Alexander Herrmann

What Alexander Herrmann does

Vertrieb und Beratung Alexander Herrmann is a Munich-based sole proprietorship (Einzelunternehmen) founded in 2004 by Alexander Herrmann, providing book distribution and strategic consulting services to the German-language publishing industry. The firm's core operation is the AURORA-Vertriebskooperation, a cooperative sales platform it co-founded and coordinates, aggregating 14 independent publisher programs (one source notes 12) in the conscious-living, popular non-fiction (Sachbuch), self-help (Ratgeber), and children's book (Kinderbuch) categories. AURORA partners and a small number of direct sales-and-consulting clients (Mission Erde Media, WeCreate Books, Waller Dengler Verlag, Midas Verlag AG) are placed with key accounts in stationary and online book retail and specialist stores across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, with physical fulfillment outsourced to a network of six wholesale distributors (Brocom/Multifakt, AZB, Prolit, Verlegerdienst München, Schweizer Buchzentrum, Mohr Morawa).

The consulting offering covers the full publishing product lifecycle, including market analysis, topic and title development, cover design feedback, program positioning, POS marketing planning, and online marketing, with execution in design, print, and digital marketing delivered through external partners (LONGO, medialike, Guter Punkt, Kathrin Steigerwald, Wörterteam, among others). Alexander Herrmann also serves as Managing Director of medialike, an online marketing agency for book publishers, creating an integrated referral path for digital services.

The business model is a mix of sales commissions on distributed publisher programs and project-based professional services fees for publishers, self-publishers, and authors. There is no proprietary technology platform, no software product, no disclosed pricing, and no external investment. The team consists of approximately five people (the founder, four customer managers, and one sales assistant), operating from a single office in Munich. No revenue figures, funding, or M&A activity are disclosed.

Name

Alexander Herrmann

Legal name

Alexander Herrmann

Website

https://vertriebundberatung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Vertrieb und Beratung Alexander Herrmann is a Munich-based sole proprietorship providing book distribution and publishing consulting to independent German-language publishers, anchored by the AURORA-Vertriebskooperation, a cooperative sales platform covering 14 publisher programs across the DACH book trade.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Distribution & Publishing Consulting Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Author Service Marketplaces & Aggregators (Vetting, Bundled Services) (MPAJAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Author Business Tools & Analytics (Royalty Tracking, Pricing, Keyword/Market Research) (MPAJAJAO)

Keywords

• Book distribution services
• Publishing consulting
• Key account sales
• Publisher sales cooperation
• Non-fiction book trade

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Sales Commission / Distribution Services for Publishers: Revenue generated through commission-based distribution of publisher programs to key accounts in the book trade. Acts as the operational sales arm for partner publishers and the AURORA cooperation.
2. Strategic Consulting for Publishers and Self-Publishers: Advisory fees for program planning, product development, publishing strategy, and marketing consulting for publishers, self-publishers, and authors.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Vertrieb und Beratung Alexander Herrmann provides book distribution and strategic consulting services to independent German-language publishers. The firm coordinates sales of publishing programs (Sachbuch, Ratgeber, Kinderbuch) to key accounts in stationary and online book retail across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and operates the AURORA-Vertriebskooperation — a multi-publisher distribution cooperation for 14 partner publishers. It also offers consulting covering program planning, product development, publication strategy, and marketing for publishers, self-publishers, and authors.

Product overview

Alexander Herrmann operates as a book distribution and consulting office based in Munich with over 20 years of experience. The core offering consists of the AURORA-Vertriebskooperation—a cooperative distribution model for 12-14 publishing programs in conscious living, popular non-fiction, and children's books—coordinated and actively managed in the market. Supporting this is a comprehensive consulting division offering publishers, authors, and self-publishers strategic advice across the entire product lifecycle from program planning and publication to marketing. Distribution services encompass sales to key accounts and retail partners including stationary and online bookstores as well as specialty retailers. The company does not offer a technology product but rather service-based book industry solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AURORA-Vertriebskooperation: A distribution cooperation co-founded by Alexander Herrmann that coordinates the operational distribution work for 12 publishing programs in the areas of conscious living, popular non-fiction, and children's books.

