What KNK does

KNK (the knk Group) is a privately held, founder-owned software group founded in 1988 in Kiel, Germany, that develops the only Microsoft-certified publishing software worldwide. Its core product, knkPublishing (rebranded knkMedia in recent releases), is built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and extends the ERP with publishing-specific functionality covering financials, sales and distribution, editorial and production, rights and royalties, metadata management (including ONIX 3.0), subscription management, warehouse and shipping, credit card processing, and CRM. Around this core, KNK layers a portfolio of sub-brands and acquired products: knk365 (Media Sales, Market Insights, Marketing Automation) for CRM and customer engagement; the knk Integration Platform (knk IP) for cross-application data exchange; NAIS as a dedicated AI unit launched in 2025; VM Verlagsmanager (Media Manager), MediaMillion, and Diamond Server from the muellerPrange brand for advertising, subscription, and circulation management; and Bradbury Phillips Rights Manager, Agency Manager, and Royalties Manager (acquired April 2018) for rights and literary agency workflows. KNK holds five Microsoft Gold competencies and is positioned as an MS Solution Partner.

KNK serves approximately 450 publishing customers across book publishers (trade, religious, education, legal, children's, specialist), magazine and periodical publishers, and literary agencies in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia, from offices in Germany (Kiel and other cities), the United States (Morristown, NJ headquarters for knk Software LP, plus Seattle, Boston, and Minneapolis), the United Kingdom (London), and France (Paris), with implementation partner Exsys Co. Ltd. covering Thailand. Revenue is generated through a mix of perpetual licenses, subscription/rental SaaS deployments on Microsoft Azure or in knk's US multi-tenant environment, a custom-configured Managed Cloud Service with operational support, and professional services for implementation and consulting. The go-to-market motion is sales-led enterprise field sales supported by inside sales, regional sales directors, and the Microsoft partner ecosystem.

The company has described itself as growing 25% on average annually, with recent milestones including the knkMedia 2024 R2 upgrade on Dynamics 365 Business Central v25 (demonstrated at Karnov Group / Norstedts Juridik AB in September 2025), the Concordia Publishing House go-live in March 2026, and the launch of NAIS as its dedicated AI unit. KNK remains founder-controlled, with Knut Nicholas Krause serving as CEO of the German parent and President of the US entity, and no external institutional investors or public listing disclosed.

Name

KNK

Legal name

knk Business Software AG

Website

https://knk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

KNK (the knk Group), founded 1988 in Germany, develops knkPublishing/knkMedia, the only Microsoft-certified publishing software worldwide, built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. It serves roughly 450 book, magazine, and literary-agency customers across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia via perpetual, subscription, and managed-cloud models.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Publishing ERP Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Rights, ISBN & Publishing Administration Services (Identifiers, Metadata, Royalties) (MPAJAJAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Publishing Aggregators & Distribution (e-book distribution, news syndication) (MPAJAMAE), IP Management, Patents & Trademark Software (BPAEAPAN)

Keywords

• Publishing ERP software
• Rights royalty management
• Media sales CRM
• Advertising subscription software
• Microsoft Dynamics publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Morristown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Software licensing (perpetual): knkPublishing can be bought outright as a perpetual license; the software can be used in the cloud or on-premises.
2. Subscription / rental licensing: knkPublishing can alternatively be licensed via subscription/rental model, including SaaS deployments in knk's US multi-tenant environment and the Azure cloud.
3. Managed cloud services: knk's Customer Success team provides operational support for client systems including interface monitoring, user support, and management of custom-configured private cloud environments—offered as ongoing managed services rather than one-time implementation.
4. Professional services and consulting: Implementation, consulting, needs analysis, business intelligence, and project management services delivered alongside the software. The job description explicitly excludes user training/consulting from developer roles, indicating a separate consulting practice.
5. Cross-sell across product brands (knk365, Bradbury Phillips, VM Media Manager): Revenue from sister brands: Bradbury Phillips Rights/Royalty/Agency software, VM Verlagsmanager (advertising/subscription), and knk365 suite (CRM, Customer Engagement, Marketing Automation) for publishers and literary agents worldwide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

KNK develops and sells knkMedia (formerly knkPublishing), the only Microsoft-certified publishing software worldwide, built natively on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and extending it with publishing-specific ERP functionality covering financials, sales and distribution, inventory, editorial, production, rights and royalties, metadata, subscriptions, and warehouse management. Around this core, KNK layers a portfolio of complementary software products (knk365 for Media Sales / Market Insights / Marketing Automation, knk Integration Platform, NAIS AI solutions, Bradbury Phillips Rights / Agency / Royalties Manager, VM Verlagsmanager) and delivers implementation consulting, integration, and managed cloud services to over 450 publishing customers across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia.

