Piper
Piper Verlag GmbH is a Munich-based German trade book publisher (est. 1904) operating under Bonnier Media Deutschland, publishing fiction, non-fiction, and travel across the Piper, everlove, and Malik imprints for DACH and EU consumers via retail, marketplace, and direct e-commerce channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1904
- HeadquartersMünchen, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Piper does
Piper Verlag GmbH is a Munich-based, privately held German trade book publisher founded on May 19, 1904 by Reinhard Piper. The company operates three imprints — the flagship Piper imprint, the New Adult/romance label everlove, and the nature-focused Malik imprint — publishing fiction (romance, thriller, fantasy, literary, crime, historical), non-fiction (biography, science, history, self-help), and travel literature. Its catalog spans 120+ years and features multiple SPIEGEL Bestseller authors including Peter Wohlleben, Gisa Pauly, Elle Kennedy, Margaret Atwood, and Anne Berest; the Off-Campus series by Elle Kennedy was adapted into an Amazon Prime Video Original Series.
The business operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform (piper.de) supplemented by Amazon marketplace, German bookstore chains (Thalia, Hugendubel, GenialLokal), and e-book downloads, with delivery across DACH and 20+ EU countries. Underlying technology is standard publishing infrastructure — Salesforce Salescloud and Marketing Cloud for CRM and newsletters, PayPal and credit card payments, Google Analytics and Tag Manager — with no proprietary AI/ML capability disclosed. Pricing is per-unit (€8.99–€22.00), with special editions (signed copies, color-cut deluxe editions) commanding premiums.
Piper has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bonnier Media Deutschland GmbH — itself part of the Swedish Bonnier media conglomerate — since its acquisition, operating alongside sister imprints Carlsen, Ullstein, arsEdition, Thienemann-Esslinger, Münchner Verlagsgruppe, and Hörbuch Hamburg. The company has 51-100 employees and does not publicly disclose revenue. Revenue mechanics are essentially one-time unit sales across formats with newsletter-driven retention; there is no disclosed subscription, licensing, or recurring SaaS-style revenue line.
Piper firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Piper
- Legal name
- Piper Verlag GmbH
- Website
- https://piper.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1904
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Piper Verlag GmbH is a Munich-based German trade book publisher (est. 1904) operating under Bonnier Media Deutschland, publishing fiction, non-fiction, and travel across the Piper, everlove, and Malik imprints for DACH and EU consumers via retail, marketplace, and direct e-commerce channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Piper industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Young Adult (YA) Publishing (MPAJAFAD)
Keywords
Where Piper is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- München
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Piper business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Physical Book Sales: Revenue from selling hardcover, paperback, and special edition books through direct online sales, Amazon marketplace, and physical bookstores across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other EU countries.
- E-book Sales: Digital book sales including e-books and e-bundles, available for immediate download from piper.de or through other digital platforms.
- Newsletter Subscriptions: Free newsletter subscriptions providing regular updates about new releases, author events, and book recommendations. Used as a customer retention and engagement channel.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Hardcover editions |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Paperback editions |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | E-book editions |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Piper product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Piper is a German book publisher founded in 1904 that publishes fiction, non-fiction, and travel books in hardcover, paperback, and e-book formats. The publisher operates sub-imprints including everlove (romance) and Malik (nature books), and distributes titles through its own e-commerce store, Amazon, Thalia, Hugendubel, and GenialLokal. Special offerings include signed editions and color-cut collector's editions.
Product overview
Piper is a German book publisher with a multi-imprint portfolio centered around its main Piper imprint and sub-brands everlove (romance/New Adult) and Malik (nature books). The company publishes physical books (Hardcover, Paperback), eBooks, and special editions including signed copies and color-cut collector's editions. Piper's core offerings span fiction categories including romance, thrillers, fantasy, literary fiction, and crime series like the Mamma Carlotta Sylt Krimis; non-fiction including biographies, history, science, and self-help; and travel literature. The publisher has approximately 120+ years of history since its founding in 1904 and is part of the Bonnier Media Deutschland group.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Piper main imprint (fiction and non-fiction books) Core general-interest imprint publishing literary fiction, non-fiction, and travel books in hardcover, paperback, and e-book formats for adult readers in the German-speaking market.
- everlove (romance imprint)
- Malik (nature and non-fiction imprint) Sub-imprint dedicated to nature, sustainability, and popular science non-fiction, featuring authors such as Peter Wohlleben, with titles published in hardcover and other formats.
- Signed editions Author-signed collector editions of selected titles, sold primarily through the piper.de e-commerce store, targeted at collectors and dedicated fans.
- Color-cut special editions Premium collector's editions featuring sprayed or color-cut page edges, sold mainly through the piper.de store as differentiated premium SKUs.
- E-books Digital book editions (e-books) of the publisher's fiction and non-fiction catalog, distributed through the own e-commerce store and major e-book retailers for digital-first readers.
Companies that use Piper
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Piper technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
Piper partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Bonnier Media Deutschland GmbHcorePiper Verlag GmbH is part of the Bonnier Media Deutschland GmbH publishing group, which includes other publishers such as arsEdition, Carlsen, Hörbuch Hamburg, Münchner Verlagsgruppe, Thienemann-Esslinger, and Ullstein. Bonnier Media handles corporate functions including legal, finance, and data processing (Salesforce systems) for Piper.
- AmazonmajorAmazon serves as a major marketplace distributor for Piper books. Piper maintains an official Amazon.de presence with affiliate links on piper.de. The Off Campus series by Elle Kennedy has been adapted into 'Off Campus: Now an Original Series prime' indicating strong Amazon partnership for streaming content.
- Salesforce (Salescloud & Marketing Cloud)corePiper uses Salesforce Salescloud for customer data storage and Salesforce Marketing Cloud for newsletter delivery, automated mailings, and advertising campaigns. Data is stored on EU servers with some processing in the USA under binding corporate rules.
- Wohllebens WaldakademieminorCo-marketing partnership for joint giveaways and events. Piper and the Waldakademie co-sponsor prize draws for experiences related to Peter Wohlleben's books, such as 'Tages-Erlebnis: Das geheime Leben der Bäume' tree experience tickets.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Piper competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Piper social profiles
Digital presencePiper compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Piper financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Piper leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Piper subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Piper funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Piper M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Piper
What does Piper do?
Piper is a German book publisher founded in 1904 that publishes fiction, non-fiction, and travel books in hardcover, paperback, and e-book formats. The publisher operates sub-imprints including everlove (romance) and Malik (nature books), and distributes titles through its own e-commerce store, Amazon, Thalia, Hugendubel, and GenialLokal. Special offerings include signed editions and color-cut collector's editions.
Is Piper a public or private company?
Piper is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Piper founded?
Piper was founded in 1904. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Piper based?
Piper is headquartered in München, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Piper make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Physical Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are E-book Sales and newsletter Subscriptions.
Does Piper have an API?
No public API is recorded for Piper.
What industry is Piper in?
Piper's product category is Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAB, Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.), with a secondary code of MPAJAFAD, Young Adult (YA) Publishing. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.