, reference books in the catalogue can be substantially larger, combining photography, graphics and dense collections of facts.11 Consequently, the physical book itself forms part of the product proposition beyond the written content.

Although based in Australia, Lake Press maintains an international business scope. The company states that its books are sold globally and that it works with translation markets and English-language export markets, including territories across Asia. Company profiles describe products as being available on nearly every continent.19

This international orientation is relevant to children’s publishing because successful picture books, activity books and licensed properties can often be adapted for different territories. The combination of original children’s intellectual property, licensed entertainment properties, universal educational themes and highly visual formats creates a catalogue suited to international distribution.

Lake Press operates primarily as a publisher, though its activities extend beyond commissioning and printing books. Its business model encompasses concept development, editorial, design and illustration, production, licensing, distribution and retail. The catalogue includes both original and licensed products, and the company operates its own online store alongside a dedicated system for trade customers.12

A separate corporate entity, Lake Press Distribution Pty Ltd, has been registered in Australia since 2018, indicating a distinct distribution operation associated with the business.20

Lake Press products are distributed through Australian retail channels as well as internationally. In Australia, products are available through major retailers including BIG W,13 David Jones14 and Officeworks.15 Retail listings show a range of products from educational workbooks and colouring books to board books, puzzles and licensed children’s items.

This distribution pattern indicates that Lake Press products are designed for mainstream retail environments rather than being positioned primarily as specialist literary books.

Lake Press functions as an accessible, visual and commercially oriented children’s publisher. Its brand intersects several markets:

• Children’s literature: Picture books, storybooks and early readers
• Educational publishing: Workbooks, facts, flashcards and learning activities
• Activity publishing: Colouring, puzzles, craft and interactive books
• Licensed entertainment: Disney, Paw Patrol, Hello Kitty and other established properties
• Gift publishing: Boxed sets, novelty books and premium-format children’s products

This diversified approach reduces dependence on any single book type and enables the company to address various age groups, price points and retail occasions.

The legal entity is Lake Press Pty Ltd, an active Australian private company with its main business location in Victoria.17 There is a distinction between the consumer-facing publishing brand and the corporate entity; while “Lake Press” is the public brand, the legal history includes several predecessor names. The current Lake Press Pty Ltd entity dates from a corporate name change in 2014, although the underlying corporate registration dates to 1993.20

The LAKE PRESS trademark is registered in Australia, covering a broad range of printed and educational products including storybooks, educational publications, activity books, picture books, children’s interactive books, flashcards, novels, craft kits and related printed materials.16

The Lake Press catalogue is underpinned by three core concepts:

Entertainment

Books should be fun and visually attractive.

Education

Books can introduce children to knowledge, reading, creativity and problem-solving.

Interaction

Children are encouraged to be active participants who touch, colour, solve, listen, manipulate and engage with the content, rather than passive readers.

This philosophy explains the wide selection of activity books, sound books, flashcards, novelty books, puzzles and educational products available alongside conventional picture books.18

Several characteristics distinguish Lake Press from conventional literary publishers:

• Family orientation: The company describes itself as family-owned and operated.18
• Strong children’s focus: Children’s publishing is the centre of the catalogue.
• Format innovation: The company publishes far more than standard text-based books.
• Licensed IP: It works with numerous internationally recognisable children’s brands.11
• International distribution: Its books reach markets outside Australia.19
• Mass-market positioning: Products are available through mainstream Australian retailers.
• Combination of education and entertainment: This is explicitly reflected in the company’s stated objective of creating books that “entertain and educate”.20

A simplified representation of the current Lake Press catalogue includes the following categories:

The company’s current online catalogue confirms the breadth of these categories.21

Within Australia, Lake Press occupies a distinctive position as an independent publisher with a strong commercial children’s catalogue. It is not primarily known for literary fiction or academic publishing. Instead, its strength lies in producing high-volume, visually appealing books and book-related products suitable for bookstores, department stores, discount retailers, toy-oriented retail environments and gift occasions.

The company’s emphasis on licences, novelty formats, activity books and educational products appeals to consumers seeking children’s gifts, educational activities or entertainment products rather than solely traditional literature.

Lake Press represents a specific model of modern children’s publishing in Australia: an independent publisher combining traditional book publishing with licensing, educational content, interactive formats and international distribution. While Do Not Open This Book is its most visible success, the series represents only one part of a larger portfolio encompassing thousands of products and numerous children’s categories. This allows the company to operate simultaneously as a publisher, children’s content developer and supplier of book-based entertainment products.

1. About us – Lake Press
2. Lake Press | Independent Book Publisher – Lake Press
3. LAKE PRESS PTY LTD – LEI: 984500BC915FB7A7A828
4. Lake Press | LinkedIn
5. Do Not Open this Book or Else – Lake Press
6. Do Not Open This Book (Definitely) – Lake Press
7. Do Not Open This Book Ever – Lake Press
8. Do Not Open this Book (Yule) – Lake Press
9. 1501 Things You Need to Know – Lake Press
10. 1001 Questions & Answers – Lake Press
11. Do Not Open This Book – Lake Press
12. Lake Press | Independent Book Publisher
13. Lake Press | Brands | BIG W
14. Lake Press: Shop Lake Press Books & more | David Jones
15. Lake Press | Officeworks
16. LAKE PRESS Australia Trademark Filing & Registration | Australia Trademark Search
17. Lake Press Pty Ltd – Business Information – Australia Check
18. Darren Busuttil’s email & phone number – Chief Operating Officer at Lake Press | SignalHire
19. LAKE PRESS PTY LTD – LEI: 984500BC915FB7A7A828 | LEI Lookup
20. Lake Press Pty Ltd – ABN, ACN, Business names, Former names
21. Company: Lake Press Pty Ltd, information