Product overview

KNK (the knk Group) delivers a platform-plus-modules architecture for the global publishing and media industry, anchored by its core product knkMedia (formerly marketed as knkPublishing) — the only Microsoft-certified publishing software worldwide, built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central as both cloud SaaS and on-premises deployments. Around this core, KNK layers a portfolio of complementary sub-brands and acquired brands: knk365 (Media Sales, Market Insights, Marketing Automation) for CRM and customer engagement; the knk Integration Platform (knk IP) for cross-application data integration; NAIS as its dedicated AI unit; VM Verlagsmanager (Media Manager), MediaMillion, and Diamond Server from the muellerPrange brand for advertising, subscription, circulation, and BI; and the Bradbury Phillips Rights Manager, Agency Manager, and Royalties Manager for rights and literary agency workflows (acquired in 2018). KNK also offers BI via Power BI and a dedicated knk Data and BI services team. The portfolio covers the full media value chain — from content creation and production through rights, royalties, and subscriptions to distribution, marketing automation, customer retention, and AI-driven insights — and is delivered with consulting and implementation services to over 450 publishing customers across North America, Europe, and Asia from offices in the US, UK, France, and Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• knkPublishing / knkMedia: Microsoft-certified publishing and media ERP software (also referred to as knkMedia in more recent releases) based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central; covers financials, rights and royalties, editorial, production, CRM, subscription, distribution, and BI for book, magazine, and specialist publishers.
• knk365
• knk Integration Platform (knk IP)
• Bradbury Phillips International
• VM Verlagsmanager (Media Manager)

Products and services

• knkMedia (formerly knkPublishing) Microsoft-certified publishing and media ERP built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central — the only Microsoft-certified publishing software worldwide. Covers financials, sales and distribution, inventory, editorial, production, metadata management, rights and royalty management, media sales, warehouse, demand planning, credit card processing, CRM, and subscription management for book, magazine, and specialist publishers. Available as cloud SaaS, on-premises, or via the knk Managed Cloud Service.
• knk365 for Media Sales Cloud-based advertising-sales CRM application for publishers built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM, providing pipeline management, workflow standardization, Office 365 integration, and management reporting for media sales organizations.
• knk365 Market Insights (Customer Engagement) AI-enabled customer engagement and market-insights solution for publishers, focused on sales support, marketing, audience building, social listening, and lead generation integrated with the Microsoft 365 platform.
• knk365 Marketing Automation Marketing automation solution for large, decentralized publishing sales teams, providing lead generation, sales opportunity handling, and engagement workflows integrated with the Microsoft 365 platform.
• knk Integration Platform (knk IP) Integration framework providing universal applicability, format standardization, and business logic for agile data integration between knkPublishing and other services such as web shops and ERPs, with configurable adapters and field-level mapping.
• NAIS (knk AI unit) knk's dedicated AI unit developing specialized AI solutions for media companies, including graphical milestone planning, real-time data processing, and ONIX 3.0 standard integration; delivered both as integrated AI in knkMedia and as standalone AI services.
• Bradbury Phillips Rights Manager Industry-leading rights management software for trade publishers, tracking rights holdings and licensing opportunities; part of the Bradbury Phillips International Ltd brand acquired by knk in April 2018.
• Bradbury Phillips Agency Manager Agency management software for literary agents handling complex royalty calculations, multi-rights-holder scenarios, and agency commission management; part of the Bradbury Phillips portfolio acquired in 2018.
• Bradbury Phillips Royalties Manager Royalty software for publishers, benchmark product for the industry handling complex royalty calculations and multi-rights-holder scenarios; part of the Bradbury Phillips portfolio acquired in 2018.
• VM Verlagsmanager (Media Manager) Market-leading advertising, subscription, and circulation management software for popular magazines and newspapers in German-speaking countries, from the muellerPrange brand within the knk Group.
• MediaMillion (muellerPrange) CRM software product from muellerPrange offered as part of the knk Group portfolio.
• Diamond Server (muellerPrange) BI software product from muellerPrange offered as part of the knk Group portfolio.
• knk Managed Cloud Service Custom-configured private cloud managed by knk with operational support including interface monitoring and user support; distinct from a traditional SaaS model and tailored to individual client requirements.
• knk Title Management System Title management system for publishers featuring advanced metadata handling, integrated sales tracking, and automated royalty calculations; positioned as a scalable standard solution for growing publishers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Carnegie Learning went live in 3 months
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

