Volk Verlag

What Volk Verlag does

Volk Verlag is a Munich-based, privately held book publisher founded in 1997, specializing exclusively in content related to Bavaria and Munich. The company publishes a catalog of over 280 titles spanning Bavarian and Munich history, architecture, culture, language, hiking and travel guides, regional fiction, crime novels set in Franconia, and children's books including the Max series. Its product portfolio is organized across multiple sub-brands and series — Bayern Mini-Reiseführer, München-Mini compact guides, Starke Frauen biographies, Mörderisches Franken crime fiction, Wanderführer hiking guides, and Gegen das Vergessen historical memory books — and is available in print, e-book, and audiobook formats.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market model combining direct-to-consumer e-commerce through its own website (volkverlag.de) with traditional book trade distribution via the logistics partner Prolit Verlagsauslieferung GmbH. Marketing channels include a recurring email newsletter (Bayerische Geschichte(n)), Facebook and Instagram social media presence, press releases, and author readings and cultural events throughout Bavaria. Pricing follows a unit model with individual book prices typically ranging from €7.95 to €69.00, supplemented by quantity discounts on selected titles, and shipping is available both domestically and internationally across the EU, Switzerland, UK, Norway, and the USA.

The company is led by founder and Managing Director (Geschäftsführer) Michael Volk and operates with a small team of 11-50 employees. It is independently owned with no external investors, no parent company, and no public funding rounds identified. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The technology infrastructure is built on standard publishing and e-commerce tooling, including MailChimp for newsletter distribution, book2look for book preview samples, and Google Analytics for website analytics.

Name

Volk Verlag

Legal name

Volk Verlag

Website

https://volkverlag.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Volk Verlag is a privately held Munich-based book publisher founded in 1997, specializing in Bavarian and Munich-themed books. It serves tourists, regional history enthusiasts, families, and fiction readers through a 280+ title catalog distributed via direct e-commerce and German book trade channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Lifestyle, Travel & Leisure Books Publishing (MPAJAAAH), Children’s Nonfiction Educational (Science, History, Nature) (EDAGAIAC), Biography, Memoir & Narrative Nonfiction Publishing (MPAJAAAI)

Keywords

• Regional book publishing
• Bavarian travel guides
• Children's book series
• Bavarian history books
• Crime fiction novels

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Physical Book Sales: Sale of printed books including hardcovers, trade paperbacks, and special formats like leporellos and laminated guides. One-time purchase model with individual book pricing.
2. E-book Sales: Digital versions of books available for purchase, typically at lower price points than physical editions.
3. Audio Book Sales: Audio book format available for select titles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Volk Verlag is a specialized Bavarian book publisher that produces and sells print books, e-books, and audiobooks focused on Bavarian and Munich themes. Its catalog covers regional history, architecture, culture, language, fiction (including crime novels), children's books, hiking and travel guides, biographies, calendars, and graphic novels. The publisher operates a direct e-commerce storefront (volkverlag.de) and distributes titles through the German book trade.

