Michael Mueller Publishers
Michael Müller Verlag is a family-run, independent German travel publisher founded in 1979, selling 250+ print guidebooks, EPUB e-books, and a proprietary mmtravel app covering Germany, Europe and long-haul destinations to leisure travelers via its own webshop, app stores and the German book trade.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1979
- HeadquartersErlangen, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Michael Mueller Publishers does
Michael Müller Verlag GmbH is a privately held, family-run German travel publisher founded in 1979 and headquartered in Erlangen, Germany. The company publishes and sells travel guides, hiking guides, city guides, e-books, and satirical and cookbook lines under the MMV brand, with a catalog of more than 250 titles spanning 70+ German destinations, 27+ European country lines, and a long-haul (Fernreise) program covering destinations such as Australia, Canada, USA, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cuba and Costa Rica. The portfolio is organized into named sub-series — Reiseführer MM-Reisen, Städteführer MM-City, Wanderführer MM-Wandern, the alternative 'mal anders' series, MM-Abenteuer, MM-Kochbuch, and MM-Satire — and is sold in print, as EPUB e-books, and via the proprietary mmtravel app on iOS, Android and the Web-App at mmtravel.com, often bundled together via a Buch+App freischaltcode with free downloadable GPS and PDF maps. The company operates as a direct-to-consumer publisher through its own online shop, distributes digitally via Apple App Store, Google Play and the VLB ebookshelf, and reaches retail customers through the German book trade (Buchhandel) and trade fairs such as the Frankfurt Book Fair and CMT Stuttgart. Its revenue is generated through one-time book and e-book sales (typically €15.90–€32.90 print, €14.99–€29.99 e-book), single-title app purchases from €9.99, a new PREMIUM mmtravel subscription tier launched in September 2025, and a flat €12.90 satirical-guide upsell, with no external funding, no parent company and no disclosed institutional ownership.
Michael Mueller Publishers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Michael Mueller Publishers
- Legal name
- Michael Müller Verlag GmbH
- Website
- https://michael-mueller-verlag.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1979
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Michael Müller Verlag is a family-run, independent German travel publisher founded in 1979, selling 250+ print guidebooks, EPUB e-books, and a proprietary mmtravel app covering Germany, Europe and long-haul destinations to leisure travelers via its own webshop, app stores and the German book trade.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Michael Mueller Publishers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Travel Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Lifestyle, Travel & Leisure Books Publishing (MPAJAAAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- E-book Retail & Reading Platforms (Stores, Apps, Devices) (MPAJAMAA), E-book Subscription & Bundling Services (MPAJAMAB)
Keywords
Where Michael Mueller Publishers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Erlangen
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Michael Mueller Publishers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Printed Travel Guide Sales: One-time purchase of print Reiseführer (country, region, city, hiking, adventure, mal anders, cookbook, satire guides). Price points typically €15.90–€21.90 for Germany titles and up to €32.90 for larger long-distance guides.
- E-Book Sales: One-time purchase of EPUB-format e-books of nearly every MM title via the publisher's own e-bookshelf platform. E-books typically priced €14.99–€29.99.
- mmtravel App Sales (Einzeltitel, Buch+App-Bundle, PREMIUM Gesamtpaket): Direct-to-consumer digital travel guides sold through iOS App Store and Google Play, offered as single apps (from €9.99), bundled with the printed book, or as a PREMIUM package for frequent travelers with flexible terms.
- Satirical Handgepäck City Guides: Compact satirical city guides sold at a flat promotional price of €12.90 as an upsell/humor line.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Printed travel guide (single title) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | E-Book (EPUB, single title) |
| Subscription | Annual | mmtravel App (Einzeltitel / Buch+App Bundle / PREMIUM Gesamtpaket) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | MM-Satire satirical city guide |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels10 records
Michael Mueller Publishers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Michael Müller Verlag publishes and sells a catalog of more than 250 German-language travel guidebooks covering destinations in Germany, 27+ European countries, and long-haul destinations worldwide. The guides are delivered across printed books, EPUB e-books, a native mmtravel iOS/Android mobile app, and a browser-based mmtravel Web-App, with optional Buch+App bundles and free downloadable GPS tracks and PDF maps.
