Verlag Schnell & Steiner

What Verlag Schnell & Steiner does

Verlag Schnell & Steiner GmbH is a German specialty academic publisher founded in 1933 and headquartered in Regensburg, focused on art history, cultural history, archaeology, architecture, theology, and church art. The company is family-owned by the Weiland family; leadership transitioned from Dr. Albrecht Weiland to his son Felix Weiland on January 31, 2023, with Felix Weiland previously serving as co-managing director. The publishing program comprises approximately 4,500 active titles with 80–100 new publications per year, alongside three academic journals — das münster, Journal für Kunstgeschichte, and Blick in die Wissenschaft — and recurring series including Forum Mittelalter-Studien and Meisterwerke der Glasmalerei. Subsidiary imprints include Stadtwandelverlag (urban transformation), Universitätsverlag Regensburg (university press), and Artguide (smartphone art guides).

The business model combines one-time unit sales of books priced €4.50–€149 with annual journal subscriptions, generating revenue through a mix of direct-to-consumer e-commerce (schnell-und-steiner.de), traditional German Buchhandel distribution, and since June 2023 an ISD International partnership covering UK, Scandinavia, and Asia. Primary customers are museums and cultural institutions, academic and research institutions, and religious organizations (dioceses and churches); individual consumers form a secondary segment. Long-standing content partnerships include Corpus Vitrearum (since 2007), Forum Mittelalter at Universität Regensburg (since 2005), and the Görres-Gesellschaft. Production has been climate-neutral via ClimatePartner since 2023.

Operationally the company is small (11–50 employees), and revenue is not publicly disclosed. The publisher maintains continuous Frankfurt Book Fair participation (75 years consecutively), runs the annual Kulturpreis Kunst und Ethos award (since 2009, €5,000 prize), and has won multiple external awards including the 2026 Deutscher Gartenbuchpreis and the 2025 Pfalzpreis für pfälzische Geschichte. No external funding or holding company ownership is indicated.

Name

Verlag Schnell & Steiner

Legal name

Verlag Schnell & Steiner GmbH

Website

https://schnell-und-steiner.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Verlag Schnell & Steiner is a family-owned German academic publisher founded in 1933 in Regensburg, producing approximately 4,500 titles and 3 journals on art history, cultural history, archaeology, architecture, and church art for museums, universities, dioceses, and individual readers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scholarly Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK), General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)

Keywords

• Art history publishing
• Scholarly book publishing
• Cultural heritage publications
• Exhibition catalog publishing
• Academic art books

Headquarters

HQ city

Regensburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book and Publication Sales: Sale of art books, exhibition catalogs, art guides, and cultural history publications through the company's online shop and book trade. Individual titles are sold as one-time purchases with prices ranging from approximately €4.50 to €149.00 per item.
2. Journal Subscriptions: Subscription-based revenue from journals including 'das münster' (journal for Christian art and art science), 'Journal für Kunstgeschichte' (art history review journal), and 'Blick in die Wissenschaft' (research magazine of University of Regensburg).
3. Shipping and Handling: Shipping revenue from international delivery services: €3.95 within Germany (under €25 order value), €12.95 EU, €20.00 Europe, €25.00 outside Europe. Free shipping within Germany for orders above €25.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Verlag Schnell & Steiner is a German publishing house founded in 1933 that produces and sells scholarly and illustrated books on art history, archaeology, architecture, cultural history, and theology, along with academic journals, exhibition catalogs, art guides, and travel guides. The publisher maintains approximately 4,500 available titles and releases 80-100 new books annually through its own online shop, traditional bookstore distribution, and international channels.

