Profil Verlag

What Profil Verlag does

Profil Verlag GmbH (Profil Verlag München Wien) is a privately held German academic publishing house founded in 1983 and headquartered at Veilchenstr. 41 in Munich, with a secondary presence in Vienna. The company publishes scientific literature - textbooks, research reports, dissertations, habilitations, and themed book series - primarily for the German-speaking DACH academic market, with a thematic concentration in cultural and social sciences. Its most distinctive assets are long-form scholarly editions: the 38-volume Ferdinand Tönnies complete works edited by Prof. Dr. Arno Bammé, a 62+ volume Technik- und Wissenschaftsforschung series, the only worldwide textbook of Logotherapy by Dr. Elisabeth Lukas, a five-volume Rudolf Goldscheid collected works, and ongoing university-affiliated series from Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt and Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt.

The business model is straightforward one-time book sales through a proprietary e-commerce storefront, with per-title prices between roughly €9.80 and €98 and most titles priced in the €14–66 range. The company has no app, no public API, no disclosed headcount, and no external funding or ownership structure beyond the founder/family context implied by the complete absence of investor information. Distribution runs through direct online catalog sales plus university and institutional procurement partnerships; the Lukas back-catalogue has reportedly been translated into 18 languages, indicating some international reach via licensing despite the operational footprint remaining DACH-focused. There is no evidence of AI/ML capability, digital transformation beyond a typo3-based catalog site, or non-book revenue streams, and the management team is undisclosed in the available source data.

Name

Profil Verlag

Legal name

Profil Verlag

Website

https://profilverlag.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Profil Verlag is a privately held German academic publisher founded in 1983 in Munich and Vienna, producing scientific literature - dissertations, research reports, textbooks, and scholarly series in cultural and social sciences - for DACH universities and researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Monographs & University Press Publishing (MPAJABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE), Education Research & Pedagogy Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAH), Social Sciences (Psychology, Sociology, Political Science) (EDAGABAD), Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK)

Keywords

• Academic book publishing
• Scholarly publications
• Scientific literature
• University press services
• Academic monographs

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Sale of academic books, textbooks, research reports, dissertations, and habilitations to universities, institutions, and academic professionals

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Profil Verlag publishes scientific literature in print format, including textbooks, research reports, dissertations, habilitations, and thematic Schriftenreihen (academic publication series) for universities, research institutions, and academic associations. The catalog focuses on cultural and social sciences, with notable depth in logotherapy, the complete works of Ferdinand Tönnies, tourism science, and technology and science research. Books are sold individually through the publisher's own online catalog.

Product overview

Profil Verlag is an academic publishing house founded in 1983 in Munich and Vienna that publishes scientific literature including textbooks, research reports, dissertations, habilitations, and publication series from universities, institutions, and associations across all scientific disciplines, with particular focus on cultural and social sciences. The portfolio consists of core publishing products including Schriftenreihen (academic publication series), textbooks, and research reports, supplemented by specialized sub-products such as the Ferdinand Tönnies Werkausgabe (38 volumes), the Logotherapy series "Heilkunst und Lebenskunst" (10 volumes), Technik- und Wissenschaftsforschung series (62+ volumes), Rudolf Goldscheid's collected works (5 volumes), Klagenfurter Interdisziplinäres Kolleg publications, and tourism science series including Eichstätter Tourismuswissenschaftliche Beiträge and Tourismuswissenschaftliche Manuskripte.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Schriftenreihen (Academic Publication Series) Schriftenreihen are academic publication series covering various scientific disciplines including cultural and social sciences, published by Profil Verlag for universities, institutions, and associations.
• Lehrbücher (Academic Textbooks) Academic textbooks published by Profil Verlag covering various scientific disciplines, including the "Lehrbuch der Logotherapie" by Elisabeth Lukas (4th edition, the only textbook of logotherapy worldwide).
• Forschungsberichte (Research Reports and Dissertations) Research reports and dissertations published by Profil Verlag from academic institutions and individual researchers.
• Ferdinand Tönnies Werkausgabe (Complete Works) Complete works of the German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies (1855-1936) published in 38 volumes and edited by Prof. Dr. Arno Bammé, covering topics such as religion, politics, ethics, and key figures like Karl Marx, Thomas Hobbes, and Spinoza.
• Heilkunst und Lebenskunst in der Logotherapie (Logotherapy Series) A 10-volume series on healing art and life art in logotherapy by Dr. Elisabeth Lukas, the most significant contemporary representative of logotherapy and existential analysis.
• Technik- und Wissenschaftsforschung (Technology and Science Research Series) A publication series on technology and science research edited by Prof. Dr. Arno Bammé, with 62 volumes published over more than 20 years.
• Rudolf Goldscheid - Werke (Collected Works, 5 volumes) Five-volume collected works of Austrian sociologist Rudolf Goldscheid (1870-1931), one of the founding fathers of sociology in the German-speaking world.
• Klagenfurter Interdisziplinäres Kolleg (Interdisciplinary Seminar Series) Publication series from the Interdisciplinary Seminar at Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, presenting results from the academic institution.
• Tourismuswissenschaftliche Manuskripte (Tourism Science Manuscripts) Series on tourism science research covering sociological, social-psychological, and social-anthropological studies.
• Eichstätter Tourismuswissenschaftliche Beiträge (Eichstätt Tourism Science Contributions) Publication series from Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt on tourism science and geography, edited by Prof. Dr. Hans Hopfinger.

