Ylva Publishing

Independent Book Publishingylva-publishing.com

Ylva Publishing is a privately held, Germany-based independent digital publisher founded in 2012, specializing in sapphic and women-loving-women (WLW) fiction across romance, erotica, mystery, fantasy, and other genres, serving global LGBTQ+ readers with 300+ e-book and audiobook titles distributed via its own storefront and major digital marketplaces.

Company typePrivate
Founded2012
HeadquartersKriftel, Germany
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2C
OfferingDigital Commerce or Content

What Ylva Publishing does

Ylva Publishing is an independent, privately held digital-first publishing house headquartered in Kriftel, Germany, founded by Emma Weimann in 2012 as the international English-language arm of Ylva Verlag (established 2011). The company specializes exclusively in sapphic and women-loving-women (WLW) fiction across multiple genres — romance, erotica, mystery/crime, young adult, historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy, paranormal/supernatural, action/adventure, superheroines, and anthologies — and serves LGBTQ+ women readers and authors globally. Its catalog exceeds 300 titles, including award-winning works recognized by the Lambda Literary Foundation and Golden Crown Literary Society, and operates two sub-brand imprints: LadyLit Publishing (lesbian fiction) and Queer Pack (queer fiction).

The core products are e-books delivered in multiple formats (epub, mobi, PDF) from a single purchase, plus audiobook editions narrated by professional voice actors. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the company's WooCommerce-based website (with PayPal and Stripe payment gateways), supplemented by marketplace listings on Amazon Kindle, Audible, Apple Books, and Everand/Scribd. Pricing follows a unit-purchase model with e-books generally between $4.99-$9.99, promotional discounts, and EU VAT (7%) applied to digital goods. The company runs an active author submission program explicitly soliciting diverse voices, including authors of color and writers with disabilities. Marketing relies on organic social media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter, YouTube), an email newsletter, blog content, and the storefront itself. The business is bootstrapped, founder-owned, and operates with no disclosed external investors or institutional funding.

Ylva Publishing firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Ylva Publishing
Legal name: Ylva Publishing
Website: https://ylva-publishing.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2012
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: Ylva Publishing is a privately held, Germany-based independent digital publisher founded in 2012, specializing in sapphic and women-loving-women (WLW) fiction across romance, erotica, mystery, fantasy, and other genres, serving global LGBTQ+ readers with 300+ e-book and audiobook titles distributed via its own storefront and major digital marketplaces.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Ylva Publishing industry classification

Industry

Product category: Independent Book Publishing
NAICS: Book Publishers (51313)
SIC: Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
akta.pro primary industry: Author Website, Storefront & Direct-to-Reader Commerce (D2C Sales) (MPAJAJAE)
akta.pro secondary industry: Self-Publishing & Author Platforms (BPAMAJAF)

Keywords

Lesbian fiction publishing
WLW romance ebooks
Sapphic audiobooks
Independent LGBTQ publisher
Digital book distribution

Where Ylva Publishing is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Kriftel
HQ country: Germany
HQ region: Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

Ylva Publishing business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Digital Commerce or Content
Cost components: Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

E-book Sales: Direct one-time purchases of e-books in multiple formats (epub, mobi, pdf) through the company's website and marketplace listings on Amazon, Apple Books, and other retailers
Audiobook Sales: Sales of audiobook versions through Audible, Amazon, Apple Books, and Everand/Scribd platforms
Print-on-Demand: VAT (7%) charged on digital products indicating European Union tax compliance for digital goods sales

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Standard E-book Pricing
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Audiobook Pricing
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	European Digital Goods

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Ylva Publishing product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Ylva Publishing is an independent publisher that produces and sells digital books (e-books and audiobooks) of lesbian and sapphic fiction. Its catalog spans romance, erotica, mystery/crime, young adult, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, action/adventure, superheroines, and anthologies, distributed directly through its own e-commerce website and through major retailers such as Amazon Kindle, Audible, Apple Books, and Everand/Scribd.