Product overview
Michael Müller Verlag (unabhängig seit 1979) operates as a single integrated publishing platform built around a unified print-and-digital travel-guide brand. The offering is not a single monolithic product but a portfolio of interconnected modules that share the same author pool, editorial standards and "authentisch vor Ort recherchiert" ethos. At the core is the printed travel-guide catalog split into named sub-series: Reiseführer MM-Reisen (country/region guides), Städteführer MM-City (city guides), Wanderführer MM-Wandern (GPS-mapped hiking guides), the alternative Reiseführer »mal anders« series, the MM-Abenteuer adventure guides, the Reisekochbücher cookbook line, and the Satirische Städteführer (MM-Satire). Each printed title is also available as an EPUB E-Book (sold via the VLB ebookshelf shop), as a native mmtravel® App on iOS and Android (with single-city, book-plus-app bundle, or PREMIUM subscription tiers), and as an interactive mmtravel® Web-App on mmtravel.com. The catalog is supported by the Magazin (online travel magazine with Top 10 author tips), the Verlagsshop direct-sales portal, a Newsletter, downloadable maps and GPS data, and a product-updates service. Distribution integrations are limited to Apple App Store and Google Play Store for the mmtravel® apps and the VLB ebookshop platform for E-Books. No public developer API, AI/ML features, or third-party technical integrations are offered.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- mmtravel® App: Digital travel guide app available on iOS and Android, including a web app, offered as single titles, book-and-app bundles, and a PREMIUM total package.
- Reiseführer MM-Reisen
- Städteführer MM-City
- Wanderführer MM-Wandern
- Reiseführer mal anders
- MM-Abenteuer
- MM-Kochbuch
- MM-Satire
Products and services
- Reiseführer MM-Reisen (Country and Regional Travel Guides) Printed country and regional travel guidebooks researched on location by the publisher's authors, covering destinations in Germany, Europe and the world. Examples include Bodensee, Allgäu, Andalusien, Albanien, Algarve, Apulien, Ecuador, Neuseeland, Sri Lanka, and Thailand – der Norden.
- Städteführer MM-City (City Guides) Printed city guides featuring city-walk highlights, dining and shopping tips, surrounding excursions, and a removable overview map. Titles include Berlin MM-City, München MM-City, Hamburg MM-City, Dresden MM-City, Bremen mit Bremerhaven MM-City, Kopenhagen MM-City, Krakau MM-City, Amsterdam MM-City, Barcelona MM-City, London MM-City, Rom MM-City, and Wien MM-City.
- Wanderführer MM-Wandern (Hiking Guides) Printed hiking guidebooks with GPS-mapped tours across Europe, focusing on easy to moderate family-friendly routes. All MM-Wandern guides include commented refreshment-stop tips and precise GPS cartography for on-site navigation.
- Reiseführer 'mal anders' (Alternative Discovery Guides) Alternative discovery-tour guides for nine European metropolises and one island, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Hamburg, Lissabon, Mallorca, Paris, Prag, Stockholm, and Wien.
- Reiseführer MM-Abenteuer (Adventure Guides) Adventure series for self-guided city and overland adventures, including Berlin Abenteuer, Berlin außenrum – Überlandabenteuer Brandenburg, Amsterdam Abenteuer, Barcelona Abenteuer, New York Stadtabenteuer, Tel Aviv Abenteuer, and Auvergne & Limousin.
- Reisekochbücher (MM-Kochbuch Travel Cookbooks) Travel cookbooks featuring regionally rooted innkeepers' family recipes adapted to modern tastes, seasonally organized culinary ideas. Includes the Gscheitgut sub-series of sustainable regional cuisine.
- MM-Satire (Satirical Hand-Luggage City Guides) Compact satirical hand-luggage-style city guides written by cabaret artists, comedians and poetry slammers, sold at a flat promotional price of 12.90 EUR.
- mmtravel App (iOS and Android) Native travel app for iOS and Android providing digital editions of MM City and hiking guides with maps, GPS data, and updates, available as a single-city/region app, in a book-plus-app bundle, or as a PREMIUM total package for frequent travelers.
- mmtravel Web-App Interactive web companion to the printed guides for smartphones, tablets and desktop, presenting all sights and tips on online maps at mmtravel.com/de.
- E-Books (EPUB) EPUB-format electronic editions of nearly all MM titles, sold through the VLB ebookshop at michael-mueller-verlag.e-bookshelf.de. Free PDF maps are also offered as separate downloads.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 250 active titles in the publisher's catalog (as of 2026)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Michael Mueller Publishers
Customer profileSegments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Michael Mueller Publishers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature5 records
Michael Mueller Publishers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Apple App StorecoreApple hosts the mmtravel City Wanderlust iOS app under app id 1208542183, distributing digital travel guides to consumers worldwide.
- Google Play StorecoreGoogle distributes the mmtravel Android app (package mmv.mmtravel) worldwide, including single-title and PREMIUM Gesamtpaket purchases.
- Deutsche Buchhandel (German book trade / booksellers)coreLong-standing reseller relationships with German bookshops and book chains; publisher maintains a dedicated Handel section and regularly engages the trade at Frankfurt Book Fair and CMT Stuttgart.
- Frankfurter Buchmesse (Frankfurt Book Fair)coreExhibitor at Frankfurt Book Fair (7–11 October 2026) where the publisher networks with book-trade partners and meets readers in person.
