Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Mohrbooks Literary Agency is a Zürich-based literary agency founded in the 1930s that mediates translation rights between German-speaking authors and international publishers, and represents foreign publishers in the German market. It serves a roster of Big-Five publishers and 1,106+ catalog titles under a commission-based model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1930
- HeadquartersZürich, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Mohrbooks Literary Agency does
Mohrbooks Literary Agency, formally Mohrbooks AG Literary Agency, is a Zürich-based literary agency founded in the 1930s that mediates translation and licensing rights between authors and publishers. It operates a dual-sided model: representing German-speaking authors for foreign-language rights in international markets, while simultaneously serving as the exclusive German-market agent for a roster of international publishers and literary agencies. Its disclosed client roster includes most of the global publishing majors (Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette, Simon & Schuster, W.W. Norton, Allen & Unwin, Atria, Berkley), making it a structurally important node in the DACH translation rights market.
The company's core product is a digital rights catalog of approximately 1,106 titles accessible via its website, organized by BIC classification, contributor, and team. The catalog is powered by Rightsdesk, a third-party rights management platform, indicating no proprietary technology stack of meaningful scale. The business earns revenue through commissions on licensing deals between rights holders and licensees; no alternative pricing models or public fee schedules are disclosed. Marketing activity is concentrated on the company website and a news blog that highlights author milestones, bestseller placements, and prize recognitions.
Operationally, the firm runs with 11–50 employees from a single Zürich headquarters at Hofackerstrasse 13a, and is registered as a Swiss Aktiengesellschaft. It maintains an administrative and consulting support layer for partner agencies across the German-speaking region, extending its reach beyond direct client relationships. The firm is privately held with no disclosed parent company, shareholders, or external funding.
Mohrbooks Literary Agency firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mohrbooks Literary Agency
- Legal name
- Mohrbooks AG Literary Agency
- Website
- https://mohrbooks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1930
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Mohrbooks Literary Agency is a Zürich-based literary agency founded in the 1930s that mediates translation rights between German-speaking authors and international publishers, and represents foreign publishers in the German market. It serves a roster of Big-Five publishers and 1,106+ catalog titles under a commission-based model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mohrbooks Literary Agency industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Literary Agency Services
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313), Other Publishers (51319)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Rights, ISBN & Publishing Administration Services (Identifiers, Metadata, Royalties) (MPAJAJAK)
Keywords
Where Mohrbooks Literary Agency is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zürich
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Mohrbooks Literary Agency business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Commission on Rights Sales: Mohrbooks earns revenue by representing authors and selling their publishing rights to publishers. As a literary agency, they mediate license rights and earn commissions on successful transactions between rights holders (authors) and licensees (publishers).
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Mohrbooks Literary Agency product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mohrbooks Literary Agency is a traditional literary agency that mediates translation and publishing license rights between authors and publishers. As an exclusive partner, it represents international publishers and agencies in the German-language market and represents German-speaking authors in foreign-language markets. The agency advises authors on creating marketable projects and provides administrative and consulting support to partner agencies in German-speaking regions.
Product overview
Mohrbooks Literary Agency operates as a single unified platform offering digital catalog and rights management services for international publishing rights. The core product is the online rights catalog, which features approximately 1,106 titles from German and international publishers, organized using BIC categories including Fiction, Children's/Teenage/Educational, Biography, Society, Health, and other genres. The digital catalog enables browsing by category, contributor, team, and publication date. Founded in the 1930s, the agency has operated continuously as a specialized intermediary for international publishing rights.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Author Representation Services Representation of German-speaking authors for licensing of their works in foreign-language markets, including advisory on creating marketable projects and mediation of works to publishers domestically and internationally. Intended for German-speaking authors seeking professional rights representation.
- International Publisher and Agency Representation Exclusive representation of international publishers and literary agencies in the German market, facilitating translation rights sales to German-language publishers. Intended for international publishing houses and literary agencies without in-house German-market operations.
- Partner Agency Support Services Administrative and consulting support for partner agencies in the German-speaking region across all areas of agency activity. Intended for partner literary agencies operating in German-speaking territories.
- Digital Rights Catalog Online catalog of approximately 1,106 titles from international publishers, allowing users to browse titles by BIC classification, contributor, team, and publication date. Integrated with Rightsdesk for backend rights management. Intended for publishers and licensing professionals seeking rights-cleared titles.
