According to the company, it specializes in "books that present creative and conscious ways of transforming the individual, the society, and the planet".

[1] Many of its titles deal with Buddhism and related topics in Eastern studies, religion, philosophy, and martial arts.

The company's name was inspired by the Sanskrit word Shambhala, referring to a mystical kingdom hidden beyond the snowpeaks of the Himalayas, according to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

In 2010, Nikko Odiseos was appointed President and continues to lead the company[4] along with owners Sara and Ivan Bercholz, children of the founder.

[5] In September 2015, after a thirty-year history in Boston, Shambhala Publications moved its headquarters to Boulder again, at 4720 Walnut St, with 35 inhouse staff, now grown to 41.