Volante

What Volante does

Volante is a privately held, independent Swedish book publishing house (förlag) headquartered in central Stockholm at Stora Nygatan 7, operating under the legal entity Volante AB (org. nr. 556658-7845). The company is run by Publisher and CEO Tobias Nielsén, with Johan Wirfält as Publisher, and employs between 11 and 50 people. Volante publishes books across popular science, non-fiction, management, current affairs, political memoir, and literary fiction, with a roster that includes Nobel laureates such as Daniel Kahneman and Denis Mukwege, Stockholm School of Economics professor Micael Dahlen, and prominent Swedish journalists and politicians.

The core "technology" underlying Volante is its proprietary catalog of authored titles and its publishing curation capability rather than software platforms; the company does not develop proprietary technology products. Its commercial operation rests on (1) book sales through its own direct-to-consumer webshop (volanteshop.com), (2) distribution via major Swedish online retailers Adlibris and Bokus, (3) physical bookstore distribution across Sweden, and (4) a secondary professional-services line booking its authors for speaking engagements ([email protected]). Pricing is standard retail unit pricing set by retail channels, and there is no subscription, SaaS, or platform pricing model.

Revenue is generated through one-time book sales to general Swedish consumers plus professional services fees from author speaking bookings to enterprises and event organizers. The company supplements its publishing activity with the literary magazine Sikt (co-published with EFN Bok, part of Handelsbanken Foundations & Publishing), a blog (Volantebloggen), email newsletter, organic social channels, and a press room. Its single disclosed scale datapoint is more than 100,000 copies sold for Daniel Kahneman's Swedish titles. Volante is a domestic-only operator: no international subsidiaries, no funding rounds, no parent company, no M&A activity, and no disclosed revenue or ARR.

Name

Volante

Legal name

Volante AB

Website

https://volante.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Volante is an independent Swedish book publishing house in Stockholm, publishing popular science, non-fiction, management books, and novels featuring Nobel laureates and prominent researchers, selling direct via volanteshop.com and through Adlibris, Bokus, and Swedish bookstores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313), Periodical Publishers (51312), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Politics, Current Affairs & Social Commentary Publishing (MPAJAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN), Author Marketing, PR & Launch Services (Ads, Book Tours, Influencers) (MPAJAJAL)

Keywords

• Book publishing
• Popular science books
• Non-fiction publishing
• Swedish publishing house
• Author speaking events

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Book sales (consumer retail): Volante publishes books (popular science, non-fiction, management, novels) and sells them through its own webshop, major online retailers (Adlibris, Bokus), and physical bookstores across Sweden. Revenue is generated through the sale of physical and digital books to end consumers.
2. Speaking engagements and author bookings: Volante manages speaking engagements for its authors (föreläsare), booking them for events, conferences, and corporate presentations through [email protected].

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Volante is an independent Swedish publishing house (förlag) that publishes books across popular science, non-fiction, management, and novels, featuring Nobel laureates (Daniel Kahneman, Denis Mukwege), acclaimed researchers (Micael Dahlen), prominent journalists, and thought leaders. The company sells its books through its own webshop (volanteshop.com), Swedish online retailers (Adlibris, Bokus), and physical bookstores across Sweden. Volante also operates a speaker booking service for corporate and event clients via [email protected], and co-publishes the literary magazine Sikt with EFN Bok (part of Handelsbanken Foundations & Publishing).

Product overview

Volante is a Swedish publishing house ("förlag") that publishes books across multiple categories including popular science, non-fiction, management, and novels. The company features Nobel laureates, acclaimed researchers, and thought leaders. Its core products include book publishing and direct sales through Volanteshop.com, as well as a literary magazine called Sikt (in collaboration with EFN Bok). Key authors include Micael Dahlen (happiness, meaning, consumer behavior), Daniel Kahneman (behavioral economics), and various Swedish thought leaders. The company also organizes speakers through its Sommarpratare service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sikt: A literary magazine published by Volante in collaboration with EFN Bok, focusing on non-fiction and featuring curated lists of best books.