Companies that use Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Mohrbooks Literary Agency technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Mohrbooks Literary Agency partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Allen & UnwincoreAustralian independent publisher represented by Mohrbooks for German-language rights in the German-speaking market
- Penguin Random HousecoreOne of the world's largest publishing houses represented by Mohrbooks for German-language rights
- HarperCollinscoreMajor international publisher represented by Mohrbooks for German-language rights
- HachettecoreFrench publishing group represented by Mohrbooks for German-language rights
- Simon & SchustercoreAmerican publishing company represented by Mohrbooks for German-language rights
- W.W. NortoncoreIndependent American publisher represented by Mohrbooks for German-language rights
- PartneragenturencorePartner agencies in German-speaking regions that receive administrative and consulting support from Mohrbooks in all areas of agency activity
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Mohrbooks Literary Agency competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Andrew Nurnberg Associates: Largest German-anchored literary agency representing international publishers in the German market and German authors abroad; operates the same dual-sided translation rights model as Mohrbooks and is the most direct competitor.
- Peter Molden / Schlück & Friends (merged Thomas Schlück group): Group of translation-rights agencies in Germany serving publishers and authors across European and global rights transactions; comparable in agency services and customer overlap.
- The Susijn Agency: International literary agency focused on foreign translation rights between European languages and English; comparable in services offered (rights licensing, representation) even if centered outside DACH.
- Liepman AG: Swiss literary agency also based in the DACH region offering translation rights mediation between international publishers and German-speaking publishers; overlaps directly with Mohrbooks on agency representation and rights administration.
- Thomas Schlück Agency: Hamburg-based literary agency operating in translation rights between German and international publishers; directly competes with Mohrbooks in foreign rights representation.
- Hanser Literaturagentur: German literary agency affiliated with Carl Hanser Verlag, representing authors and publishers across translation rights in German-speaking and international markets.
- Agence Literaire Astor-Pia: Independent German literary agency working in translation rights and author representation across German and international markets; overlaps with Mohrbooks in the rights-administration segment.
Broad incumbents
- Penguin Random House: One of the world's largest trade publishers and a key counterparty for Mohrbooks; operates internal foreign-rights teams that compete with independent agencies on title-by-title contracts.
- HarperCollins: Major international trade publisher that Mohrbooks represents for German-language rights; relevant as a counterpart/partner and as a benchmark for the rights and translation book market more broadly.
- Curtis Brown & Co. Established UK literary agency offering author representation and translation rights; broader in geography (primarily English-language) but overlaps with Mohrbooks on the international publisher side of cross-border rights deals.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mohrbooks Literary Agency social profiles
Digital presenceMohrbooks Literary Agency financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mohrbooks Literary Agency leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Mohrbooks Literary Agency funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mohrbooks Literary Agency 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 Mohrbooks Literary Agency
What does Mohrbooks Literary Agency do?
Mohrbooks Literary Agency is a traditional literary agency that mediates translation and publishing license rights between authors and publishers. As an exclusive partner, it represents international publishers and agencies in the German-language market and represents German-speaking authors in foreign-language markets. The agency advises authors on creating marketable projects and provides administrative and consulting support to partner agencies in German-speaking regions.
Is Mohrbooks Literary Agency a public or private company?
Mohrbooks Literary Agency is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Mohrbooks Literary Agency founded?
Mohrbooks Literary Agency was founded in 1930. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Mohrbooks Literary Agency based?
Mohrbooks Literary Agency is headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Mohrbooks Literary Agency make money?
One revenue line is on record: commission on Rights Sales.
Who are Mohrbooks Literary Agency's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Andrew Nurnberg Associates, Peter Molden / Schlück & Friends (merged Thomas Schlück group), The Susijn Agency, Liepman AG, Thomas Schlück Agency, Hanser Literaturagentur and Agence Literaire Astor-Pia. Broad incumbents are Penguin Random House, HarperCollins and Curtis Brown & Co..
Does Mohrbooks Literary Agency have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mohrbooks Literary Agency.
What industry is Mohrbooks Literary Agency in?
Mohrbooks Literary Agency's product category is Literary Agency Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAJAK, Rights, ISBN & Publishing Administration Services (Identifiers, Metadata, Royalties). Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.