Product overview

Verlag Schnell & Steiner is a German academic publishing house specializing in art and cultural history. The company operates as a multi-format publisher offering approximately 4,500 available titles across its core program. Its product portfolio includes: (1) Kunst- und Kulturgeschichtliche Publikationen - books on theology, archaeology, architecture, castles, cultural history, and art history; (2) Zeitschriften - three academic journals ('das münster', 'Journal für Kunstgeschichte', 'Blick in die Wissenschaft'); (3) Kunstführer - art guide series in various formats (Kleine Kunstführer, Große Kunstführer); (4) Ausstellungskataloge - exhibition catalogs; (5) Kunstreise - art travel guides; (6) Imprints including Stadtwandelverlag, Universitätsverlag Regensburg, and Artguide mobile app. The company also administers the annual Kulturpreis Kunst und Ethos award program. Publications appear in multiple series including Forum Mittelalter-Studien and Meisterwerke der Glasmalerei. The company maintains publishing operations in Germany with climate-neutral production since 2023.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Art and Cultural History Books Scholarly and illustrated books covering art history, archaeology, theology, architecture, castles, cultural history, and art history. Approximately 4,500 titles are available with 80-100 new publications released per year, serving scholars, museums, universities, and interested readers.
• Academic Journals Three subscription-based academic journals: 'das münster' (Christian art and art science), 'Journal für Kunstgeschichte' (art history review), and 'Blick in die Wissenschaft' (University of Regensburg research magazine). Sold on annual subscription with prices ranging from €6.50 to €89.00 per issue or volume.
• Art Guides (Kunstführer) Illustrated art guide series in two formats (Kleine Kunstführer and Große Kunstführer) providing introductions to churches, museums, castles, and cultural heritage sites. Targets cultural tourists, individual readers, and institutional visitors.
• Exhibition Catalogs Catalogs documenting museum and gallery exhibitions across art history, archaeology, and cultural history topics, produced in cooperation with museums and cultural institutions. Available for purchase through the online shop and book trade.
• Art Travel Guides (Kunstreise) Travel guides focused on cultural sites, castles, gardens, and art destinations for educational tourism. Targeted at individual travelers and cultural enthusiasts.
• Universitätsverlag Regensburg (University Press) University press imprint publishing academic research from University of Regensburg scholars, making scholarly research accessible to a broader public audience. Operates as a wholly-owned imprint of Verlag Schnell & Steiner.
• Artguide Mobile Application Smartphone application for iPhones and Android devices offering digital art guides and cultural content from the publisher's catalog, provided through wholly-owned subsidiary Artguide.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75 years of continuous presence at Frankfurt Book Fair
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ISD InternationalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2023Since June 2023, Verlag Schnell & Steiner has partnered with ISD International for distribution in UK, Scandinavia, and Asia. This expands upon an existing successful relationship with ISD's parent company in North America. The expansion addresses the publisher's growing English-language title output.
• StadtwandelverlagcoreOthersStadtwandelverlag operates as an imprint within the Verlag Schnell & Steiner publishing group, focusing on urban transformation and city development topics.
• ArtguidecoreOthersArtguide is a company within the publishing group that provides art guides for iPhones and smartphones, offering mobile digital content alongside physical publications.
• Universitätsverlag RegensburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University Press of Regensburg is part of the publishing group and mirrors the spectrum of subjects represented at University of Regensburg, making academic research accessible to the public.
• Corpus Vitrearum (Freiburger Arbeitsstelle)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2007, the publisher has been co-editing the 'Meisterwerke der Glasmalerei' (Masterpieces of Stained Glass) series with the Freiburg office of the international Corpus Vitrearum inventory project, which has been documenting medieval stained glass since 1952.
• Görres-GesellschaftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe publisher maintains a book table presence at the annual Görres-Gesellschaft (Society for the Promotion of Science) conference, one of the oldest academic societies, and publishes selected proceedings from the conference.
• Forum MittelaltercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Forum Mittelalter (Forum Medieval Studies), an interdisciplinary medieval research network at University of Regensburg founded in 2003, has been publishing their annual conference proceedings in the 'Forum Mittelalter-Studien' series with the publisher since 2005, celebrating 20 years of collaboration in 2023.
• ClimatePartnercoreOthersClimatePartner certification for carbon-neutral book production since 2023. The publisher invests in climate protection projects to compensate for unavoidable CO2 emissions from book manufacturing, with each product featuring a ClimatePartner label and tracking ID number.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Böhlau Verlag: German humanities and cultural studies academic publisher covering history, art history, and archaeology. Closely comparable to Schnell & Steiner's scholarly monograph and university-press output.
• Hatje Cantz Verlag: German art publisher with a deep exhibition catalog and art-theoretical monograph program. Highly comparable to Schnell & Steiner's combination of museum-driven publishing and scholarly art history output.
• Prestel Verlag: Prestel publishes illustrated art, architecture, and cultural history books with strong museum exhibition catalog programs. Overlaps directly with Schnell & Steiner in art guides, exhibition catalogs, and premium illustrated nonfiction.
• Hirmer Verlag: Munich-based German art book publisher specializing in illustrated art history, museum catalogs, and architecture titles — directly comparable to Schnell & Steiner in subject matter, format, and DACH institutional customer base.

Broad incumbents

• DuMont Buchverlag: Cologne-based German publisher with a significant art, architecture, and illustrated nonfiction list. Comparable in illustrated cultural publishing, with overlap in museum and exhibition-adjacent titles.
• Reclam Verlag: Long-established German publisher covering literature, humanities, and cultural studies. Comparable in DACH cultural-publishing reach but oriented to series-format pocket books rather than illustrated scholarly art books.
• C.H. Beck Verlag: Large German scholarly publisher with an extensive humanities list and well-known art history guides. Comparable in DACH academic reach but operates across a much broader subject portfolio than Schnell & Steiner.
• De Gruyter: International academic publisher with a strong humanities and art history program. Comparable in scholarly monograph output, particularly for university and library customers, but far larger and more international.
• Taschen Verlag: Globally scaled art and architecture book publisher with broader geographic reach and a more consumer/coffee-table orientation. Comparable in subject matter but operates at a much larger scale and different price point than Schnell & Steiner.

Regional players

• Wagenbach Verlag: Independent Berlin-based publisher with a curated literary and cultural nonfiction list. Less directly comparable in subject matter but a comparable-sized German independent publisher with similar institutional and bookstore distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Schnell_Steiner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Verlag Schnell & Steiner