Indie Authors Books

What Indie Authors Books does

Indie Authors Books, operating as Indie-Autoren Bücher, is a German-language web portal founded in late 2016 by Jens Wittern in Hamburg, Germany as a sole proprietorship. The platform serves a two-sided audience: indie authors and self-publishers seeking visibility for their books in the German-speaking market, and readers looking for a centralized discovery resource for self-published content. It is structured as a niche content directory rather than a publisher or retailer, with its core offering being a book marketing and author presentation service combined with a genre-based book catalog spanning 17+ genres including Fantasy, Romance, Crime/Thriller, Children's Books, Science Fiction, Historical Novels, and others.

The platform is built on a WordPress-based content management system and includes a genre-organized book directory, an author directory, a selfpublishing blog, a service provider directory (Dienstleister) connecting authors with editors, cover designers, translators, and consultants, email newsletter functionality, and Top-10 genre rankings. Distribution is via direct website traffic, social media channels (Facebook, Twitter/X, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube), and affiliate links to online retailers including Amazon.de and Thalia.

Monetization is diversified across three low-margin streams: Amazon affiliate commissions on redirected book purchases, one-time €15.90 permanent listings in the service provider directory, and fee-based book marketing services (typically month-long contracts). The business is bootstrapped, has no external funding, no mobile app, and operates at micro-enterprise scale with founder Jens Wittern as the sole operator, serving the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Cumulative site engagement has reached approximately 88,264 page views, with monthly traffic exceeding 10,000 pages since mid-2020.

Name

Indie Authors Books

Legal name

Jens Wittern

Website

https://indie-autoren-buecher.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Indie Authors Books (Indie-Autoren Bücher) is a German-language Hamburg-based web portal founded in 2016 that connects indie authors and self-publishers with readers in the DACH region through book marketing services, a genre-based book directory, and a service provider marketplace, monetizing via Amazon affiliate commissions, €15.90 service provider listings, and author marketing contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indie Book Discovery Platform

NAICS

Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519), Directory and Mailing List Publishers (51314)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAJAJAA

Self-Publishing Platforms (KDP-style Marketplaces & Portals)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Self-Publishing Platforms & Author Services

SECONDARYMPAJAJAB

Author Service Marketplaces & Aggregators (Vetting, Bundled Services)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Self-Publishing Platforms & Author Services

SECONDARYMPAFABAF

Indie Publishing & Label Services (Funding, Marketing, Release Management)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Gaming & Interactive Entertainment (Video Games, Esports)/Game Publishing & Distribution

Keywords

• Indie book marketing
• Self-published author platform
• Book affiliate marketing
• Author service directory
• Genre book discovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Bishopbriggs

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Affiliate commissions: The platform earns commissions through Amazon affiliate links placed on book pages when visitors purchase books through these links.
2. Service provider listings: Service providers (editors, cover designers, etc.) pay 15.90 EUR for a permanent listing on the platform to reach indie authors seeking their services.
3. Book marketing services: Marketing services for authors including book and author presentation on the website and promotion through social media accounts. Pricing varies based on service scope with contracts typically running one month.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Indie-Autoren Bücher is a German-language online portal that connects indie authors and self-publishers with readers through a genre-organized book directory, author profiles, and integrated social media promotion. The platform also sells paid listings to service providers (editors, cover designers, marketing consultants) and offers fee-based book marketing packages to authors, with contracts typically running one month.

Product overview

Indie-Autoren Bücher is a German-language portal for indie authors and self-publishers offering a book marketing and presentation service. The core offering consists of the Book Marketing/Author Presentation Service and Genre-Based Book Directory, supplemented by a Service Provider Directory (Dienstleister), Author Directory, Selfpublishing Blog, Newsletter, Top 10 Genre Rankings, and Useful Links resource collection. The platform connects readers with indie-published books across multiple genres and provides authors with promotional reach and access to service providers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Book Marketing and Author Presentation Service Fee-based service for indie authors and self-publishers to have their books presented on the platform and promoted through the website and associated social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn). Contracts typically run one month with pricing based on service scope.
• Service Provider Directory Listing (Dienstleister) Permanent directory listing for service providers (editors, cover designers, publishing consultants, translators, distributors, marketers) targeting indie authors. Offered at an introductory price of 15.90 EUR and includes entry on the Dienstleister page, category listings, sidebar visibility, SEO optimization, and a backlink to the provider's website.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Amazon.decoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmazon serves as the primary online retail partner through affiliate links on book pages. The platform earns commissions when visitors purchase books through Amazon links. This is standard affiliate marketing rather than a formal partnership agreement.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Thalia: Germany's largest bookstore chain with a growing self-publishing and e-book offering. A broad incumbent retail/distribution player in the DACH book market that overlaps with the platform's distribution channel and indie-author promotion scope.
• Tolino Media: German e-book ecosystem and self-publishing service backed by major booksellers (Thalia, Hugendubel, etc.). Broader incumbent with integrated retail-distribution that overlaps with Indie-Autoren Bücher's discovery and promotion mission.
• Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP): The dominant global self-publishing platform operated by Amazon. A broad incumbent that defines the indie-author experience and is the destination retailer for Indie-Autoren Bücher's affiliate links, making it both a critical channel and the principal competitive threat.

Direct peers

• LovelyBooks: Germany's largest book community and discovery platform, connecting readers with books across genres including indie titles. Highly comparable as a German-language reader-discovery and author-promotion platform, though with a much broader editorial/community scope.
• bookmundo: Smaller German-language self-publishing platform offering print-on-demand and e-book distribution to indie authors. Comparable as a niche self-publishing service operating in the same DACH indie-author market.
• Neobooks: Self-publishing platform from Holtzbrinck, one of Germany's largest publishing groups, offering indie authors publishing, distribution, and marketing support. Comparable as a German self-publishing service platform, with stronger corporate backing.
• XinXii: European self-publishing platform (with strong DACH presence) for indie authors to publish and distribute e-books across major stores. Comparable as a self-publishing distribution and discovery service targeting the same author/reader segments.
• epubli: Hamburg-based self-publishing platform (part of the Neobooks/Cornelsen ecosystem) offering publishing, distribution, and marketing services to indie authors in Germany. Directly comparable as a DACH self-publishing service provider targeting the same author persona.
• BookRix: Munich-based self-publishing platform with a community focus, allowing indie authors to publish free and paid e-books and reach readers. Directly comparable as a German-language indie publishing and discovery platform.

Others

• Self-Publisher-Verband (Selfpublishing Verband Deutschland): German industry association representing self-publishers, providing advocacy, resources, and networking. Ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor; comparable because it serves the same indie-author persona with informational and community services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IAB_Portal
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCrEIHLBTm0wV4zS5XUm1lvw
• Facebookfacebook.com/IndieAutorenBuecher
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/indie-autoren-buecher

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 Indie Authors Books