What dpunkt.verlag does

dpunkt.verlag is a German specialist publishing house operating under the legal entity Rheinwerk Verlag GmbH (formerly dpunkt.verlag GmbH), founded in 1995 and headquartered in Heidelberg with a registered office in Bonn. The company publishes books, e-books, and print-plus-digital bundles across three core verticals: Computing/IT, Business & IT, and Photography, with a catalog of more than 610 active titles. Its technology stack centers on a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform (dpunkt.webshop) delivering e-books in PDF, ePub, and Mobi formats without DRM protection, supported by a fulfillment partnership with Germinal Medienhandlung GmbH for physical product distribution.

The company operates a multi-channel go-to-market model: direct-to-consumer e-commerce for individual buyers, B2B multi-person licensing via partner Ciando for corporate and training deployments, and foreign rights licensing for international translation markets. Pricing is governed by German/Austrian Buchpreisbindung regulation, with print titles typically priced €24.90-€69.90 and e-books priced €5-€10 below the print equivalent. Bundles combining print and digital formats are available for most titles since 2017 and are exclusive to the dpunkt.shop. The O'Reilly brand is licensed and published in German-speaking markets, and a separate IT-Governance journal and the Rheinwerk Fotopreis photography competition extend the product portfolio.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through one-time perpetual licenses (print sales, e-book sales, bundles) supplemented by licensing royalties from B2B and foreign rights channels. The company has discontinued its dpunkt.plus subscription membership program, leaving no recurring subscription revenue stream. Customer segments are broad and distributed across IT professionals, business managers, photography enthusiasts, and maker hobbyists, with primary geographic focus on DACH and broader Europe. The company is privately held with 11-50 employees and managing directors Stephan A. Effertz and Judith Stevens-Lemoine.

Name

dpunkt.verlag

Legal name

Rheinwerk Verlag GmbH

Website

https://dpunkt.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

dpunkt.verlag (Rheinwerk Verlag GmbH) is a German specialist publishing house selling 610+ print books, DRM-free e-books, and bundles across Computing, Business & IT, and Photography verticals to professionals and hobbyists in DACH and Europe via direct e-commerce and B2B licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialist Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Sales & Merchandising (Publisher Stores, Bundles) (MPAJAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Author Website, Storefront & Direct-to-Reader Commerce (D2C Sales) (MPAJAJAE), Specialty & Niche Channel Distribution (Religious, Comic Shops, Specialty Retail) (MPAJAKAH)

Keywords

• Technical book publishing
• IT computing books
• Photography publishing
• Business IT publications
• E-book publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Heidelberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Print Book Sales: Physical printed books sold directly through the dpunkt.webshop. Books cover IT/computing, business, and photography topics. Delivery via Germinal Medienhandlung GmbH. Free shipping within Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein.
2. E-Book Sales: Digital e-books sold in PDF, ePub, and Mobi formats without DRM protection. Single-user license model. Delivered via download links after purchase.
3. Bundle Sales (Print + Digital): Combined print and digital product bundles available for most titles since 2017. Offered exclusively through the dpunkt.shop.
4. Multi-Person Corporate Licenses: Enterprise licensing for multiple users for training or corporate purposes, distributed through partner Ciando.
5. Foreign Rights Licensing: International translation rights sold to foreign publishers for translation and local publication of titles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

dpunkt.verlag, operated by Rheinwerk Verlag GmbH, is a German specialist publishing house that publishes, produces, and sells print books, DRM-free e-books (PDF, ePub, Mobi), and combined print+digital bundles across three core verticals: IT/Computing, Business & IT, and Photography. It also licenses foreign translation rights internationally and distributes the O'Reilly brand in German-speaking markets. The company maintains a catalog of 610+ titles and sells primarily through its own dpunkt.webshop, with B2B multi-person licensing handled through partner Ciando.

Product overview

dpunkt.verlag is a German specialist publisher for IT, Business, and Photography content, operated by Rheinwerk Verlag GmbH. The product portfolio consists of print books, e-books (available in PDF, ePub, and Mobi formats), and print+digital bundles, primarily under the dpunkt.verlag brand and the O'Reilly sub-brand. The company also publishes the IT-Governance journal and organizes the Rheinwerk Fotopreis photography competition. E-books are sold without DRM protection under single-user licenses, and the former dpunkt.plus subscription service has been discontinued.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Germinal Medienhandlung GmbHcoreOthersFulfillment and logistics partner handling the shipping and delivery of all physical print products ordered through the dpunkt.webshop. Located at Siemensstraße 16, D-35463 Fernwald. Ensures reliable delivery within 2-4 business days.
• CiandominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorB2B partner for multi-person usage licensing of e-books for corporate training and company-wide deployments. Handles enterprise licensing that is not available through the direct consumer shop.
• Heise Medien GmbH & Co KGminorOthersAccounting services partner for invoice processing and financial handling as part of order fulfillment and customer billing operations.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Wiley (Wrox / Wiley-VCH): Global publisher with strong technical/professional book programs (Wrox) and a major German presence (Wiley-VCH). Overlaps in IT, business, and STEM publishing, and competes for the same professional and academic audiences in DACH.
• Haufe Group: German media and publishing company with strong business, tax, HR, and IT compliance content. Overlaps with dpunkt's business/IT titles, particularly in the B2B professional and corporate training segment in DACH.
• O'Reilly Media: International technology and business book publisher whose German brand is licensed to/published by Rheinwerk. Overlapping editorial mission (tech publishing) but operates at a much larger international scale and includes digital learning platforms.
• Carl Hanser Verlag: Established German technical and engineering publisher covering IT, manufacturing, and professional topics. Broader portfolio than dpunkt, but overlapping in technical book categories and DACH B2B customer base.
• Springer Nature: Global academic and professional publisher with a strong technical book portfolio. Competes with dpunkt in IT, engineering, and business categories, particularly for institutional and professional readers in DACH.
• Pearson (Addison-Wesley): Global publishing group whose Addison-Wesley imprint publishes widely used technical, certification, and professional books. Overlaps with dpunkt's professional and certification-aligned content (e.g., ISTQB, iSAQB-adjacent titles).

Direct peers

• mitp Verlag: German specialty publisher focused on IT, programming, and digital topics, with a similar catalog structure and DACH market focus. Closely comparable business model targeting developers, IT professionals, and tech-savvy readers.
• No Starch Press: Independent technical book publisher focused on programming, hacking, maker, and STEM topics. Comparable in editorial philosophy and audience (developers, makers, hobbyists), though English-language and US-based.
• Packt Publishing: Publisher specializing in IT and software development books and e-books, including DRM-free digital products. Closely comparable in catalog focus, digital-first product strategy, and target audience of developers/IT professionals.
• Manning Publications: Independent publisher of technical books for software developers, with a comparable focus on programming, data, and IT topics. Similar business model in technical book publishing, though English-language and US-centric.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dpunkt_verlag
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCeRz26NeJKhqajwDgmBklrQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/dpunkt.verlag
• Instagraminstagram.com/dpunkt.verlag
• Pinterestpinterest.com/dpunktverlag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dpunkt.verlag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 dpunkt.verlag