Product overview

Volk Verlag is a specialized Bavarian book publisher offering a diverse portfolio of books focused on Bavarian and Munich themes. The publishing program includes multiple product lines: the core Bayern & München regional publishing (covering Bavarian history, architecture, culture, language, and travel), sub-brands like the München-Mini and Bayern-Mini compact travel guides, the Max Kinderbücher children's series, the Starke Frauen biography series, the Mörderisches Franken crime fiction series, hiking and leisure guides (Wanderführer), and general fiction (Belletristik). The company also publishes audiobooks and e-books alongside print editions. The product architecture is organized by category and theme rather than as a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bayern Mini-Reiseführer Compact city and travel guides in mini format for exploring Bavarian cities and regions, including walking tours and sightseeing tips for tourists and visitors.
• München-Mini Reiseführer Mini-format travel guides focused on Munich, covering topics such as churches, medieval Munich, Jewish Munich, FC Bayern München, and themed city explorations for visitors.
• Starke Frauen (Strong Women) book series Biography and story book series featuring notable women from Bavarian history, with 14 titles including Theresens Töchter, Hope, and Die Fraueninsel.
• Max Kinderbücher (Max Children's Books) Children's book series featuring the mischievous boy Max from Stephanskirchen in southern Bavaria, including titles such as Obacht Max!, Max räumt zamm, Max packts!, and Max lässt's krachen.
• Das bayerische Jahrtausend Historical book series covering 10 cities, 10 authors, and 10 volumes exploring Bavarian history across centuries.
• Gegen das Vergessen Book series dedicated to preserving memory of difficult historical periods, including books about expulsion, flight, and Holocaust victims in Bavaria.
• Mörderisches Franken (Murder Mystery Series) Crime fiction series set in Franconian cities including Würzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, and Bayreuth.
• Wanderführer (Hiking Guides) Hiking and walking guidebooks for Bavaria, including themed routes such as magical paths, powerful places, and Sunday walks.
• Belletristik (Fiction) General fiction offerings including crime novels, poetry, fairy tales, and novels focused on Bavarian themes.
• Hörbuch (Audiobooks) Audiobook format editions of selected Volk Verlag titles available for digital listening.
• E-book editions Digital e-book versions of selected Volk Verlag titles available for purchase, typically at lower price points than print editions.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Prolit Verlagsauslieferung GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProlit handles physical book distribution and fulfillment for Volk Verlag. They manage shipping and invoicing of book orders placed through the publisher's website. Prolit is contractually obligated to EU data protection standards.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Emons Verlag: Cologne-based independent publisher with a strong regional crime-fiction line (Regionalkrimi), directly comparable to Volk Verlag's Mörderisches Franken series in genre, regionality, and indie publishing model.
• ars vivendi verlag: Small independent Bavarian publisher with a niche, locally rooted catalog of regional literature, biographies, and cultural titles. Operates on a similar independent regional-publisher model to Volk Verlag with overlapping target readership in Bavaria.
• Michael Müller Verlag: German independent publisher known for regionally focused travel guides across Germany, Europe, and hiking/walking guides. Closely mirrors Volk Verlag's Mini-Reiseführer and Wanderführer product lines in scale and editorial approach.
• GeraMond Verlag: Munich-based publisher focused on travel, regional, and railway-themed books with strong German regional coverage. Comparable to Volk Verlag on regional German book publishing, target reader (travelers and regional enthusiasts), and geographic anchoring.
• Trescher Verlag: Independent Berlin-based publisher specializing in German and European travel guides and regional travel books. Highly comparable to Volk Verlag's Bayern-Mini and Wanderführer lines in format, target customer (tourists and regional enthusiasts), and business model.

Broad incumbents

• Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag (dtv): One of Germany's largest general trade paperback publishers, covering fiction, non-fiction, and reference. A broad incumbent that competes for retail shelf space, author relationships, and reader attention across all of Volk Verlag's categories.
• DuMont Reiseverlag: Long-established German travel-guide publisher (now part of DuMont) producing city and country guides across Europe. Overlaps directly with Volk Verlag's travel-guide category but operates at much larger scale and broader geographic scope.
• ADAC Verlag: Publishing arm of ADAC producing German travel guides, maps, and regional books. Competes in the same German travel-guide category as Volk Verlag's Mini-Reiseführer but with significantly larger distribution and brand recognition.
• Piper Verlag: Major German general trade publisher with fiction, non-fiction, and travel programming. Overlaps with Volk Verlag on Bavarian-themed fiction, regional biography, and history, but at substantially larger scale.

Others

• Prolit Verlagsauslieferung GmbH: Verlagsauslieferung (publisher distributor) handling fulfillment for many German independent publishers. Listed as Volk Verlag's distribution partner; included as an ecosystem/operations peer given its role in their go-to-market rather than as a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/volkverlag.de
• Instagraminstagram.com/volkverlag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/volk-verlag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Volk Verlag