AI capability9 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• MicrosoftflagshipTechnology or Integrationknk is a Microsoft Gold Partner with 5 Gold competencies (ERP, Application Development, Intelligent Systems, BI, Data Platform). knkPublishing / knkMedia is the only Microsoft-certified publishing software worldwide, built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. The partnership is co-marketed on knk's website ("MS Solution Partner"). knk uses Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing for newsletter delivery, Microsoft Azure for cloud deployment, and Microsoft Teams/Power BI/Office 365/Flow for integrations.
• Exsys Co. Ltd.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCertified Microsoft partner based in Bangkok, Thailand. Partnered with knk to deliver the first knkPublishing installation in Thailand at Nanmeebooks. Exsys provided implementation and customization services, helping with language barriers, local laws, regulations, and cultural differences. Together with Nanmeebooks and knk teams, the project was executed across three continents (Asia, Europe, North America).
• Book Industry Study Group (BISG)coreOthersknk is a member of BISG and plays an active role in BISG's Supply Chain Committee and the Commerce Standards & Optimization Working Group. David Hetherington, CMO of knk, served as Secretary of the BISG Board of Directors. In 2019, he received BISG's Community Builder Award. Used as a channel for industry engagement, standards work, and thought leadership.
• FIPP (Worldwide Magazine Media Association)minorOthersknk is a member of FIPP, the global association of periodical media. Membership supports engagement with the magazine and periodical publishing industry.
• Association of American Publishers (AAP)minorOthersknk has been an Affiliate Member of the AAP since 2015. Membership supports engagement with the US book publishing industry.
• Professional Publishers Association (PPA)minorOthersknk Business Software joined the PPA as an associated member in 2017. Membership supports UK publishing industry engagement and knowledge sharing.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Klopotek: Klopotek is a long-standing direct competitor to KNK in publishing ERP and rights/royalty software for book and magazine publishers. Multiple KNK hires (e.g., John Lawson, Carl-Hubertus Mann) came from Klopotek, underscoring that it competes for the same mid-market and enterprise publisher customers with overlapping rights, royalty, and subscription functionality.
• Publishing Technology (ingentis / Publishing Technology Group): Publishing Technology (formerly Ingenta) is one of KNK's most direct competitors, providing publishing software, content hosting, and subscription management for publishers. John Lawson's prior tenure at Publishing Technology/Ingenta confirms direct overlap in the publisher software market KNK serves.
• Atex: Atex provides editorial, advertising, and content management software to news media and magazine publishers worldwide. Its Type, Ad, and Polopoly platforms overlap directly with knkPublishing (editorial/production) and VM Verlagsmanager (advertising/subscription), targeting the same periodical publisher segment.
• Virtusales Publishing Solutions: Virtusales provides BookFusion and Bibliotheca publishing software covering rights, royalties, editorial production, and digital distribution. It targets academic, trade, and education publishers with similar functionality to knkMedia and Bradbury Phillips, making it a relevant direct peer in vertical publishing software.
• HARRISON (by Publishing.ie / Vesuvio): HARRISON is a publishing management system for book publishers covering editorial, production, royalties, and metadata. It competes with knkMedia/Bradbury Phillips for the same trade and education publisher customers and is a recognized vertical SaaS peer in the publishing ERP space.

Broad incumbents

• Atypon: Atypon, owned by Wiley, provides Literatum, a scholarly publishing platform serving journal and book publishers. While it is a broader incumbent with a scholarly focus, it competes for technology budget at large publishers that KNK also targets, and represents a larger-scale alternative for content delivery and subscription management.
• Silverchair: Silverchair delivers the Silverchair Platform and ScholarOne for scholarly and professional publishers, providing content hosting, workflow, and analytics. It overlaps with knkMedia in editorial/production and distribution workflows for STM and professional publishers, and competes for the same mid-to-large publisher accounts.
• HighWire Press: HighWire Press (part of MPS Limited) provides hosting, content management, and analytics for scholarly publishers. It overlaps with KNK's distribution and metadata capabilities (e.g., ONIX, knk Integration Platform) and is a comparable incumbent in the publishing technology stack for journal and academic publishers.

Emerging players

• MPS Limited: MPS Limited is a publishing services and technology provider offering content management, production, and platform solutions to publishers globally. While broader in scope, it intersects with KNK's domain in publishing workflow automation, content platforms, and AI-enabled services for academic and trade publishers.

Others

• CCC (Copyright Clearance Center): CCC is a thematically adjacent rights-and-licensing infrastructure provider for publishers, serving a role similar to KNK's Bradbury Phillips Rights Manager in the rights and royalty ecosystem. While CCC focuses on collective licensing and content reuse rather than publisher ERP, it represents a peer in the broader publisher rights technology landscape.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/knkVerlag
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbkxMQT_AwolSt_eStAEXbA

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries6 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 KNK