- Mairdumont / publishing.one (Vorschau catalog host)minorThe publisher's Spring 2026 Verlagsvorschau is hosted on the Mairdumont/publishing.one Blätterkatalog platform, enabling trade-catalog distribution.
- Wallace CollectionminorReferenced in the publisher's Reise-News for the Churchill exhibition, illustrating how the publisher surfaces cultural institution events in its travel news stream.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Michael Mueller Publishers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Baedeker (Mairdumont): Baedeker is a long-established German-language travel guide publisher, now part of Mairdumont. It directly competes with Michael Müller Verlag in country, region, and city guides for German-speaking travelers, with a similar 'trusted travel content' brand positioning.
- Dumont Reiseverlag: Dumont is one of Germany's largest travel guide publishers, offering country, city, and hiking guides with strong photo-led editorial. It is a primary direct competitor to Michael Müller Verlag across print and digital formats in the German market.
- ADAC Verlag: ADAC Verlag publishes travel guides, maps, and camping/touring books tied to the ADAC mobility club's large German member base. It competes with MM in German regional and European travel content, with structural distribution advantages through ADAC channels.
- Marco Polo (Mairdumont): Marco Polo is a Mairdumont-owned German travel guide series targeting younger and independent travelers. It competes with MM's Reiseführer MM-Reisen and MM-City lines on price points and modern, on-the-road editorial style.
- Falk (Mairs Verlag / Mairdumont): Falk is a heritage German map and city atlas publisher, now part of Mairs/Mairdumont. It is comparable to MM for city and regional travel content, particularly via the Falk city plans and Stadtplan Extra lines bundled with travel information.
Emerging players
- Bradt Travel Guides: Bradt is an independent UK travel guide publisher specializing in niche and emerging destinations. It is comparable to Michael Müller Verlag as an independent publisher with deep on-site research and a niche/long-tail catalog approach.
- Rother Bergverlag: Rother is a German publisher specializing in hiking and walking guides (Rother Wanderführer) with GPS data for tours. It is comparable to MM-Wandern as a German-language hiking-guide specialist with strong catalog depth.
- Kompass (KOMPASS-Karten GmbH): Kompass is an Austrian/German publisher focused on hiking maps, hiking guides, and outdoor tour books. It competes directly with MM-Wandern for German-speaking hiking enthusiasts and is comparable on the hiking-guide + GPS offering.
Broad incumbents
- Rough Guides: Rough Guides is a long-running British travel guide publisher with print and digital offerings. It is comparable as a broad incumbent competing for German long-haul travelers and as a category benchmark for guidebook editorial style.
- Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is the global incumbent in English-language travel guides. While it does not directly compete in German, it is the international benchmark for the travel-guide category and competes for German travelers' attention on long-haul destinations.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Michael Mueller Publishers social profiles
Digital presenceMichael Mueller Publishers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Michael Mueller Publishers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Michael Mueller Publishers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Michael Mueller Publishers 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 Michael Mueller Publishers
What does Michael Mueller Publishers do?
Michael Müller Verlag publishes and sells a catalog of more than 250 German-language travel guidebooks covering destinations in Germany, 27+ European countries, and long-haul destinations worldwide. The guides are delivered across printed books, EPUB e-books, a native mmtravel iOS/Android mobile app, and a browser-based mmtravel Web-App, with optional Buch+App bundles and free downloadable GPS tracks and PDF maps.
Is Michael Mueller Publishers a public or private company?
Michael Mueller Publishers is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Michael Mueller Publishers founded?
Michael Mueller Publishers was founded in 1979. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Michael Mueller Publishers based?
Michael Mueller Publishers is headquartered in Erlangen, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Michael Mueller Publishers make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Printed Travel Guide Sales are the primary driver. The others are E-Book Sales, mmtravel App Sales (Einzeltitel, Buch+App-Bundle, PREMIUM Gesamtpaket) and satirical Handgepäck City Guides.
Who are Michael Mueller Publishers's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Baedeker (Mairdumont), Dumont Reiseverlag, ADAC Verlag, Marco Polo (Mairdumont) and Falk (Mairs Verlag / Mairdumont). Emerging players are Bradt Travel Guides, Rother Bergverlag and Kompass (KOMPASS-Karten GmbH). Broad incumbents are Rough Guides and Lonely Planet.
Does Michael Mueller Publishers have an API?
No public API is recorded for Michael Mueller Publishers.
What industry is Michael Mueller Publishers in?
Michael Mueller Publishers's product category is Travel Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAH, Lifestyle, Travel & Leisure Books Publishing, with a secondary code of MPAJAMAA, E-book Retail & Reading Platforms (Stores, Apps, Devices). Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.