Product overview

Ylva Publishing is an independent LGBTQ+ publisher specializing in WLW (women loving women) fiction and sapphic romance. The company operates two core product lines: E-books (digital ebooks in epub, mobi, and PDF formats) and Audiobooks (narrated versions available through Audible, Amazon, Apple Books, and Everand/Scribd). Their catalog spans multiple sub-brands including LadyLit Publishing and Queer Pack, with content organized across genres such as romance, erotica, mystery/crime, young adult/new adult, historical fiction, action/adventure, science fiction, paranormal/supernatural, fantasy, superheroines, and anthologies. The company publishes multi-author anthology collections and maintains series such as The Springfield Romance Series and The Hollywood Series. All products are distributed directly through their website and through major ebook/audiobook retail platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

LadyLit Publishing: Partner/associated publisher for lesbian fiction featured on the Ylva Publishing platform.
Queer Pack

Products and services

E-Books (Sapphic / Lesbian Fiction) Digital e-book publications of lesbian and sapphic fiction across romance, erotica, mystery/crime, young adult, historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, action/adventure, superheroines, anthologies, short stories, and writing craft. Delivered in epub, mobi, and PDF formats for individual readers.
Audiobooks (Sapphic / Lesbian Fiction) Narrated audiobook editions of Ylva's sapphic fiction titles, released across genres including romance, erotica, mystery, YA, and fantasy. Sold to individual readers through third-party audiobook platforms.
LadyLit Publishing Imprint

Companies that use Ylva Publishing

Customer profile

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Ylva Publishing technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature1 record

Ylva Publishing partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

LadyLit PublishingminorOthersRelated imprint under Ylva Publishing umbrella, specifically focused on lesbian literature
Queer PackminorOthersRelated imprint under Ylva Publishing umbrella, focused on queer fiction

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Ylva Publishing competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Bella Books: Long-running independent publisher focused almost exclusively on lesbian fiction across romance, mystery, and genre titles, with print and digital distribution comparable to Ylva's WLW-focused catalog.
NineStar Press: Independent publisher specializing in LGBTQ+ fiction across genres, offering e-book and print distribution similar to Ylva, with comparable author submission model and niche focus.
Riptide Publishing: Independent LGBTQ+ romance and fiction publisher with a curated author roster and digital-first distribution strategy, directly comparable to Ylva in targeting queer romance readers across multiple subgenres.
JMS Books: Independent LGBTQ+ romance and erotica publisher with a wide genre catalog and digital distribution through major retailers, directly comparable to Ylva in audience, format mix, and niche specialization.
Bold Strokes Books: Independent LGBTQ+ fiction publisher offering romance, mystery, and genre fiction with a similar author-imprint model and multi-format distribution, making it the closest direct competitor to Ylva in the lesbian/queer fiction niche.
eXtasy Books: Independent publisher of LGBTQ+ romance and erotica with digital-first distribution, similar in scale and niche focus to Ylva and competing for the same WLW/sapphic author pool.

Broad incumbents

Kensington Books: Established New York-based trade publisher with explicit LGBTQ+ romance lines (e.g., Zebra/kensington's LGBTQ+ imprints), competing for the same sapphic romance readers with the resources of a larger publisher.
Entangled Publishing: Mid-sized romance publisher with multiple imprints including LGBTQ+ romance lines, broader genre portfolio and larger marketing budget than Ylva, representing the kind of mainstream competitor encroaching on the sapphic niche.
Carina Press: Digital-first romance imprint of Harlequin/HarperCollins publishing LGBTQ+ and sapphic romance alongside mainstream titles, comparable to Ylva in format and audience but operating with significantly larger scale and marketing reach.

Emerging players

Less Than Three Press: Independent LGBTQ+ fiction publisher specializing in romance and genre fiction with a small catalog and digital-first distribution, comparable to Ylva in scale and niche focus though with a different subgenre emphasis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Ylva Publishing financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Ylva Publishing leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Ylva Publishing funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Ylva Publishing M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ylva Publishing

What does Ylva Publishing do?

Is Ylva Publishing a public or private company?

Ylva Publishing is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was Ylva Publishing founded?

Ylva Publishing was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Ylva Publishing based?

Ylva Publishing is headquartered in Kriftel, Germany, in the Europe region.

How does Ylva Publishing make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. E-book Sales are the primary driver. The others are audiobook Sales and print-on-Demand.

Who are Ylva Publishing's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Bella Books, NineStar Press, Riptide Publishing, JMS Books, Bold Strokes Books and eXtasy Books. Broad incumbents are Kensington Books, Entangled Publishing and Carina Press. Less Than Three Press is listed as an emerging player.

Does Ylva Publishing have an API?

No public API is recorded for Ylva Publishing.

What industry is Ylva Publishing in?

Ylva Publishing's product category is Independent Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAJAE, Author Website, Storefront & Direct-to-Reader Commerce (D2C Sales), with a secondary code of BPAMAJAF, Self-Publishing & Author Platforms. Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.