Quantifiable outcome

• Books translated into 18 languages (Lukas)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• IFZ Interuniversitäres Forschungszentrum für Technik, Arbeit und Kultur (Graz)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Academic research center whose author Anita Thaler received the Gabriele-Possanner-Förderungspreis for her dissertation published by Profil Verlag.
• Alpen-Adria-Universität KlagenfurtcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1983Long-standing partnership with the Ferdinand-Tönnies-Arbeitsstelle (working group) at the Institute for Technology and Science Research at Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt. The publisher produces the complete works of Ferdinand Tönnies (38 volumes) and the Klagenfurter Interdisziplinäres Kolleg series. This is a flagship publishing partnership spanning decades.
• Katholische Universität EichstättcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for geography publications including Eichstätter Geographische Arbeiten and Eichstätter Tourismuswissenschaftliche Beiträge series, edited by Prof. Dr. Hans Hopfinger. Series includes works on tourism geography, urban tourism, and travel research.
• Relax-Verlag (Wien)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for the Wellnesshotelstudie 2007, conducted in cooperation with Relax-Verlag (publisher of Relax-Guides for Austria and Germany) and University of Munich's tourism psychology department.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• De Gruyter: Major Berlin-based international academic publisher with broad humanities and social sciences monograph portfolio — operates at much larger scale but competes for the same authors, series, and library purchasing budgets.
• Springer Nature: Global academic publishing giant with extensive social sciences, humanities, and methodology monograph lists — competes for university-authored content and library budgets across the DACH region.

Direct peers

• Karl Alber Verlag: Freiburg-based academic publisher specializing in philosophy, sociology, and theology — directly overlaps with Profil Verlag's humanities monograph focus and classic-sociology editions (Tönnies, Goldscheid).
• LIT Verlag: Münster-based academic publisher with extensive monograph and Schriftenreihe series across humanities and social sciences — comparable in catalog depth, series-based publishing model, and university-affiliated authors.
• transcript Verlag: German academic publisher focused on social sciences, cultural studies, and humanities — directly comparable to Profil Verlag's subject focus, monograph-heavy output, and university partnership model.
• Campus Verlag: Frankfurt-based German academic publisher specializing in social sciences, sociology, and economics — overlaps directly with Profil Verlag's humanities/social-science monograph portfolio and DACH academic customer base.
• Verlag Ferdinand Schöningh: Paderborn-based academic publisher covering theology, philosophy, history, and social sciences — comparable in monograph-heavy university-affiliated catalog and DACH scholarly positioning.
• Narr Francke Attempto Verlag: Tübingen-based academic publisher with strong series in linguistics, cultural studies, and social sciences — comparable in monograph/Schriftenreihe publishing model and university-affiliated authors.
• Psychosozial-Verlag: German publisher specializing in psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, and logotherapy — directly overlaps with Profil Verlag's Elisabeth Lukas logotherapy franchise and psychotherapy/psychology catalog.
• Ergon Verlag: Würzburg-based German academic publisher producing monographs and series across social sciences, cultural studies, and theology — directly comparable in monograph format, university partnership model, and DACH distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/profil-verlag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Profil Verlag