While China has a massive industry in what’s called “online writing,” Germany is considered the West’s “third power” in self-publishing, after the US and UK. But there are considerable distinctions in the German market, most notably in that there’s less dominance by any one platform.
This is in part because, in 2013, German publishers, booksellers, and telecommunications companies created Tolino, an e-reading device and retail ecosystem, to provide a regional counterbalance to Amazon. Over the years, that system has expanded to include Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy. And since its launch in April 2015, Tolino Media has been available to indie authors as a self-publishing platform.
Amazon KDP has a strong presence in Germany, nevertheless, as do Bastei Lübbe’s BookRix; Books on Demand (called BoD in Germany); and two programs from one of Germany’s Big Three publishers, Holtzbrinck: Epubli and Neobooks.
Epubli is expressly for newcomers and what might be termed more casual self-publishing writers. It’s designed, its corporate representatives say, to make self-publishing as easy as possible for the widest range of users.
Neobooks is the one that draws our attention, because it has a unique offering—one aimed squarely at indies who really want a traditional publisher. While there’s no guarantee of a contract, Neobooks staffers actively flag books to various Holtzbrinck editors to be sure the most promising material is being spotted. A contact there tells us they sometimes call their service the easiest way to find a publisher.
Bottom line: It’s not uncommon for major publishing houses to acquire self-publishing arms, but getting spotted by the parent company has remained rare. But in Germany? More than 200 titles have been published by Holtzbrinck imprints after being self-published on the Neobooks platform. They’re serious about attracting and developing self-publishers in search of trade houses. We’d like to see this sort of commitment in more publisher-owned platforms; Holtzbrinck is offering a strong model.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