Products and services

• AURORA-Vertriebskooperation A cooperative distribution model for independent publishers in the fields of conscious living, popular non-fiction, and children's books. Alexander Herrmann coordinates sales and places publisher programs with top retail partners including stationary and online bookstores as well as specialty retailers across DACH markets. Member publishers include Aquamarin Verlag, Goldegg Verlag, smarticular, Athesia Tappeiner, Mankau, Tyrolia, Bonifatius, PAL Verlag, VAK, Crotona, Schirner, Via Nova, and Neva.
• Vertriebsaktivitäten (Book Distribution Services) Sales and distribution services for publishers and self-publishers to key accounts and retail partners in the stationary book trade, online bookstores, and specialty retail markets across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Logistics fulfillment is handled by partner wholesalers.
• Beratungsleistungen (Publishing Consulting Services) Strategic consulting for publishers, authors, and self-publishers covering the full product lifecycle: market analysis and target-group definition, topic and title development, layout and print (via partner LONGO), program positioning, cover design feedback, relevant sales channels, POS marketing planning, and target-group online marketing (via partner medialike). Includes a dedicated 'Beratung + Vertrieb für Selfpublisher' track providing industry know-how and sales-driving measures.

Quantifiable outcome

• AURORA partner publishers are described as important suppliers (wichtige Lieferanten) to the trade in conscious living and popular non-fiction segments.

Named customers5 records

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

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• medialikecoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline marketing agency specializing in the book and publishing industry. Handles target-group-oriented online marketing for publisher clients. Alexander Herrmann is also managing director of medialike since end of 2013, indicating a closely integrated working relationship.
• LONGOcoreTechnology or IntegrationAdvertising agency, book production, and print project partner. Handles layout and printing services for publisher clients referred by Alexander Herrmann's consulting practice.
• Stephanie LangeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCoaching and sales consulting for trade and publishers.
• Regina DenkminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPublishing consulting: from idea to finished book.
• Fakturgemeinschaft Multifakt / Brockhaus Commission GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary distribution partner for AURORA publishers (Aquamarin, Athesia Tappeiner, Crotona, Goldegg, Mankau, Schirner, VAK, Via Nova) and PAL Verlag in Germany. Handles physical fulfillment and invoicing.
• AZB Auslieferungszentrum BerckercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for Bonifatius, Mission Erde Media, Waller Dengler Verlag, and WeCreate Books in Germany and Austria.
• Prolit VerlagsauslieferungcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for Midas Verlag AG in Germany.
• Schweizer Buchzentrum AGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for Swiss market (Aquamarin, Crotona, Mankau, Midas, Schirner, VAK).
• Mohr MorawacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for Austrian market (Aquamarin, Bonifatius, Crotona, Goldegg, Midas, VAK).
• Verlegerdienst München GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for smarticular Verlag in Germany.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Brockhaus Commission / Multifakt: Major German book trade commission and distribution specialist serving independent publishers including most AURORA partners. Provides the same combination of key-account sales reach and physical fulfillment that the subject company resells, making it both a partner and a structural competitor.
• GVA (Gemeinsame Verlagsauslieferung): German cooperative book distribution service jointly owned by independent publishers, offering sales, key-account management and logistics coordination for member publishers. Closely analogous model to AURORA-Vertriebskooperation and the company's core sales-services value proposition.
• Prolit Verlagsauslieferung: Specialist German publisher distributor handling physical fulfillment and invoicing for independent publishers including Midas Verlag AG (a direct customer of the subject company). Comparable B2B service to publishers with overlapping customer base.
• Verlegerdienst München: Munich-based publisher distribution service for independent German publishers (handles smarticular for the subject firm). Directly comparable regional peer serving the same Sachbuch/Ratgeber customer base in southern Germany.

Emerging players

• Tolino Media: Self-publishing and e-book distribution arm of the German Tolino ecosystem, working with independent authors and small publishers. Represents the digital-publishing-native alternative to the subject company's traditional sales-and-consulting model for self-publishers.
• BoD (Books on Demand): German self-publishing platform offering print-on-demand, e-book distribution and sales-channel access to authors and small publishers. Adjacent to the subject company's consulting arm for self-publishers, addressing the same customer segment via a more technology-led model.

Broad incumbents

• Libri GmbH: Major German book logistics and distribution company, including a publishing-services arm (Libri Publishing Services) that handles fulfillment and invoicing for independent publishers. Comparable channel function but much broader scope and scale.
• Umbreit: One of Germany's largest book wholesalers and distribution/logistics providers. A broader incumbent that handles book trade fulfillment at scale and competes for the same publisher customer relationships through a wider service portfolio.
• KNV (Koch, Neff & Volckmar): Long-established German book wholesale and distribution group serving publishers and retailers across DACH. Overlaps with the subject company's distribution function at a larger scale but as part of a wider media-services portfolio.

Others

• medialike: Online marketing agency for the book and publishing industry, also led by Alexander Herrmann. Sister company handling the digital-marketing layer of the subject firm's offering; not a competitor but a tightly integrated adjacent services provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xxing.com/profile/Alexander_Herrmann31
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJwv_6mFPfp-YD1b0JBp5Fg
• Facebookfacebook.com/alexander.herrmann.92
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alexander-herrmann

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Alexander Herrmann