Products and services

• Sikt Literary magazine co-published by Volante and EFN Bok, featuring book rankings, criticism, and curated selections of quality non-fiction.
• Sommarpratare (Speaker Bookings) Curated speaker booking service booking Volante authors (including Nobel laureates, researchers, and experts) for corporate events, conferences, and presentations.
• Fuskarna Investigative journalism book by Natalia Kazmierska exposing system failures in the Swedish school market; awarded Guldspaden 2025.
• Mina strider Memoir by Nalin Baksi about her political career, fighting for minorities, women's rights, and against racism.
• Nextopia Book by Micael Dahlen exploring the expectation society where people constantly anticipate what comes next.
• Sifferdjur Book by Micael Dahlen and Helge Thorbjørnsen about how numbers control our lives.
• En liten bok om lycka Book by Micael Dahlen summarizing research on happiness with thirteen tips for living a happier life.
• En liten bok om meningen med livet

Quantifiable outcome

• Guldspaden 2025 — Årets bok (Investigative journalism book of the year) awarded to Volante's Natalia Kazmierska for Fuskarna
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EFN Bok (Handelsbanken Foundations & Publishing)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Volante and EFN Bok co-publish the literary magazine Sikt, which produces annual lists of the best non-fiction books of the 21st century. EFN Bok is part of Handelsbanken Foundations & Publishing. This partnership produces Sikt #5 (2026) and Sikt #6 (2026), among other joint publications.
• Jesper Roine (Handelshögskolan)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Jesper Roine, a national economist at the Stockholm School of Economics, contributed introductions, transitions, and fact-checking to the collective volume 'Varför är inte hela världen rik?' featuring Nobel economics laureates Acemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson. The work was produced in close collaboration with the three authors.
• LäkarmissionenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Volante partnered with the Swedish medical humanitarian organization Läkarmissionen in connection with the book 'Kvinnors styrka' by Denis Mukwege (Nobel Peace Prize laureate). Ten kronor from each book sold was donated to Läkarmissionen's work at Panzisjukhuset in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Albert Bonniers Förlag: Sweden's largest trade publisher, covering fiction, non-fiction, and general interest across many imprints. Directly comparable to Volante in Swedish-language non-fiction, but with vastly larger scale, more authors, and broader retail reach.
• Norstedts Förlag: One of Sweden's oldest and largest general publishers, active in both fiction and non-fiction. Comparable to Volante in publishing Swedish thought leaders and current-affairs authors, though operating at substantially greater size and across more categories.
• Natur & Kultur: Major Swedish publisher known for non-fiction, humanities, and social debate titles. Closely comparable to Volante's popular-science and social-commentary positioning but with a much deeper backlist and broader author roster.
• HarperCollins Nordic: Nordic arm of the global publisher, active in Swedish-language translations and originals. Comparable to Volante in selling internationally authored non-fiction into the Swedish market, but with materially larger scale.
• Penguin Random House Sweden: Swedish operations of the world's largest trade publisher. Comparable to Volante in the Swedish non-fiction market — particularly international bestsellers — but operates at massive scale and competes directly for foreign rights.

Direct peers

• Bokförlaget Forum: Swedish non-fiction and current-affairs publisher (Piratförlaget/Storyside group). Closely comparable to Volante's mix of investigative journalism, management, and political/current-affairs titles in the Swedish market.
• Piratförlaget: Swedish general trade publisher covering non-fiction, politics, and popular culture. Comparable to Volante in target audience (engaged Swedish readers) and editorial focus on debate-driven non-fiction, competing for the same readership and authors.
• Leopard Förlag: Independent Swedish publisher with a curated non-fiction and memoir list. Comparable to Volante's editorial-curation model and Swedish-language non-fiction focus, though smaller in scale and more niche.

Emerging players

• Bokförlaget Polaris: Independent Swedish publisher active in fiction and non-fiction. Comparable to Volante as a smaller Swedish indie house, though with a different editorial emphasis on thriller/literary fiction.

Others

• Handelsbanken Förlag / EFN Bok: Publishing arm of Handelsbanken Foundations, co-publisher of the Sikt literary magazine with Volante. Direct strategic partner and adjacent non-fiction publisher; relevant as both a peer in Swedish publishing and a confirmed counterparty.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/volanteforlag
• Facebookfacebook.com/volanteforlag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qnb-volante

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Volante